Australian Open Preview

As with seemingly all Grand Slams in this blessed generation of tennis, history can be made in Melbourne this fortnight at the Australian Open. Winning the tournament would see Nadal achieve what will become known as the 'Rafa Slam', holding all four Grand Slam trophies at one time (collected over two calendar years). Rod Laver (in 1969) is the only other player in the Open Era to achieve this feat, while only Don Budge did so before Laver. With the man labelled by many the 'Greatest of All Time' as one of Rafa's contemporaries, should Nadal win the title, it will be a truly remarkable achievement, probably the greatest the game has ever seen. Meanwhile, if Nadal, or any player other than Federer, lifts the trophy on January 30, it will be the first time since 2003, before he had even won his first, that the Swiss will not have held a major trophy.

With so much history at stake, will Rafa win the title? It is now clear that Nadal, not Federer, must be considered automatic favourite for Grand Slams, regardless of surface, and will be the favourite for this one too. His hindrances will be the strength of the field, with Nadal likely to have to play his very best tennis in at least two matches to win (not one person who watched Wimbledon and the US Open last year can doubt Nadal's ability to do this). But anyone inevitably has a bad day at the office on occasion, which only makes Nadal's consistent brilliance over the majority of 2010 on all surfaces all the more startling; while Nadal has also admitted that he is still suffering from illness – needless to say an under-strength Nadal is far more vulnerable than a fully fit one, especially against a player of Federer's ability.

Hodgson takes pole as Sack Race hots up

An extraordinary Premier League season took another dramatic turn last night and the pressure was heaped on bosses Roy Hodgson, Avram Grant, Carlo Ancelotti and Gerard Houllier, as the poor form of their respective clubs culminated in bitter defeats for Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea and Aston Villa. All four's jobs are under serious threat, and the league in danger of losing four of its managers in very quick succession. In 2011 it is now more commonplace than merely a worrying trend for managers to be sacked so short into their tenure, with three of the four managers at risk only half a season in and Ancelotti at Chelsea only twelve months their senior.

Of the four, Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is most at risk. His problems at Anfield are complicated and difficult to summarise in a short passage, but the main quandary for Liverpool fans for and against Hodgson had been whether he was performing too poorly, or whether he was doing a good enough job with a sub-standard squad left by Rafa Benitez. In the minds of Liverpool fans, this debate seems to be over. Liverpool are a club in turmoil. Their performances this season, particularly away from home with one win and seven defeats in ten matches, would be considered awful by a club with standards and expectations lower than that of a member of the now out-dated ‘Big Four’.

Can Ponting afford to lose Ashes series?

Andrew Strauss' England tour Australia with their best chance of success in a quarter of a century. Pundits, experts, and former players on this side of the world are all resoundingly in accordance that Strauss and his team will bring home the urn. The first part of this blog will look at England's chances, and assess whether the overwhelming optimism surrounding the team is justified, before looking at the other side of the all-important coin, and see that England would underestimate at their peril the ability, and most importantly hunger, of the Australian side and its talismanic, yet controversial leader Ricky Ponting.

Pundits and former players in England seem in clear agreement that England are a superior side to Australia, so much so that they will win the series on their opponents' own soil. Former captains Gatting and Vaughan have confidently predicted England victories while Jonathan Agnew expects a 3-1 triumph, looking at Swann's ability and the frailties of the Aussie batting line-up, Michael Hussey and Marcus North in particular, as deciding factors. 

What is driving Rooney out of Old Trafford?

Addressing the Associated Press ahead of his side Champions' League match against Bursaspor, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made it clear that he would be answering questions on Wayne Rooney's future. Reports and rumours that Rooney wanted to leave became reality, a harsh one for Ferguson and anyone involved with Manchester United as a football club.

Rooney has it all at United. He is the best-known, and currently most gifted, player at one of the world's most successful and most renowned clubs, and is paid accordingly. Adored by the fans, Rooney is (rightly or wrongly) equated with the all-time greats of one of the UK's most prestigious and treasured sporting institutions, all under the tutelage of one of the most respected coaches in the game. At Old Trafford he has, and can continue to win major trophies at both domestic and European level. Why would he possibly want to leave?

Balancing sustainability and fairness in higher education (The Browne Report)

Published today, the Browne Report looking into university reforms delivered, as widely expected, the recommendation that tuition fees be vastly increased. The verdict is that the government would underwrite university fees of £6,000 a year. More importantly, the Browne review concludes that universities could charge more if they so wished, seeking to introduce a cap at £12,000 per year. Browne branded the document as 'securing a sustainable future' for higher education. In terms of money, this may be true, but what does it mean for the students?

Business Secretary and senior Liberal Democrat Vince Cable has accepted the plans, an obvious dichotomy but one not strictly relevant to this piece. He describes the previous party opposition to any rise in fees as 'no longer feasible'. This is to say either this country's finances have taken a drastic turn for the worse in the five months since the election, or by 'no longer feasible' he means it's no longer a stance the party can take while in coalition with the Tories, likely the latter. It would appear that in government the likes of Cable are having to perform a drastic U-turn from their previous position as being reasonably respected politicians.

Clegg seizes opportunity but jeopardises Lib Dem future

In light of his speech to his party conference in Liverpool, this article is an attempt to put what little knowledge of politics I have into an analysis of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats' role in the coalition government so far, addressing the extent of their success in balancing faithfulness to their voters and policies with 'playing politics', and accepting their role as a minor power, but a power all the same.

There can be no doubt that Clegg made the right decision entering government with the Conservative party. As the leader of a party whom the public had resoundingly rejected at the election, polling 23% and losing five seats, well short of both hopes and expectations, he had the choice of quasi-leading the Liberal Democrats through the wilderness of minor opposition, or trying to influence Conservative policy-making in government, in so doing allow for both greater public representation in government, and a chance, if a minor one, for a measure of progressive politics to prevail. This was an opportunity Clegg could not pass up.

What Nadal’s victory means for tennis

On Monday, Rafael Nadal made history by winning the US Open for the first time, completing a career Grand Slam. At 24, he is the second youngest player behind Rod Laver to achieve the feat, and suddenly his list of records, as well as his trophy cabinet, is starting to compare with that of Roger Federer, the man with the greatest records of all. The victory is his third major title in a row, making him the first man to win these three consecutively since Laver in 1969, and the first to do so on three different surfaces. This article looks at how Nadal's fantastic fortnight changes tennis history, and what it means for its future.