Andy Murray believes that his next opponent at the ATP World Tour Finals, Kei Nishikori, is enjoying some of the best form of his career. Murray was speaking after opening his bid for glory at the O2 Arena in London with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic, with the world number one impressing after making a slow start – losing his serve in the third game of the first set.
MARKO ARNAUTOVIC was on the losing side of his battle against Stoke City’s Republic of Ireland duo at the weekend – and there was further bad news on the winning side as well.
GLENN WHELAN was forced off with hamstring problem just 24 minutes into the World Cup qualifier on Saturday and could now miss out on the Potters’ clash with Bournemouth at the bet365 Stadium this weekend.
Manager Claudio Ranieri is confident that Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will soon be back among the goals, having gone more than two months without finding the net. The 29-year-old England international last struck for the Foxes in the 4-1 Premier League defeat at Liverpool on Saturday September 10th and has since drawn a blank in 12 appearances for City.
England head coach Eddie Jones will be sweating over the fitness of back-rower Billy Vunipola who could miss Saturday’s encounter with Fiji at Twickenham. The powerful number eight has been a key figure in the England pack, throughout their unbeaten season in 2016 so far.
Milos Raonic is ready for the ‘difficult task’ of trying to defeat four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic at the ATP World Tour Championship in London. The big-serving Raonic opened his campaign at the O2 Arena with a comprehensive 6-3 6-4 win over Gael Monfils and now moves on to face Djokovic, who was pushed hard before overcoming Dominic Thiem 6-7 6-0 6-2.
Standings leader Nico Rosberg has been warned by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton that the hunt for the Formula 1 world title remains very much on. Hamilton secured victory in a rainy Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday to take the title chase into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, where Rosberg will carry a 12-point lead.
Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has admitted he does not know whether he will remain at Old Trafford beyond the January transfer window. The Dutch international, who scored a brace for the Netherlands on Sunday to help them beat Luxemburg 3-1, has struggled for minutes this season under United boss Jose Mourinho.
Striker Olivier Giroud has played down reports that he may be tempted to leave Arsenal if he does not become a regular starter once again. The 30-year-old France international has yet to start a Premier League game this season, having been troubled by a toe injury earlier on in the campaign, with Chile international Alexis Sanchez the current first-choice pick of Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger.
Wellington Phoenix overcame the absence of key players as they moved off the bottom of the A-League table with a 2-0 win over Central Coast. Roy Krishna was again their main goal threat against the Mariners, scoring the opener and laying on the second for Hamish Watson. Ernie Merrick’s side were without five players due to international duty, but it didn’t prevent them collecting a second win in a row to leapfrog their opponents in the table. The Phoenix netted twice in the space of seven second-half minutes to settle the contest played in blustery conditions at Canberra’s GIO Stadium.
Gareth Southgate has tipped John Stones to be an England great and believes the Manchester City defender should continue to play out from the back. The former Barnsley and Everton star was criticised from some sloppy play during England’s patchy display on Friday when Southgate’s side beat Scotland 3-0 in their latest World Cup qualifier at Wembley. However, Southgate has backed Stones, who he thinks can be as good as Barcelona’s Gerard Pique or Mats Hummels of Bayern Munich.