Evergreen Roger Federer back on top of the world

LONDON, July 9: With his 31st birthday looming Roger Federer began a record-equalling 286th week at the top of the world rankings on Monday after claiming a seventh Wimbledon title.

The accepted theory is that male tennis players begin the slow decline into retirement once they hit the 30 barrier but, as he has done throughout his career, Federer is showing scant regard for conventional wisdom.

Against Britain’s Andy Murray on Sunday, Federer finished like an express train, raising his level to extraordinary heights in the third and fourth sets to complete a crushing 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 victory and seal a 17th grand slam title.

Since losing to Tomas Berdych in the Wimbledon quarter-finals two years ago, Federer has watched Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic carve up the big prizes between them.

Many doubted whether he would win another major, let alone return to the top of the rankings to emulate the 286 weeks of his idol Pete Sampras.

Now they may be asking whether he can reach the 20 mark. “I’m so happy I’m at the age I am right now,” Federer, the second oldest man to be ranked number one after Andre Agassi (who was 33) said after breaking British hearts on Sunday.

Whatever feats Federer goes on to add in the final chapter of his career, he can rest assured that he has elevated the men’s game to previously unimaginable heights.

He raised the bar, Nadal and Djokovic took up the challenge, and, despite marriage and the responsibility of twin daughters, Federer is reacting again, striving to be even better.

“I want to leave the game better off than when I came into this great game, which was already unbelievable with the great rivalries we had,” Federer said.

It is often said that the fearlessness of youth erodes with the passing years, a phenomenon seen in professional golfers who, as time goes by, start looking for the heart of the greens rather than firing at the pins.

Despite being one of the best ‘defenders’ in the game when in a corner, Federer remains the most fearless player of his generation, always aiming for the lines, always pushing the boundary between agression and recklessness.

“I tried to take it more to Andy, and I was able to do that,” Federer said on Sunday. “I think I went to maybe fetch victory more than he did.”

Federer and his family will return to Wimbledon in two weeks, as he aims to fetch the Olympic singles gold that would complete his collection. Agencies

Leading Grand Slam winners :

17 : Roger Federer (Switzerland)

14 : Pete Sampras (US)

12 : Roy Emerson (Australia)

11 : Bjorn Borg (Sweden), Rafael Nadal (Spain),

       Rod Laver ( Australia)

10 : Bill Tilden (US)

8   :  Ken Rosewell (US), Fred Perry (Britain), Jimmy                       Connors (US), Andre Agassi (US), Ivan Lendl

        (Czech Republic)

7 : John Newcombe (Australia), John McEnroe (US),                      Mats Wilander (Sweden), Henri Cochet (France),

      William Larned (US), Rene Lacoste (France),

      William Renshaw (Britain), Richard Sears (US)

6  : Boris Becker (Germany), Stefan Edberg (Sweden),             Don Budge ( US), Jack Crawford (Australia), Tony              Wilding (Australia), Lawrence Doherty (Britain)

5 : Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Tony Trabert (US), Frank             Sedgeman (Australia)

LONDON, July 9: Leander Paes and Elena Vesnina will have to wait for their first Grand Slam title together as they lost the closely fought Wimbledon mixed doubles summit clash to Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond on Sunday. The fourth seeded Indo-Russian pair suffered a 3-6, 7-5, 4-6 defeat at the hands of second seed Americans after battling for two hours and four minutes.

It is for the second time in this season that Paes and Vesnina have ended runners-up at a tennis Major as they had lost the final of the Australian Open in January to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau.

Nevertheless, it was creditable performance by Paes after a stormy build up to the Wimbledon, caused by selection drama for London Olympics. Paes was forced to pair with lower-ranked Vishnu Vardhan after both Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to play with him. Paes was teamed with Sania Mirza for the mixed doubles event.

Although Sania did not refuse to play alongside Paes, she made it clear that her preferred partner was Bhupathi, with whom she has won two Grand Slam titles.

The 38-year-old is the highest Grand Slam title winner for India with 13 trophies, six of them are mixed doubles.

In the final, Vesnina served brilliantly and Paes too played well but the margin of error was little against the strong pair of Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond, who had a superb all round game. Agencies

La Albericia, July 9: India defeated South Africa 6-5 in a thrilling third hockey Test here on Sunday night.

Strikers Shivendra Singh (13th, 38th minute), Dharamvir Singh (19th, 21st minute), Tushar Khandker (36th minute) and penalty corner specialist V.R. Raghunath (penalty stroke 53rd minute) were on target for India.

The goal-scorers for South Africa were Austin Smith (penalty stroke 17th, penalty corner 69th), Tim Drummond (42nd), Ian Haley (48th) and Justin Ried Ross (penalty corner 67th).

Shivendra put India ahead in the 13th minute, scoring a field goal. South Africa, who qualified for the London Olympics winning the last qualifier at Kakamigahara in Japan, equalised four minutes later through Smith, who converted a penalty stroke.

South African's then played a defensive game, but some sharp moves by the Indians helped forward Dharamvir score twice in the span of three minutes. India led 3-1 at half time.

India added two more after the lemon break, with field goals from Khandker (36th minute) and Shivendra (38th minute). South Africa reduced the margin through Drummond and Haley in the 42nd and 48th minutes, respectively (5-3).

India added one more in the 53rd minute through a penalty stroke by Raghunath, while the opponents converted two penalty corners in the final minutes of the match to round off a 5-6 finish. India will now play South Africa again Wednesday. IANS

Truro, July 9: England women’s team defeated India by three wickets in the fourth cricket ODI to level the five-match series 2-2. Having lost the first two ODIs, English women made a fabulous comeback winning back to back matches.

The Indian batswomen failed once again as they could score only 173 for nine courtesy skipper Mithali Raj’s 58 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 55. Apart from these two, only Poonam Raut (27) got a significant score as the other Indian players failed to reach double digits.

The hosts won the match with an over to spare as Sarah Taylor (43) and Jenny Gunn (36 no) played a major part in ensuring that they reach home safely. For India, Nagarjan Niranjana (3/24) and Ekta Bist (2/43) bowled well. Agencies

PARIS, July 9: Belarusian Victoria Azarenka returned to the world number one spot in the latest rankings released on Monday thanks to American Serena Williams' victory over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in the Wimbledon final.

Radwanska needed to win Saturday's final to take the world number one ranking but had to settle for a move up from third to second.

Australian Open champion Azarenka reclaims the ranking that she lost to Maria Sharapova after the Russian's French Open success last month.

Sharapova's fourth round defeat in Wimbledon meant she would lose her number one ranking to either Azarenka or Radwanska. Williams moves up two places to fourth after winning a fifth title at the All England club. Agencies

New Zealand to send 185 athletes

Wellington, July 9: The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) has finalised a team of 185 athletes to compete at the London Olympics.

The team selection ended as decathlete Brent Newdick, heptathlete Sarah Cowley and track cyclist Rushlee Buchanan were included in the team overnight. The London athlete’s contingent equals that of Beijing 2008, confirmed NZOC on its website on Monday.

“London will be a significant games for New Zealand,” said Kereyn Smith, secretary general of NZOC.

“We anticipate that with 185 athletes we’ll be among the top twenty largest teams at the games. We have our 100th Olympic medal in our sights and I’m confident New Zealand’s athletes will make Kiwis in both the UK, and back home in New Zealand, proud,” she added.

Monday was the final date for New Zealand athletes to qualify for Olympic selection.

New Zealand has won 90 Olympic medals so far, 89 from summer Olympics and one from the winter editions. IANS

Russia avoids US, draws Spain in basketball

Caracas, July 9: Russia has avoided the United States but has been drawn in a group with European champions Spain for the men’s Olympic basketball tournament.

The Russians secured one of the last three berths for the 12-team competition at last week’s Olympic qualification tournament in Venezuela, along with Lithuania and Nigeria.

A draw held early Monday in Caracas placed Russia in Group B for the Olympics alongside Spain, host Britain, Brazil, Australia and China.

The reigning champion US team is in with Argentina, France, Tunisia, Lithuania and Nigeria.

Former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko told R-Sport Sunday that Russia would welcome being drawn with the Americans because it would rule them out as potential quarterfinal opponents.

Spain, defeated by the US in a dramatic Beijing final 118-107, beat France to win the 2011 Eurobasket in September. Agencies

Sinimole out of Olympic race, misses qualification again

New Delhi, July 9: India’s middle distance runner Sinimole Paulose’s last ditch effort to qualify for the London Olympics came crashing down after she finished second in the women‘s 1500m at the Savo Games in Lapinlahti, Finland.

On the last day of qualification for the London Games yesterday, Sinimole clocked 4:10.72s in Lapinlahti but it was not enough to book her place in the London Games as the Olympic ‘B‘ standard qualification mark stood at 4:08.90s.

According to information received here, Assefa Meskerem of Ethopia (4:09.51s) topped the race ahead of Sinimole, while Finland‘s Johanna Lehtinen (4:15.27s) finished third.

Sinimole also failed to make the cut for London at the Folksam Sollentuna Grand Prix in Stockholm, Sweden last week, where she finished a disappointing seventh in the women‘s 1500m with a timing of 4:13.91s. Agencies

Star to watch - LIN DAN (China)

Widely considered as the greatest badminton player of all time, Lin Dan has left nothing to conquer in world badminton. He is the only player to achieve the feat of winning all nine major titles in world badminton - Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asia Championships. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he beat Lee Chong Wei in the “dream final” to become the first men’s singles player to win the Olympic gold as a first seed.

Great Olympians - PAAVO NURMI (Finland 1897-1973)

The sprinter is widely regarded as a man who revolutionised distance running. His obsessive training routine combining speed and endurance racing was years ahead of its time.

At the 1920 Antwerp Games he won gold medals in the 10,000 metres and in the individual and team cross country events.

Later on, Nurmi bagged five more at the 1924 Paris Games and reckoned he would have won a sixth had the Finnish team allowed him to compete in the 10,000 metres. At the Amsterdam Games four years later, he won a ninth gold in the 10,000 metres category.

His commendable efforts received a fitting tribute to the man who had set 29 world records when he bore the torch into the stadium at the 1952 Helsinki Games to tumultuous applause. His stature stands to this day outside the Olympic stadium.

SILVERSTONE, July 9: IOC president Jacques Rogge ruled out Formula One as an Olympic sport, saying that the games are a contest between athletes, not engines.

However, Rogge said during a visit to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that the International Olympic Committee can learn a lot from the F1 management about organizing mega sporting events three weeks before the London Games.

“There are many similarities between Formula One and the Olympic Games. Both are high quality sports and the competitors have the same spirit, the same mind,” Rogge said while touring the paddock at Silverstone with the F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone on Sunday.

“The Formula One riders are very great athletes, very fit, they are very courageous and they also have to have strategic thinking and I have a lot of admiration for them,” Rogge said.

He called the F1 circuit “one of the sacred places of automobile racing,” but firmly denied the possibility of Formula One becoming an Olympic sport any time soon.

“Frankly speaking, the concept we are having is the games are about the competition for the athletes not for equipment,” Rogge said. “Therefore, while having a lot of respect, they will not be included into the Olympic program.”

Speaking later in the media center, Rogge insisted that F1 has the “same pursuit of excellence” as the Olympic movement.

“I went to the broadcasting center, the pits, and everything is very well organized. Believe me, there are a lot of things we can learn from the organization here,” Rogge said before seeing Red Bull driver Mark Webber win Sunday’s race.

One thing that can’t be controlled, though, is the weather.

With the London Olympics starting on July 27, fears of a rain-blighted games were exacerbated by two days of torrential downpours that heavily disrupted Saturday’s qualifying session at Silverstone.

However, Rogge said rain was not a threat to Olympics.

“We’ll manage,” he said. “I live in Belgium, so whatever rain arrives in Belgium is left over from England.” AP

LONDON, July 9: The racism trial of Chelsea captain John Terry has begun with prosecutors claiming he acknowledges using offensive language as a ‘sarcastic exclamation’ in response to taunts he allegedly had an affair.

The England defender is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match in October.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny says the offensive language was uttered ‘in response to goading by Ferdinand on the issue of his extra-marital affair.”

Penny says Terry’s defense is that he sarcastically repeated the words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had used.

Terry was stripped of the England captaincy before the 2010 World Cup following allegations he had an affair with a teammate’s former girlfriend.

Terry was in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday. AP

MOSCOW, July 9: UEFA on Monday announced that Russia’s state-run gas giant Gazprom has become an official partner of the Champions League football tournament through 2015.

The company, the largest natural gas extractor in the world, is seeking to promote its brand more heavily, and joins Heineken, UniCredit, Ford, MasterCard and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe as sponsors of the continent’s premier club competition.

No value was announced for the partnership contract.

“Gazprom is not only the largest gas company in the world, but is also one of those most passionate about football,” said Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller.

“Now we have joined the UEFA Champions League - the leading European club football competition. I am sure this cooperation will improve Gazprom’s reputation and advance our brand awareness to a fundamentally new level on the global scale.” The three-year deal will run until the end of the 2014-15 season, and includes sponsorship of the UEFA Super Cup in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Gazprom is heavily invested in sports, sponsoring Russian Premier League champions Zenit St. Petersburg, German Bundesliga side FC Schalke, Serbian SuperLiga team Red Star Belgrade, hockey team Avangard Omsk, and cycling Team Katusha, among others.

Last month’s Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich had a reported global television reach of 300 million viewers. (IANS)

LONDON, July 9: Formula One ace Pastor Maldonado has been branded a danger to his F1 rivals after causing yet another high-speed crash at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix.

The Venezuelan, 27, who wiped out Lewis Hamilton in Valencia last month, was at it again as he crashed into Sergio Perez on Sunday, a newspaper reports.

Furious Sauber driver Perez fumed: “Pastor is a stupid driver. He doesn’t respect the other guys and he could hurt someone. I don’t understand why he drives like that and I hope the stewards do something.”

“He has been involved in three or four incidents like this. He took out Lewis in the last race and it’s not the first time he has damaged my weekend. Everybody has concerns about him and he will never learn if they don’t do something.”

Stewards fined Williams ace Maldonado 8,000 pounds for causing the collision, which forced Perez out on lap 11 of the race.

Maldonado said: “This is racing. If we’re not going to race we might as well drive behind the safety car. Perez was angry but I was trying to defend my position and he can say whatever he wants.” ANI

SILVERSTONE, July 9: Red Bull have insisted they are in no rush to discuss a new contract with Mark Webber despite his scintillating win at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Australian, who qualified second behind Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, drove a flawless race and eventually passed the Spaniard to take victory at Silverstone.

His victory cut Alonso’s lead in the title race from 20 to 13 points and, together with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel of Germany who finished third, helped his Red Bull team extend their lead in the constructor’s championship to 64 points.

And although the Australian has been linked with a possible move to Ferrari as a replacement for the under-pressure Brazilian Felipe Massa, Red Bull boss Christian Horner insisted there was no need to rush into a decision.

“I think that very simply we have a great relationship with Mark,” said Horner. “As always with him, things are pretty straightforward.”

“This is his seventh season with the team. He has had all of his success in F1 with this team and we would like to see that continue.”

“Inevitably there is an awful lot of speculation surrounding Ferrari, but we are only focused on ourselves. We cannot control what other people say or do, and I think that Mark feels comfortable in the team.”

Horner did confirm however, that the team would be discussing a new contract with the 35-year-old in the coming weeks.

“Mark wants to be in the team next year and therefore, as we have always stated, during the summer we will sit down and talk about the future,” he said.

“And that period of time is obviously coming up pretty close now, so over the next few weeks we will be talking about 2013.”

He added: “Mark has given me every indication that he is very happy here, and you can see that in his driving.”

“He is driving very well this year, he has won two big races now - the Monaco Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, and I think his drive at Silverstone was excellent. It was great for him to win for the team at our local race, and obviously coming from just up the road as well, and to have Sebastian (Vettel) up there on the podium after a difficult first lap again was a double bonus.” AFP

LONDON, July 9: Kevin Pietersen has said there is still a chance he could play ‘white ball’ cricket for England again despite retiring from limited overs internationals.

However, the South Africa-born batsman — who remains a Test cricketer — said it would need a drastic change to England’s packed schedule for him to consider a return to one-day and Twenty20 matches for his adopted country.

“I’ve had my wife, mother, dad, mother-in-law, brothers and my best mates all saying to me ‘don’t you wish you were out there batting against Australia?’” said Pietersen.

“And I’ve said to them I haven’t missed it at all. But maybe all I needed was a break. Who knows? I’ve played a lot of cricket in the last seven years.”

Asked if he would reconsider his retirement from international cricket’s two shortest formats, the 32-year-old said: “Never say never. I’m a lot older and more mature than a few years ago, so you never know.

“Anything can happen. I’ll never say no, but the schedule would have to be a hell of a lot different for me to come back. Wait and see.”

Pietersen, one of the undoubted ‘box-office’ stars of world cricket, called time on his international limited overs career when the England management denied him his wish to carry on playing Twenty20s while quitting 50 overs per side one-dayers.

They said he had to make himself available for both formats amidst concerns that, otherwise, the 50-over side would be weakened by several players following Pietersen’s lead.

Pietersen, man of the tournament when England won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean two years ago, still harbours hopes of helping the side defend their title in Sri Lanka in September.

“I still hope there might be a compromise for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka,” he said. “The squad hasn’t been announced.

“I would love to play in that and defend our title with England. If it happens, great, but I’m not holding my breath.”

England’s geography means that, uniquely among cricket countries, they are guaranteed a near year-long programme of international cricket.

However, Pietersen’s critics insist he could have kept playing for England in all three major formats and still have given himself a break if he’d opted out of the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

But Pietersen said expecting him, or other world stars, to miss the IPL was unrealistic and that his participation wasn’t simply a matter of cash. AFP

ARC-ET-SENANS, July 9: The time trial, pro cycling’s “race of truth,” pits rider against the clock in a one-on-one that requires the athletes to dig deep into their reserves of strength, stamina and suffering to win.

Time trials have assumed greater than usual significance in this year’s Tour de France because their combined length of over 100 km (62 miles) means greater potential for riders who excel in the discipline, — such as yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins — to build up leads that rivals have nearly no chance of regaining on flat or mountain stages when the pack rides as one.

The Tour began with a short time trial known as a “prologue,” a 6.4-kilometer race won handily by the four-time world champion in the discipline Fabian Cancellara.

Monday’s ninth stage, a 41.5-kilometer time trial between Arc-et-Senans and Besancon in France’s eastern Doubs region, poses a much greater difficulty, not only in its distance but also coming as it does after eight tough stages that have worn riders down with crash-filled sprint stages and punishingly steep mountain climbs.

The last time Evans and Wiggins competed head-to-head in a time trial was last month’s Criterium du Dauphine. There, Wiggins destroyed Evans, finishing 1 minute and 43 seconds faster than the Australian over a 53.5-kilometer course finishing at Bourg-en-Bresse. Wiggins won the stage, even besting reigning world champion Tony Martin by 34 seconds.

Evans knows he’ll have to do better on Monday.

“Tomorrow is the test of truth. It’s each with their own two legs,” Evans said after finishing Sunday’s stage. He currently sits 10 seconds behind Wiggins in the overall classification, a gap that Wiggins built in the opening prologue in Liege.

Tour riders will average around 50 kph over the course, meaning Evans, Wiggins and other podium hopefuls have just under an hour of all-out effort to gain time on their rivals.

The course includes one steep hill and several hair-pin corners that will add to the race’s difficulty. But with the Tour’s first rest day on Tuesday, riders will have no reason to keep anything in the tank, and will race to exhaustion, collapsing after the finish with spittle covered lips from the effort.

Wiggins’ Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford agreed that Monday’s stage is “an important day. Margins can be big.”

Brailsford said Wiggins checked out the course and is looking forward to the time trial. “But you never know how your body will recover after a difficult and hard week.”

Wiggins, a time trial specialist who was silver medalist in the event at last year’s world championships in Copenhagen, tried to downplay the race’s significance.

“Every stage is important, you don’t win the Tour solely on the time trial,” Wiggins said. “It’s just another stage, everybody will give it their all as they do every day.”

Wiggins called Sunday’s stage “a tough day on the team,” and said he was content to get through it: “Another tough day ticked off.” AP

PUNE, July 8: The Indian heat is searing in the gym when the power goes out. A physio hurries over with an emergency lamp and boxing star MC Mary Kom resumes battering the punchbag.

It's hardly an ideal training session for an Olympic hopeful, but then glory never came easily for Kom.

From her beginnings as a poor farmers' daughter in a remote and troubled corner of India, "Magnificent Mary" has fought her way up to become five-time world boxing champion.

The mum-of-two is now tipped as one of her country's best bets for gold at London 2012 - a position few could envisage when she began learning to box.

"People were discouraging me, saying in India there are not women boxers. That was my first challenge. I took the challenge, I had to prove myself," she said in Pune, the western Indian city where she is currently training.

Kom - full name Mangte Chungneijang Merykom - was born 29 years ago in the northeastern state of Manipur, the eldest of four to parents who struggled to support their family through working on the fields.

Growing up with a love of action movies, Jackie Chan and her hero Muhammad Ali, the young Kom realised that her passion for sport could provide a path out of poverty if she made it big.

"So I left studying and focused on training," she said. "I did everything in athletics: running, discus, javelin, so many. I can do everything."

When she heard that women's boxing would be included in the Manipur state championships in 2000, she took to the ring and won the tournament just four months later.

She tried to keep her new activity quiet from her parents, but when her victory was revealed in the local newspaper, her sceptical father summoned her for a talk.

"He was worried about me getting injured and that he couldn't support me financially. But finally I convinced him, and at the last moment he accepted," she said.

Her determination paid off, propelling Kom to a string of international boxing titles, national honours and financial rewards to help her family.

Along the way she found time to set up a boxing academy, get married and have twin boys, who are now aged four and looked after by her husband back home in Manipur while she trains.

Despite her obvious drive and talent, Kom said sponsorship deals were a long time coming and the lack of support sometimes upset her.

"I don't know if it's because we don't look like Indians," she said of people from her home state, who live near the Myanmar border and whose facial features are often mistaken for Chinese or Southeast Asian.

Tiny Manipur is home to 2.7 million people and is one of India's "Seven Sisters", an isolated group of states surrounded by five other countries and attached to the rest of India by a thin bridge of land north of Bangladesh.

Insurgent violence has for decades been part of daily life in the region, home to numerous rebel groups whose demands range from autonomy to secession, and whose rival agendas often erupt into bloody clashes. Agencies

NEW DELHI, July 9: The selection committee of the Athletics Federation of India on Monday met and decided to recommend all the 14 athletes who have qualified for the Olympics for their participation in the London Games which is going to begin from July 27.

AFI president Adille Sumariwala said that the selection committee felt that all the athletes should be given a chance to take part in the Olympics though some of them have only crossed the 'B' qualification standard.

"The selection committee decided to send all 14 for the Olympics. Since they have qualified, they should be given a chance. Some of them could only cross the 'B' standard but we have decided to send them also," he said after the meeting of the committee headed by Gurbachan Singh Randhawa.

"The only thing to be seen is that they should be fit to take part in the competition," he said.

Sumariwala said that the committee discussed the names of the coaches and the support staff to accompany the athletes but did not take a final decision.

Athletics events will be held from August 3-12 at the showpiece Olympic Stadium in London. Agencies

The 14 athletes qualified for London Olympics are:

Men: Vikas Gowda (discus throw); Om Prakash Singh Karhana (shot put); Gurmeet Singh, Baljinder Singh and K T Irfan (all 20km walk); Basant Bahadur Rana (50km walk); Ram Singh Yadav (marathon); Renjith Maheswary (triple jump)

Women: Krishna Poonia and Seema Antil (discus throw); Mayookha Johny (triple jump); Tintu Luka (800m); Sudha Singh (300m steeplechase); Sahana Kumari (high jump).

NEW DELHI, July 9: Sania Mirza on Monday said that the bitter London Olympics tennis selection row created bad blood among the players and also strained her relationship with Mahesh Bhupathi but she has left it behind to focus on winning a medal in mixed doubles with Leander Paes.

Paes was forced to pair with lower-ranked Vishnu Vardhan in men's doubles after both Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to play with him. He was paired with Sania Mirza in mixed doubles as a compromise.

"The controversy did not do anything good to anybody. It created bad blood among us and that is very unfortunate. I am happy that it is over and I can now concentrate on doing well in the Olympics with Leander and win a medal," Sania said.

"Let us move forward and focus on winning a medal. Leander reached the final at the Wimbledon and that is the positive thing. I and Mahesh lost and that was unfortunate. We should have been playing in the final," she said.

Sania said that the selection row also strained her relationships with Mahesh Bhupathi.

"It was difficult to block the controversy from my mind and it was disturbing me. The situation did not arise because of what I said. Mahesh and I have been very good friends but the controversy did strain our friendship," she said.

Sania said that she had preferred to play with Bhupathi in mixed doubles but with Paes also, they can have a good shot at a medal.

"I am a forehand player and Mahesh a backhand player, so I had preferences. But I have never said to play or not with any player. I am ready to play with anybody for my country.

"Leander is a very good player and long time friend. I have played with him also for long. It's an honour to be playing with him in Olympics. I am in good form, won French Open (with Bhupathi). He (Paes) reached the final of Wimbledon and so he is also in great form. We can have a very good shot for a medal," she told 'Times Now'. Agencies

Madrid, July 9: Athletic Club Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose, has been forced to withdraw from the Spanish football squad for the London Olympics due to chicken pox.

The central defender has to leave the Spain training camp to avoid the risk of infecting the other 21 players called up by coach Luis Milla.

San Jose is the second player to drop out of the squad following Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has not fully recovered from a broken tibia. IANS