SIXTH ROLAND GARROS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR RAFA NADAL

For the sixth time in seven years, Spanish tennis-player has won the French Roland Garros Championship. Rafael Nadal equalled Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles after defeating Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 in a hard-hitting final at Roland Garros.
The world number one brushed off an early injury concern to move into a commanding two-set lead and seemed to be heading for an easy win.
Some inspired play from Federer caused Nadal to wobble at the end of the third set but the Swiss player could not keep mistakes out of his game and any hopes of an unlikely comeback were soon killed off by the clay court master.
Nadal raced away from his great rival in the fourth set to move level with Borg as the man with the most French Open titles since the tournament became an international event in 1925.

Video Rafa Nadal Clay Tennis King:

CHAMPION LEAGUE FINAL 2011: BARÇA BEATS MANCHESTER UNITED AT LONDON'S WEMBLEY STADIUM

Barça Football Club won last night their fourth Champion League Final against Manchester United at London's Wembley Stadium. Here's how British media have reported the news:

[guardian.co.uk]

Champions League press reaction: 'This Barça is the best team in the world'
• Spanish press places Barcelona in the pantheon of greats.

The Spanish press were united in hailing Barcelona's victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final as a landmark for the club and for European football. As they groped for superlatives nearly all the newspapers found space for a headline containing Sir Alex Ferguson's quote: "No one has given us such a hiding."
The notoriously madridista Marca saluted the victors as "A dream Barça", with all its echoes of Johan Cruyff's Dream Team of the 1990s. Indeed the paper referred to the "Pep Team" after their coach, Pep Guardiola, and described their football as "excellent".

La Vanguardia did not stint on the hyperbole with the headline: "Barcelona enters Olympus with the gods."

El País proclaimed: "Wembley falls in love with Barça." Recalling the club's first European Cup victory at the same stadium in 1992, the paper observed: "From Wembley to Wembley Barcelona has undergone an extraordinary process of maturing ... There is no better defence of an idea than victories, but there is no better victory than the fact that the stability of a club does not depend exclusively on a final result, but on a route map. That is the greatness of this Barça, which, make no mistake, will also be the principles that will enable them to vaccinate themselves in defeat."

The already pro-Barcelona Mundo Deportivo was beside itself and felt the best way to express its enthusiasm was by placing four exclamation marks after the word "Champions" (in English).

The celebrating Barcelona fans, the culés, have taken up José Mourinho's pointed question – with its suggestion of skulduggery – of "why?" do Barcelona keep winning as a chant: "por qué?". El Mundo Deportivo produced a long list of reasons why, including Guardiola's brilliance, David Villa's conclusive third goal, Eric Abidal's return from life-threatening surgery, etc...

In Barcelona 132 people, including 37 local police, were injured in disturbances as up to 50,000 people celebrated the victory on the streets. Police made 84 arrests for public order offences around Plaça de Catalunya, Las Ramblas and the Arc de Triomf which come in the wake of weeks of unrelated street protests in the Catalan capital.

Videos from Euronews:

SPANISH CHAMPION GOLFER, SEVE BALLESTEROS DIES AT 54

Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota (9 April 1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He announced himself to the golfing world in 1976, when at the age of 19 he finished second at The Open Championship. A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros won five major tournaments between the years of 1979 and 1988, including The Open Championship three times, and The Masters twice. He was also successful in the Ryder Cup, helping the European team to five wins both as a player and captain. He is best known for his great short game, and his erratic driving of the golf ball.
Because of back-related injuries, Ballesteros struggled with form during the 1990s. In spite of this, he continued to be involved in the game of golf, creating the Seve Trophy and running a golf course design business. Ballesteros eventually retired from competitive golf in 2007 because of continued poor form, and in 2008 was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. After reports that Ballesteros would make a return to the spotlight at the 2010 Open Championship, following the advice of doctors, he did not travel to St Andrews in 2010 for the Open Championship.
Ballesteros was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the second time at the BBC Sports Personality Awards 2009. He was presented with the award at his home in Spain by his friend, compatriot and former Ryder Cup team-mate José María Olazábal. Ballesteros died of brain cancer on 7 May 2011, aged 54.

Video on Seve Ballesteros death from SkyNews:

Video on Seve Ballesteros death from ITN News:

Video extract from "Seve's story":

ALBERTO CONTADOR POSITIVE ON DOPING TEST

Surprising information on the news this morning. Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador blamed contaminated meat Thursday for his positive doping test during this year's race, the latest blow to a sport battered by drug scandals. We include a video-report on the subject.

Video-report on Contador's doping positive:

NADAL SPEAKING IN ENGLISH AFTER WINNING THE U.S. OPEN ON SEPT 14th

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 in the world. He is regarded as one the greatest players of all time. Nadal has won nine Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the 7th player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal).
Nadal was ranked World No. 2, behind Roger Federer for a record 160 consecutive weeks before earning the top spot, which he then held from 18 August 2008 to 5 July 2009. He regained the World No.1 ranking on 7 June 2010 after winning his fifth French Open title.In 2008, Nadal was given the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, in recognition of his achievements in tennis.

We have found a video of Rafa speaking in English after winning the U.S. Open. Do you understand him? Do you think he speaks English well? Give you opinions & comments.

Video Rafa Nadal:

Another video:

TOP NEWS OF SUMMER 2010: SPAIN WINS FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

Definitely, the top news this summer 2010 was Spain winning the Football World Cup in South Africa. To remember it, see how it was shown around the world, we're including a video about it taken from the BBC. Watch & listen...

IT'S TIME FOR FOOTBALL: 2010 WORLD CUP, SOUTH AFRICA.

In blue, countries qualified for the World Cup Finals 2010

I'm not a football fan, but I must admit that during the following days, football is going to be an important part in everyday's life. Here's some information about the 2010 World Cup:

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th and current FIFA World Cup, the premier international association football tournament. It is being held in South Africa, beginning on 11 June and scheduled to conclude on 11 July 2010. The tournament is the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations. The final is forecast to be among the most-watched events ever, possibly behind only the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games.
This is the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa defeated Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. Italy are the defending champions, after winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.