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Mercedes launch their new car – the W03 – for the 2012 season

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Mercedes have launched their challenger for the 2012 season in Barcelona.

The team gave the W03 its first run at Silverstone last week before holding a private test in Barcelona on Sunday.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has described the new car as “very responsive” after testing it for the first time.

Team boss Ross Brawn added: “The W03 is an elegant interpretation of the current regulations and a clear step forward over its predecessor.”

After two consecutive fourth-placed finishes in the constructors’ championship, there is a lot riding on the new W03.

Following a season in which Schumacher and team-mate Nico Rosberg failed to score a podium finish, Brawn admits that the team are under pressure to perform.

“We have to go forward,” said Brawn. “None of us are happy with a recurring fourth place.

“That is not why any of us are here. But I am quietly confident, with the strength we have got, the resources we have got and the team we are building, that we can do that.”

Mercedes are the only leading team to have waited until this week’s second pre-season test in Barcelona to run their car seriously.

World champions Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari all had their 2012 cars ready in time for the first test in Jerez two weeks ago, where Mercedes concentrated on tyre testing with a modified version of last year’s car.

Mercedes hoped to use the extra time in order to make its development stage as long as possible – theoretically an advantage.

But the decision means that they have only nine test days to prepare the car for the new season, compared with the other teams’ 12.

“Nowhere is the need to improve felt more greatly than at Mercedes, the team trying to make F1’s “big three” into a quartet”

Mercedes have added two experienced engineers to the team in former Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis, who has worked for Williams, Honda and Red Bull.

Brawn said he felt that their addition would make the team stronger.

“I don’t know where we’ll be with the car,” he said. “I feel reasonably comfortable with what we’ve done.

“But, wherever we are, I’m sure we’ll have a much stronger response than we were capable of in the past.”

He predicted that the team would be in a position to challenge for podiums this season – a minimum target for an outfit whose ultimate ambition is to win the world championship.

“We are definitely ready to go for podiums,” said Brawn.

“Any team that has not won the world championship has to look at how it can improve, how it can strengthen and how it can achieve better results.

Even if you win the world championship you still look at that.”

Source: bbc.co.uk

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Vitaly Petrov replaces Jarno Trulli at Caterham for 2012

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Russian Vitaly Petrov has replaced Italian veteran Jarno Trulli at Caterham for 2012.

Trulli, 37, was under contract to the team but has been dropped after a tough 2011 season and the arrival of Petrov with a substantial sponsorship package.

The move is likely to end the career of a man who has been in F1 since 1997 and won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix.

Petrov, 27, joins Caterham after two years at Renault, now re-named Lotus, and will partner Heikki Kovalainen.

Team principal Tony Fernandes said the decision to ditch Trulli had “not been an easy one”, adding: “It was one we made to ensure we give fresh impetus across the whole team and with a realistic eye on the global economic market.

“As the first Russian to race in F1 [Petrov] carries the hopes of a huge nation with ease and his talents, experience with one of our current competitors, and insights on and off track will play a huge role in our development as we fight to join the established teams ahead.”

Petrov said: “This is a very exciting day for me.

“I have been training hard all winter and am ready to get back into the cockpit and go to work.

“From what I have seen already, our new car is another good step forward from 2011 and now I cannot wait to see how it feels when we get to Barcelona.”

Trulli joined Caterham – who have raced as Lotus until this year – for their debut season in 2010 but the relationship between the team and driver soured through 2011.

The Italian, who is renowned as a remarkably sensitive driver who needs the car to be to his liking to perform at his best, struggled with the car’s power-steering system.

He was comprehensively out-performed by Kovalainen, and although his form improved when the team were able to fit a modified system with improved feel, he was out-qualified by Kovalainen in 16 of the 18 races they did together last season.

This was especially disappointing for the team as Trulli has been recognised throughout his career as one of the fastest drivers in the world over a single lap.

The Finn was also generally the stronger race performer, although Trulli did finish ahead in the championship on the basis of having one more 13th place finish.

Caterham’s decision is based on two major factors.

One was that the budget Petrov brings – worth several million pounds – is the equivalent of having a new major sponsor, a significant consideration in the current difficult economic climate, especially given that Trulli needed paying a salary.

The other was the usual size of the margin between Kovalainen and Trulli – often nearly a second in qualifying.

Although Petrov is considered only a journeyman, the team believe he should still be able to produce performances at least as good as if not better than Trulli was managing in 2011.

Fernandes – owner of the Air Asia airline and Queens Park Rangers Football Club – has also been putting pressure on the team to become more self-sufficient. They have so far mostly been funded by his businesses.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank Jarno for the absolutely pivotal role he played in the formation and progression of our team since he joined us in December 2009,” he said.

“Jarno knew that when he joined us it would be a very different environment to where he had been before, and when we gave him the package he wanted he absolutely shone.

“It was not an easy decision to replace him, but it was one we made to ensure we give fresh impetus across the whole team and with a realistic eye on the global economic market.

“We will do everything we can to welcome him in, give him a car he can use to showcase his skills, and keep up the rate of development that has seen us go from an empty factory with just four employees to a fully established F1 team in just over two years.”

Source: bbb.co.uk

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WEBBER HAS NO RETIREMENT PLANS 2012 Season.

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Mark Webber insists retirement will be the furthest thing from his mind when he competes in the 2012 Championship.

Many predicted 2011 would be the Australian’s final year in F1, but he signed a new one-year contract with Red Bull midway through the season and now everyone is speculating that 2012 will be his swansong.

The 35-year-old, though, is adamant he won’t be thinking about retirement during the season.

“That’s not the right attitude. The attitude is to focus 100 per cent on the next race. The results are the important thing, not the age,” he is quoted as saying by Autosport.

“I’ve had team-mates who don’t get the results and they are finished when they are 21. It’s a results based industry. If you don’t get the results, you don’t operate with the top teams.”

The Australian is coming off a difficult season when results are compared to team-mate Sebastian Vettel’s.

While the German won 11 races en route to his second consecutive world championship, Webber could only manage one race win.

The F1 veteran, though, is not dwelling on the past season and hopes to start next year with a bang.

“I haven’t started recharging the batteries yet and I’m completely ready to do that,” he said.

“2011 is over, in my view, so it will be nice to start to recharge soon, to spend some time with the family and relax. But I know that I won’t do that for long.

“I get quite impatient to go back racing. Three or four weeks is the limit before I start to get itchy feet so I’m really looking forward to how next year’s car is going to roll out.

“There would be something wrong if you weren’t looking forward to that and seeing how we were going to come up against Ferrari and McLaren.”

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Spurs’ Harry Redknapp to resist lure of England – Levy

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Harry Redknapp Redknapp’s side saw a six-game winning run halted by Stoke on Sunday

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is not interested in taking on the England manager’s job “at the present time”, according to club chairman Daniel Levy.

“Harry has 18 months left on his contract. As far as Harry is concerned, he is very happy here and he doesn’t particularly want to consider England at the present time,” said Levy.

“We will worry about that situation if it arises in the summer.”

Current England boss Fabio Capello will leave the role at the end of Euro 2012.

Redknapp has previously said the England job would be “hard to turn down” and described the position as “the pinnacle of your career”.
Harry Redknapp’s managerial career

He also claimed in September 2010 that he was taking his career a week at a time.

The 64-year-old took the reins at Tottenham in October 2008 with the team four points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League after a miserable start to the season under Spainard Juande Ramos.

He oversaw a recovery in their form as they climbed to eighth by the end of the campaign and then qualified for the Champions League in his first full season in charge in 2009-10.

Tottenham claimed famous victories over Inter Milan and AC Milan en route to the last eight of the premier European competition and have won plaudits for an attacking style that has taken them to fourth in the Premier League table this season.

Redknapp is due to face trial in January on tax evasion charges relating to his time as manager of previous club Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham boss has been warned over his future conduct following his post-match comments about the performance of referee Chris Foy during the defeat at Stoke.

The Spurs boss said he felt like Foy “was quite enjoying not giving us anything” during the 2-1 defeat.

The Football Association looked at the comments but decided against taking disciplinary reaction and instead have written to Redknapp.

An FA spokesman said: “We have written to Harry Redknapp following his post-match comments on Sunday warning him as to his future conduct.”

INCE: UNITED NEED MODRIC OR INIESTA Transfer Specials.

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Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince believes the transfer window has come at the right time for the club.

United announced that midfielder Darren Fletcher is to take an extended break from the game because he is suffering from ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition.

The Old Trafford club had previously stated they did not intend doing much activity in the transfer window – but Ince believes the absence of the Scotland international means they may reverse that decision.

With fellow midfielders Anderson and Tom Cleverley sidelined and central defender Nemanja Vidic also injured, Ince believes Tottenham’s Luka Modric may interest manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ince told BBC Radio Five Live: “I feel they need that creativity in midfield, losing Paul Scholes was a big loss obviously.

“You’re not going to get players like Roy Keane or Bryan Robson, those players aren’t around anymore.

“The game has changed since then and you don’t get those type of characters, so he (Ferguson) has got to look at another way of controlling the midfield and I think that can come from creativity in someone like Luka Modric or Andres Iniesta, they are the players I would be looking at.

“I’m sure Sir Alex will take stock and he’ll be looking at what type of player he will need in January and it won’t just be in midfield, I’m sure he’s looking at a centre-half with Vidic being out.

“But I’m sure he knows what to do, there’s no point me telling him what to do because he’s the greatest manager I’ve ever played under.”

Former West Ham, Liverpool and United midfielder Ince also believes a goalscorer should be on Ferguson’s wishlist, particularly with Javier Hernandez out for several weeks with an ankle injury.

He added: “There is a lot of pressure on Rooney and we saw what that did to him in the World Cup.

“If you are going to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea you need someone who is going to score you 20 goals a season and you can’t just rely on Wayne Rooney to do it year in and year out.

“Nani has chipped in and Ashley Young was flying early on, but they have quietened down form-wise, so you wonder where the goals are going to come from.

“[Dimitar] Berbatov’s not playing enough, Michael Owen is out injured again and Danny Welbeck is still a young lad but he will chip in with goals.”

REDKNAPP WANTS TO SEE TWO REFS Barclays Premier League.

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Harry Redknapp believes football should experiment with two referees after a recent spate of controversial decisions.

Tottenham were on the wrong end of what they believe were costly errors by the match officials during their 2-1 defeat at Stoke on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Manchester City were denied what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty during their 2-1 reversal at Chelsea on Monday night.

Redknapp feels these mistakes could be eradicated if extra officials were introduced.

He appreciates that it would be difficult for a rule change to be implemented, but feels football needs to explore all possible avenues when it comes to getting big decisions right – with so much riding on the outcome of results at the highest level.

“This could make me just about the most unpopular manager among my colleagues in the Premier League, but I reckon it might be a good idea to have not one but two referees in every match,” Redknapp wrote in his column in The Sun.

“Refs have a tough job, I know that. The other managers know that.

“I don’t want to criticise them, but if we can think of a solution where they can work more effectively and we avoid these fall-outs surely it must be better for us all.

“Referees are human and can make errors and bad calls, just as I can, and, do.

“However, if we had two referees on one pitch, perhaps one in each half, surely it would cut the risk of getting a big decision wrong by 50 per cent.

“In Europe, we have had extra refs on the touchline and that has helped.

“But two on the pitch could be something worth experimenting with.

“We have lots of top-class referees so it could only make their job easier if they got some help on the pitch.

“Key decisions are being made in big games and there is so much more pressure involved nowadays.

“Virtually every match is on the telly and I think we must look at every angle of making sure we get it right.”

Jonny Wilkinson retires from England duty

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Jonny Wilkinson Wilkinson is England’s all-time leading scorer with 1,179 points

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has retired from international rugby union.

The 32-year-old won 91 England caps, kicked the winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final and played six Tests for the British and Irish Lions.

“It fills me with great sadness, but I know I have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what I have with the England rugby team,” he said.

Despite a career plagued by injury, Wilkinson is England’s all-time leading scorer with 1,179 points.

Wilkinson one of the greats – Woodward

The Toulon back is second on the all-time list with 1,246 Test points, placing him just behind New Zealand’s Dan Carter.

Wilkinson’s record for his country includes six tries, 162 conversions, 239 penalties and a record 36 drop-goals. His total of 277 points at World Cups is 50 more than any other player.

“I never ever believed that I would be able to give up on this dream which has driven me to live, breathe, love and embrace the game of rugby from the earliest days that I can remember,” he told his official website.

“Playing the game, representing the team, giving my all and never letting go has meant everything to me. I do, have done and always will believe that I am very capable of performing and thriving at any level of the sport.
WILKINSON IN NUMBERS
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The fly-half made his England debut at the age of 18 and went on to play in four World Cups, with his defining moment coming in the final of the 2003 tournament when his drop-goal 17 seconds from the end of extra-time secured England a 20-17 win over Australia.

But the then Newcastle fly-half’s career was blighted by injuries and at one stage Wilkinson played barely 15 hours’ competitive rugby in 18 months as a succession of injuries took their toll.

His extraordinary determination enabled him to overcome them and he fought back to help England reach the final of the 2007 World Cup.

Rejuvenated after moving to play his club rugby with Toulon, Wilkinson made his last England appearance against France in the quarter-final of this year’s tournament in October.

“To say I have played through four World Cups, two Lions tours, 91 international games and a ridiculous number of injuries and other setbacks gives me an incredibly special feeling of fulfilment,” he added.
Continue reading the main story

I’ll always remember playing against Newcastle early on in his career. I got tackled and thought I’d been hit by two men because it was so hard, but when I looked up it was just Jonny stood there on his own

“But by now I know myself well enough to know that I will never truly be satisfied. It goes without saying that I would like to wish Stuart Lancaster [interim England head coach], his coaches and the England squad every bit of success available to them.

“I would also very much like to extend those wishes to Martin Johnson, Brian Smith, Mike Ford, John Wells, Graham Rowntree and the rest of the England 2011 World Cup management team who have been fantastic, and deserve people to know that.

“For me now, I will continue to focus ever harder on my goal of being the very best I can be with Toulon Rugby Club and continue to embrace and enjoy wherever that path takes me.”

Lancaster, who has been appointed as England’s interim head coach for the Six Nations, paid a glowing tribute to Wilkinson.

“Jonny has had a fantastic international career which has spanned four World Cups and 91 caps, and ranks as one of England’s greatest ever players,” he commented.

“He will, of course, be remembered for that drop-goal. But he is more than that, a model sportsman – down to earth and hard-working – who has never stopped trying to be the best that he can.

“Everyone who has played with, coached and watched Jonny play should feel privileged to have had an involvement with him.

“Not only has he been a world-class player, but he has inspired thousands to play and watch the game of rugby.

“He will continue to do great things with Toulon, and I would like to go and see him in France to learn from his vast knowledge and experience of 13 years at the very top of the international game.”

Former England team-mate Mark Cueto said: “You’ve just got to look at the likes of Matthew Tait, who I played with at Sale for three years and who grew up with Wilko at Newcastle, and the qualities they learned from him.

Jonny Wilkinson will forever be remembered for the drop-goal (off his wrong foot) that brought England their first World Cup in 2003, but he offered his country so much more than just a kicker. At his peak, he was the best distributor of the ball in world rugby, his offensive tackling was outstanding for a fly-half, and he was blessed with the calmest of temperaments. Time after time he delivered under pressure, and time after time he recovered from debilitating injuries to reclaim the England number 10 shirt. Wilkinson is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary talent, and English rugby is much the poorer without him

“He was always striving to better himself. He couldn’t have done any more with the England team, winning the Grand Slam in the Six Nations and then going on to win a World Cup and for so many players it would be easy to relax after that.

“But the more he achieved, the harder he worked and that’s an unbelievable attribute to have.”

Lewis Moody, who played alongside Wilkinson in the World Cup-winning team and only announced his own retirement from England duty in October, said: “I’m humbled to have played alongside him.

“I’m saddened but his contribution over the years, his work ethic, professionalism and commitment, has been immense. He put everything into what he did. It was incredible to watch him train and perform.

“The fact he missed four years of international rugby but still amassed 97 caps is unimaginable. It’s a real shame he’s decided to retire but what he’s given to the sport, and a generation, is immense.”

Former England centre and BBC pundit Jeremy Guscott told BBC Sport: “He was world class, the best in his position, and when he dropped that goal to win the World Cup for England he became immortalised.

“His performances were never less than the best he could deliver, he was a very talented player and England were fortunate to have him.”

BOA fights to keep lifetime bans for drugs cheats

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Dwain Chambers Chambers received a two-year ban for a drug offence in 2004

The British Olympic Association (BOA) will take its fight to keep a lifetime ban for drugs cheats to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

The BOA is challenging the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) policy that the ban is “non-compliant” with its code.

“We take a different view – we believe it is about our selection policy,” said BOA chairman Lord Moynihan.

Sprinter Dwain Chambers, who has served a ban, could compete at the 2012 London Olympics if the BOA loses.

Both the BOA and Wada are looking for Cas to make a decision before the end of April 2012.

Moynihan told BBC Radio 5 live: “Selection policies differ from nation to nation. One of ours is that we will not select athletes who have knowingly taken drugs to cheat clean athletes for selection to Team GB and that has been in place for 19 years.”

The BOA imposes a lifetime Olympic ban on any British athlete banned for more than six months for a doping offence – the only national Olympic committee to do so.

However, the policy contradicts Wada’s global anti-doping code.

Lord Moynihan believes the majority of athletes support the BOA position.

He said: “We have asked the athletes, who are the most important people, and 90 to 95% after any Games – winter and summer – have supported that selection policy.

“We will continue to fight for our right to select clean athletes.”

Two QCs, Lord David Pannick and Adam Lewis, will represent the BOA joined by a third lawyer, Tom Cassels of Baker & McKenzie. The lawyers are so supportive of the lifetime ban that they have agreed to represent the BOA for a fraction of their usual fees.

In October, Cas ruled that the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) own doping rule – which barred offenders who had received bans of longer than six months from competing in the next Olympic Games – was unenforceable.

To me it was completely wrong of Wada to mix up sanctions with our selection policy which has been in place longer than Wada has been in existence

Lord Moynihan BOA chairman

That allowed Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt to overturn a ban that prevented him from competing at the 2012 Games, enabling him to defend his title in London.

Moynihan added: “Wada’s current position on this is that if you have a really serious drug offence – you’ve been taking drugs for years – and you get caught you will only get a two year ban.

“If you get the timing right immediately after a Games you will never miss an Olympic Games in the future.

“That to all of us in sport seems just an unsustainable position.”

Moynihan is unhappy that the BOA has been forced to take the case to Cas.

He said: “The reality is it’s Wada that have come after us and said ‘we deem you to be non-compliant’ so we are the reactors in this case.

“It’s regretable we have got to take this step. To me it was completely wrong of Wada to mix up sanctions with our selection policy which has been in place longer than Wada has been in existence but that’s their choice and we are defending our position.”

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas says he has backing of Abramovich

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Winning title will be difficult – Villas-Boas

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas insists owner Roman Abramovich has faith in his long-term plans despite a third defeat in four league games.

Earlier on Sunday, Chelsea said newspaper claims of fractures in their relationship were “total nonsense”.

And after the 2-1 defeat by Liverpool, Villas-Boas said he was confident he retained the owner’s full support.

We have enough talent to compete in all competitions

Andre Villas-Boas

“He didn’t pay 15m euros (£13.2m) to get me out of Porto and another fortune to get me out of Chelsea,” he said.

“It is not a question of the owner having patience. I have said we have set out to build something new at this club and the club is committed to what we are building for the future.”

The loss at home to Liverpool leaves Chelsea 12 points behind leaders Manchester City and Villas-Boas admits they now face a huge task to revive their title hopes.

“Our commitment is to the club and to what we are doing in the future and we have enough talent to compete in all competitions. This our perspective at the moment,” he added.

And a defiant Villas-Boas declared he is happy to try to match the ambitions of Abramovich, demands which meant Carlo Ancelotti was sacked only 12 months after winning the Premier League and FA Cup double.

“There is no running away from our responsibilities,” said Villas-Boas. “There is no calling this a year of transition, no calling for time to do our work.

“Our responsibility is to win the most amount of trophies we can and at the moment we are in four competitions.

“It is not the brightest of starts in the Premier League for Chelsea in the last 10 years, but the belief is there from the team and that is what we have to focus on.”

The Sunday Express had claimed Abramovich was not ‘overly impressed’ with Chelsea’s start to the season, and identified the 5-3 home loss to Arsenal as a particular cause for concern.

Former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, who has left his post as Turkey coach, has been tipped to replace Villas-Boas.

The Dutchman, 65, has done little to play down the speculation by admitting he enjoys a close friendship with Abramovich.

He told English language Russian television station RT: “The relationship [with Abramovich] was, has been and will be very good.

“When I go to London, I am always welcome at Cobham (Chelsea’s training ground) and the stadium.

“We don’t speak every week but every now and then there is contact and I feel very welcome always.”

He added: “I will take some time off and see what the future brings.”

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Roger Federer beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Tour Finals opener

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Roger Federer opened the ATP World Tour Finals with a hard-earned victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at London’s O2 Arena.

Bidding to defend the title he won 12 months ago and secure a record sixth season-ending crown, Federer came through 6-2 2-6 6-4 in one hour and 28 minutes.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion looked on course for a routine triumph when he dominated the first set, breaking twice and dropping only three points on serve.

Tsonga responded brilliantly in the second set with two breaks of his own to level, and he continued to take the fight to Federer in the decider.

But the Swiss legend showed all his class and experience to strike late on and make an early move to the top of round-robin Group B.

A rather odd match which absolutely flew by with rallies at a premium. Federer recovered from losing his forehand in the second set and errors from Tsonga in the final game cost him heavily. The capacity crowd loved it, creating a great atmosphere. The court looked pretty slow and some bounces around the service line were particularly low. This will play into Federer’s hands as the week progresses.

After the match Federer said: “Jo-Wilfried served well in the second set and it was hard to control the rallies at the baseline. But I think this is the best I’ve played all year. It helped that I had some good time off before playing great at Basel and Paris.”

Tsonga added: “I think he was a bit surprised because I played so bad in the first set, then I played correctly in the second, but it’s always difficult because he’s really quick.

“Sometimes you think you will get the point but Roger is still there. That’s why it’s tough to play against him.”

The evening match sees world number two Rafael Nadal face Mardy Fish at 2000 GMT, with Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic both in Group A action on Monday.

Federer arrived in London as the man to beat, with 17 wins from his past 18 matches and victory – over Tsonga – at the last Masters 1000 event of the year in Paris.

He had won six of his nine previous encounters with the Frenchman, although they had never met indoors before and Tsonga stunned Federer in this year’s Wimbledon quarter-finals.

With two of the sport’s most eye-catching players first up and music, bright lights and dry ice used to build the atmosphere, there was a palpable sense of excitement around the 17,500-capacity venue.

The noise was deafening when they emerged on court with both men backed by large sections of the crowd but Federer certainly the favourite.

His mother Lynette, wife Mirka and French footballer Thierry Henry – not supporting compatriot Tsonga – looked on in awe as the world number four put on a first-set masterclass.

Federer’s serve looked smooth from the outset as he held to love in his opening service game and, with his opponent struggling for rhythm, he went all out attack in game three.

Two forehands were flicked wide by Tsonga to hand over an easy break, and Federer struck again in the eighth game when the world number six produced three more errors and a double-fault.

At this stage, Tsonga had only managed to win three points on the Federer serve.

But the second set was a different story as the 6ft 2in right-hander began hitting with much greater accuracy, depth and consistency.

Federer failed to control a forehand to go down a break after three games, and it was the same shot that uncharacteristically let him down to fall 5-2 behind.

Tsonga served out confidently and bounced back to his chair with a spring in his step as his support team in the stands rose to their feet.

His service statistics improved dramatically in a disciplined third set, yet Federer stayed calm and the worst position he faced on his own delivery was deuce at 1-1.

There was a feeling around the arena that Federer was saving himself for one final push – and so it proved when he broke to 15 in the 10th game to seal the win.

In the opening doubles match of the Finals third seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat fifth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 11-9.

source: www.bbc.co.uk