I always thought I would revert back to comfort, back to football. This is not the case. Queen’s Club has become my focus this week as the major build-up to Wimbledon. Scotland’s Andy Murray got off to a winning start after a three set affair with Xavier Malisse of Belgium followed by a straight sets victory over Janko Tipsarevic. There a number of seasoned tennis stars in the third round of the competition including World number one Rafael Nadal, former US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro and surprisingly, James Ward of England who beat Switzerland’s Stanislas Warwinka.
A victory for one of these stars this week?
Wimbledon doesn’t start for over another week so let me turn your attention to Bethesda, Maryland, USA. It is here on the 16th of June that Graeme McDowall will try to defend his US Open crown but there are a number of golfers aiming for the top. World number one Luke Donald is hoping his recent form will help him to a first major title. There are another three Englishmen looking to secure a major title for the first time, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and my outside bet for the championships the ever eccentric Ian Poulter.
Trousers a sign of things to come?
This major promises to be very exciting as some of the best golf ever is being played right now, as Tiger Woods is no longer dominating, it seems that the top of the rankings is forever changing. The odds are stacked against the much fancied Europeans though as the only former winner playing in next week’s tournament is McDowall.
As for Athletics, all the attention this week is on Mr Bolt as he runs his first 200m race in over a year at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo tonight (Thursday). Bolt has struggled (for his standards anyway) so far this season and has seen American 100m rival Tyson Gay run an impressive 9.79 seconds in Florida last Saturday. Gay’s training partner and fellow American powerhouse, Steve Mullings has also been on top form having ran 9.80 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Oregon. Bolt, I feel, has more left in the tank in terms of the 100m but it will be interesting to see how he goes in the 200m.
Feeling the pressure?
Okay, so I couldn’t resist a little bit of football thrown in at the end. Money has been the main talking point and English under-21 stars Phil Jones and Jordan Henderson are at the centre of the argument with proposed big money moves to Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively. When you take this into consideration with one of Scotland’s best talents, Steven Whittaker, wanted by Turkish club Bursaspor for a reported £300,000 compared to £20million for Henderson. This shows you the gulf between the English and Scottish game.
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