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Rafael Nadal has mixed feelings about Roger Federer's demise as he faces up to being the favourite for the French Open. For the first time in his career, Nadal will not need to beat his arch-rival to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires after the world number one's shock quarter-final exit at the hands of Robin Soderling. Second seed Nadal accepts the absence of Federer makes his task easier but he also empathises with the Swiss, who he feels may be the only other player to feel the pain of defeat as keenly as he himself does. "The truth is I always love to see the best players win, because I know that the losses for the best players are harder than for the rest," said Nadal, who suffered his first ever defeat at Roland Garros last year. The Spaniard, who will usurp Federer as world number one if he wins Sunday's final, added: "Sure, it is better if Roger lost. "But, I always say the same: I believe if you are number one or you are not number one, you can

Novak Djokovic insists there is no need to use Hawk-Eye at the French Open, though it might spared him an epic quarter-final defeat. Djokovic threw away a two set lead to lose a four hour, 15 minute marathon 3-6 2-6 6-2 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 on Suzanne Lenglen Court last night. The third seed struggled to contain his fury when an umpiring decision went against him while Melzer was serving for the match at 5-4 and 0-15 in the decider. The Serb was adamant his shot had clipped the line, and although Carlos Bernardes came down to check the mark on the clay, the official was equally convinced the ball was out. Hawk-Eye showed the ball was in, but Roland Garros remains the only grand slam not to employ the technology, largely because of the advantage of being able to see the impression the ball has left. When Djokovic was told what Hawk-Eye had shown, he said: "What can I say? Should I complain or what? I don't know. This is life. "I don't think there is any sense in getting Hawk-

Novak Djokovic refused to blame umpire Carlos Bernardes for his epic French Open quarter-final defeat against Jurgen Melzer. But he did hit out at a the crucial call that could have saved his skin. Djokovic threw away a two-set lead to lose a four-hour and 15-minute marathon 3-6 2-6 6-2 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 on Suzanne Lenglen Court that was as full of controversy as it was drama. Third seed Djokovic struggled to contain his fury when a line call went against him while Melzer was serving for the match at 5-4 0-15 in the deciding set. The Serbian was adamant his shot had clipped the line, and although Bernardes came down to check the mark on the clay, the umpire was equally convinced the ball was out. Djokovic, who went on to save two match points before Melzer finally sealed victory, was still smarting about the call long after the match had finished. "For somebody who is a chair umpire of so many years and years experience to make such a mistake at that point is unbelievable," he sa

Samantha Stosur stunned Serena Williams to set up a semi-final showdown with Jelena Jankovic. Stosur added a second modern great to her list of French Open scalps after an epic quarter-final victory over world number one Serena Williams. Seventh seed Stosur, who on Monday became the first woman to beat Justine Henin at Roland Garros for six years, held off a tremendous fightback by Williams - who had match point - to win 6-2 6-7 (2/7) 8-6 on Philippe Chatrier Court. Stosur made full use of her impressive physique to overpower Williams for almost two sets but looked to have blown her chance after serving for the match in the second. Yet, she held her nerve in a dramatic decider to win in two hours and 24 minutes. The Australian, who lost to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the last four last year, will now play Jelena Jankovic for a place in Saturday's final. Stosur had already assured her place in French Open folklore by ending Henin's unbeaten run at Roland Garros. She

Roger Federer joked he had extended his run of grand slam quarter-final appearances after Robin Soderling ended one of the greatest runs in professional sport. Soderling stunned defending champion Federer at Roland Garros to deny the Swiss a 24th consecutive semi-final in a major as lightning struck for the second time in two years on Philippe Chatrier Court. Fifth seed Soderling, who had lost all 12 of his previous meetings with the world number one, came from a set down to win 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 in a rain-hit two-and-a-half hours. Federer was philosophical both about tonight's defeat and the end of his amazing run, describing it as one of the proudest achievements of his career. "It all comes to an end at some stage," said the 28-year-old, whose last defeat prior to the semi-final stage of a grand slam came at the same tournament six years ago. "I think it was a great run - now I've got the quarter-final streak going, I guess. "It's been an amazing run. &

French Open giant killer Robin Soderling insisted he never stopped believing he could end his hoodoo against Roger Federer. Soderling followed up last year's historic Roland Garros victory over king of clay Rafael Nadal by ending Federer's run of 23 straight grand slam semi-final appearances. It was very much unlucky 13 for the Swiss, who had won all 12 of his previous competitive meetings with Soderling but went down 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 in a rain-hit two-and-a-half hours on Philippe Chatrier Court. The victory was also vengeance for Soderling's defeat in last year's final against Federer, whose last defeat prior to the semi-final stage of a major came at the same tournament six years ago. Fifth seed Soderling went into the match as the only player on tour to have faced Federer on more than 10 occasions and lost every time. His dozen defeats had also seen him claim just two sets from the world number one, although one of those did come at last year's US Open and he did

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy are just one step away from winning back-to-back French Open men's doubles title after they stormed into the final They beat Julian Knowle and Andy Ram on Thursday in straight sets. The third seeded Indo-Czech duo defeated their 10th seeded opponents Knowle of Austria and Ram of Israel 6-4 6-2 in a lop-sided semifinal match which lasted 75 minutes at Roland Garros. If Paes and Dlouhy win the summit match against second seeded duo of Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, it would be the fourth French Open men's doubles title for the Indian. Paes has already won the title in 1999 and 2001 (both with Mahesh Bhupathi) and then with Dlouhy in 2009. With already six men's doubles and five mixed doubles Grand Slam crowns in his pocket, Paes, if he wins the final this time, will become the Indian with most Grand Slam triumphs with 12 titles -- one more than his estranged partner Bhupathi. Paes and Cara Black, who won the Australian Ope

Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone will both contest their maiden grand slam finals after the quickest of French Open semi-finals. Stosur continued her remarkable giant-killing act by demolishing fourth seed Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2 in just an hour, shortly after Schiavone was gifted a place in Saturday's showpiece when Elena Dementieva became the first woman ever to retire so late in the tournament. Thursday's women's semi-finals were the first in a grand slam since the 1979 Australian Open in which none of competitors had previously won a major. Jankovic had finished runner-up at the US Open in 2008 and was playing in her sixth semi overall, while Stosur was in her second after losing to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova a year ago. The Australian had spent almost two and a half hours on court in her epic quarter-final victory over Serena Williams, the second modern great she had toppled in successive rounds after ending Justine Henin's six-year unbeaten run

Barcelona are reportedly interested in making a big money move for Bayern Munich forward Arjen Robben. Robben had an excellent season for the Bundesliga champions - almost single-handedly dragging the Germans to the Champions League final, where they ultimately lost to Inter Milan. The Dutchman has struck a fearful partnership with Bayern's other winger - Franck Ribery, and together the duo helped their team do the German double. Ribery has already committed his future to the club but if Barcelona were to make an offer, Robben might be tempted to hand in his papers at Bayern. According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona want Robben to replace Thierry Henry at the Nou Camp. The Frenchman failed to make any impact in the recently concluded campaign and looks likely to leave the club for either America's Major League Soccer or even to London club West Ham. Robben has La Liga experience, having played for Real Madrid before being sold to the Germans as part of political powerplay by the

Sir Geoff Hurst reckons Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney could be the most effective partnership for England. Having decided on his final squad yesterday, manager Fabio Capello now has 10 days to decide on his starting XI before England take on the USA in Phokeng on June 12. For the majority of his time in charge, the Italian has chosen to adopt a 4-4-2 formation with Rooney being partnered by a targetman usually in the shape of either Emile Heskey or Peter Crouch. Capello has tinkered with his formation at times though by choosing to employ a 4-5-1 formation with an attacking midfielder positioned just behind Manchester United striker Rooney. Gerrard is familiar with that role having played there all season supporting the Reds talisman Fernando Torres, making him an ideal candidate for the role at international level according to 1966 World Cup hero Hurst. "I am convinced that 4-5-1 is the formation he should play," he said. "I think that our best combination up front to

Barcelona have confirmed they have submitted a written offer to Arsenal for Cesc Fabregas and are now in "formal" discussions. The 23-year-old has long been linked with a return to Barca, the club where he plied his trade as a youngster before moving to the Gunners seven years ago. He is under contract with the north London outfit until June 2014 but last month expressed his desire to head back to the Nou Camp at a promotional event in the Catalan capital. That wish could have moved a step closer to reality over the past two days. Barca director general Joan Oliver told club website www.fcbarcelona.cat: "Everyone knows that Cesc wants to play for this club and everyone knows that we also want this. But there is a third major player, which is Arsenal. "Any deal must go through them and June 1 was the beginning of the period of official negotiations. "Until earlier there were informal conversations, but since yesterday these are formal - and the usual mechanism i

Cesc Fabregas will play alongside Xavi for Barcelona next season, according to the Catalan star. Xavi says he expects Fabregas, who is being heavily linked with a switch to his former club, to link-up with him at Camp Nou. The Arsenal captain would almost certainly have already made the move to Spain had it not been for the Gunners' determination to keep hold of their midfield lynchpin. But manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly willing to open talks over a transfer in a bid to raise funds for Bordeaux star Yoann Gourcuff. Gourcuff could be the man to replace Fabregas should he exit the Emirates this summer and Xavi is confident his Spanish compatriot will be joining him in Pep Guardiola's side. "Yes, certainly," said Xavi in Sport when asked if he expected to play alongside Fabregas next season. "And it also had to be like this. "Two years I said Cesc would end up playing for Barcelona and now I have it more clear than ever. "He has also expressed publicl

Harry Redknapp has blasted England coach Fabio Capello for the treatment meted out to Scott Parker and Michael Dawson. Both Parker and Dawson were outsiders to make Capello's final squad of 23 for the World Cup, but neither managed to get a seat on the South Africa bound plane. West Ham's Parker had enjoyed a roaring return to the Premier League after having been sidelined for a lengthy spell due to injury Tottenham's Dawson had formed the bedrock of his side's ultimately successful challenge for a Champions League spot in the recently concluded domestic campaign. Redknapp's gripe was not just over the duo's omission but also over the way they were treated in the national team's training camp. In comments reported by The Sun, the Spurs' boss said: "People on the inside who I know tell me Scott was fantastic in training every day. He worked his socks off and could not have done any more, but whatever he did he wasn't going to go. "Someone sa

England defender Ashley Cole believes the team has the quality to deliver the goods on football's biggest stage. England will leave for South Africa with a whole nation praying for an end to the painful 44 year wait for a major football trophy and Cole belives their prayers can be answered. In comments reported by The Mirror, the left-back said: "I think we can win it and that's what we're going there to do. "I'm not going to say we ARE going to win the World Cup but I am willing to say we're good enough to win it. "If you look at players like Stevie G, Lamps, Rio and Rooney, we have some great players in that team. "And so, if we all play well on the day and have a bit of luck, you never know." "When the draw was made, I think there were a few teams we'd have liked to have missed - and we managed to miss them. "What's important is that we're not over-confident and I don't think we are going to be going into the com

Former Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti thinks his old club have no reason to fear Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. Belletti played at the Nou Camp for three seasons from 2004-2007 during which he won the Champions League (2006) and two La Liga titles (2004/05, 2005/06). He moved to Chelsea on a three year deal in 2007, but still holds his former team in high esteem. In comments on Barca TV, he said: "This [Barcelona] team have shown themselves to be worthy champions and what's more they've done it playing brilliant football." "I don't think they need to fear any other team, they just need to focus on themselves." Belletti also played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and was full of praise for the Portuguese. "He's a winner, you have to give him that. He won everything in Portugal, in England and now in Italy," he said. "I was only under him for a few weeks at Chelsea, but I learnt a lot from him. He's a very smart guy."

The father of Chelsea and England footballer John Terry was spared jail for supplying cocaine to an undercover newspaper reporter. Edward Terry, of Chafford Hundred, Essex, admitted supplying 3.5 grammes of the class A drug to a News of the World journalist, who was posing as a chauffeur, last November. But Judge Christopher Mitchell said: "It is a very, very clear case of entrapment solely to create a newspaper story." Terry, who is in his mid-50s, was sentenced to a suspended prison term of six months at Basildon Crown Court. He was also ordered to do 100 hours of community service and pay £95 costs.

Joe Hart has admitted it is a "crazy" thought that he will be setting off for the World Cup on Wednesday. Hart's presence in Fabio Capello's 23-man England squad was one of the least debated once he was one of only three goalkeepers to make the provisional party for the two-week altitude training camp in Austria. The 23-year-old has made a pretty big impression too, earning a couple of caps as a second-half substitute against Mexico and Japan, and producing some excellent saves in the latter outing in Graz on Sunday. By Thursday morning, he will be in South Africa, preparing for the biggest period in his fledgling career. And as someone who spent his youth watching the World Cup on TV, it has taken some getting used to that he will actually be part of it. "Just going to the World Cup is really exciting," he said. "I can't really believe it. "It's crazy, you know? I can't say I've even dreamed of it because it has come so quickly. &q

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes Joe Cole has already agreed a free transfer away from Stamford Bridge. The 28-year-old, named in England's 23-man squad for the World Cup, is out of contract at Stamford Bridge this summer and has been linked with a number of clubs, notably Spurs and Manchester United. But Redknapp, Cole's old manager at West Ham, said he would not be heading to White Hart Lane. "It looks to me someone's going to make a great free transfer, if he doesn't stay at Chelsea," Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I genuinely don't know who that is. I don't think it's going to be Tottenham. "I've got a feeling, I may be wrong, that he's already agreed a deal with someone, and it's not Tottenham. "I'm not saying if he hadn't agreed a deal with someone and he was available and didn't stay at Chelsea that we wouldn't be interested. "I'm a big fan of Joe's, but the feedback we've h