Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sports World

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Are we in for genuine excitement at the French Open? Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:32 AM PDT With the world of men and women's tennis in a delicate state of transition at the moment, with the reigns of the leading players in both the men's and women's games coming under severe threat, the question all tennis fans are asking is whether the world of tennis will be able to make the most of this transitional period by moving into a brave new world, or whether, when the dust settles, the old favourites will settle back into their thrones. The most up to date French Open odds suggest things are set to be very interesting indeed. If, at this year's French Open in the men's or the women's tournaments, we start to see the likes of Andy Murray perform above and beyond expectations, producing a brand new Grand Slam winner in the process, new and ever younger fans might just start to develop a long-lasting love for the sport as tennis seeks to find a way of becoming more competitive than other sports in England such as football, which have for far too long been dominated by the same teams or individuals. Tennis now has a precious chance to prove that it is unique in the sense that there are many different players who can be successful in Grand Slams and the upcoming French Open might be the start of a run of tournaments that start bringing the crowds back to tennis, in the process increasing the overall profile of a sport that has for too long been dominated by the same characters, some of whom haven't been as inspiring as they perhaps could have been. With a new, bolder, and more exciting era of tennis hopefully on the horizon after Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open and Caroline Wozniacki continued to show that she's capable of evolving the uninspiring and rather brutal women's game of the sort played by the Williams sisters, we could be about to see the beginning of a golden generation in a growing sport.

Balotelli will have to fill Tevez's boots Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:07 AM PDT Manchester City have been dealt a massive blow ahead of their FA Cup semi-final with the news Carlos Tevez will be missing for the Wembley clash. The Argentine striker has been a key piece of Roberto Mancini's plans for this season as they hunt for glory in the Premier League and cup competitions, but Tevez was hit by a hamstring problem during the defeat at Liverpool last time out. Without their key man, it's hard to say that City look like FA Cup best bets. Mancini has confirmed the forward will be missing for around a month, ruling him out of the FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester United as City look to win their first piece of silverware for 35 years. Those looking to bet on FA Cup final action may not even see their name on the slips though. "Tevez is not available for Saturday," Mancini said. "I think he will recover in three or four weeks. It is a big problem but we can't take any risks." Tevez has scored 22 goals in all competitions for City this season, more than double the man who is second in the side's scoring charts, Mario Balotelli. In the absence of Tevez, the temperamental Italian striker seems set to be given the main striking duties, assisted by Edin Dzeko – who has scored two FA Cup goals since his arrival in January. Indeed, Mancini has called on Balotelli to fill the void left by Tevez, not only at Wembley but also in the remaining Premier League games as City look to get into the Premier League top four. The Italian manager claims Balotelli can score "important goals" and "could be the hero" at Wembley if he gets the goals to knock out United and secure City their place in the FA Cup final.

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