I'm back!

Even though I haven't blogged for two years I have been following both football and tennis super closely. I having seen Arsenal win two consecutive matches I now thinking this season is not going to be as bad as I thought..

Once Serena announced her pregnancy I kind of lost the motivation to blog but now she is back on the tour I have found my motivation to blog again. However the tennis season is all but over but definitely will be blogging more in 2019:)

FA Cup -11th/12th/13th March 2016

This past weekend was the quarter finals of  the FA Cup and Manchester United drew one all with West Ham. This means that there will be a replay in the next week or so.

Crystal Palace beat Reading by two goals to nil and this was a great win for Crystal Palace especially as they have not done particularly well in the premier league. 

The first surprise result of the weekend was Everton beating Chelsea by two goals to nil. I thought Chelsea would win however Chelsea are having an awful season so I guess it really not that much of a surprise. 

The second surprise of the weekend was Watford beating Arsenal by two goals to one. Arsenal where on track to win the FA cup for the third consecutive year. 

However it was not meant to be and Watford truly deserved this win. Arsenal had on eye on champions league game and it has cost them. This could be year of no trophies after two years of the winning the FA cup. 

Maria Sharapova - meldonium

This week Maria Sharapova confessed that she had failed a drug test and had been use a drug called meldonium for ten years! Yes ten years!

WADA banned the use of drug on January and Maria claims she did not read email sent to her December advising all tennis players that the drug had been banned.

Consequently failed a drug test during the Australian Open. 

What I was most suprised about was Maria's attitude in the press conference where she more concerned about the carpets in the hotel as opposed to shameful admission she has just

 made.

Judging by the pictures I have seen of Maria since this shameful admission she is carry on like nothing has happened and almost give you the impression that she is expecting a light ban and to be playing tennis within a year. 

I hope she is banned for at least two years. She is a role model to million of aspiring tennis and she has just given them that you can do something like that and almost get away with it. 

The full story has yet to come out but I have heard so far disgust me I do not understand why Maria would choose to take a drug that banned in USA after getting it from her family doctor in Russia when she resides in the US. 

Then taking the drug for ten years sounds very excessive and almost like she became dependent on it. As influential figure in tennis world this has made me wonder who else is secretly taking this drug that we are not aware of. 

Hopefully it will start and end with Maria and we get back to focusing on tennis games. 

Premiership - 1st and 2nd March

In the midweek Premiership fixtures Leicester drew one all with West Bromwich Albion in a game that you have had expected them to win. 

Leicester drawing on Tuesday should have given the chasing teams an incentive to capitalise but none of them could.

Tottenham Hotspurs lost one nil to West Ham and if they had won they would have gone joint top with Leicester. 

Arsenal were again humiliated as they lost at home and by two goals to one to Swansea City. 

It another inept Arsenal performance and the defence is the worst Arsenal has had in about ten years. I think Arsenal will struggle to win silverware with that awful defence.

Liverpool hammered Manchester City by three goals to nil and it city chance to close the gap and get back on track and they failed to do so.

So a very eventful evening which has only helped Leicester to get even closer to winning the title. 

Premiership - 27th/28th February

In this weekend Premiership fixtures, Leicester City beat Norwich City in the eighty ninth minute to maintain there position at the top. 

 This was a well needed win for Leicester City and with eleven matches to go they are getting closer to winning there first ever Premiership title.

Tottenham Hotspur had a good two goals to one win against Swansea City which has helped them to maintain breathing space between them and Arsenal.

Manchester United beat Arsenal by three goals to two and it was an embarrassing loss for Arsenal. 

Manchester United put out their junior team and Arsenal could not beat them. Arsenal had their chances but did not take them. 

Arsenal chances of winning the league is slipping away but two good wins and they are back in it. 

Australian Open 2016 - Men's draw

This year winner was fairly predictable to say least! Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets. This was a match that Andy got soundly beaten the first set but had opportunities to break in the second and third set and he could not take them. 

This is now Novak's eleventh Grand Slam and it's only a couple years ago he only had five Grand Slams. Now he is only six behind Roger Federer to equal the record! 

There where no real surprises in the men's draw other than Rafal Nadal going out in the first round. I think Rafa can still win a couple more Grand Slams but he has to want to break the record to have any chance of winning more Grand Slams. 

Roger Federer did well but he does not have the energy to win Grand Slams in the best of five sets. However he still doing well enough to make to the semi - finals. 

Australian Open 2016 - Women draw review

Well the Australian Open 2016 is now over and the winner of the women's draw   was Angelique Kerber. She beat Serena Williams in three sets. 

It was unexpected result everyone including me thought that Serena would win this in straight sets! But Angelique Kerber had other ideas and her serve and return of serve is what won her the match. 

Angelique's serve was reasonably impressive and her never give up attitude was incredible! Whereas Serena lacked match fitness and found it difficult to stay in points. 

So I believe that Angelique was the rightful winner and Serena lack of matches plus pressure of breaking Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slams title is making even harder for Serena to concentrate.

Elsewhere in the Women's draw British/Hungarian player Johanna Konta played well and reached the quarters finals and I am sure she has won some tier one titles then she will have a realistic chance of winning a Grand Slam.

Whereas it was another disappointing Australian Open for Heather Watson an as she went out in the first round again. 

I really think for Heather this her make or break year and even for retain her become British number one is going to be a mammoth task. However maybe possible but is really going to require to have a complete change of mindset.