Angry Benitez demands improvement

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has vowed his side will "never again" be as bad as during their 2-0 Champions League defeat at Fiorentina on Tuesday. Stevan Jovetic scored twice to give the Serie A side a crucial Group E win.

And a furious Benitez said: "There were too many mistakes and problems. Our mentality in the first half was not right, we were bad all over the pitch. "I cannot really recall a performance like that. We certainly will never be as bad again."

Liverpool threatened more in the second half but by then the damage was done as Fiorentina's defence held firm to close out the win. Lyon head the group on six points and the Merseysiders are third - behind second-placed Fiorentina on goal difference.

Benitez laid the blame at the feet of a lack of intensity from his players and stated: "They were on top of us all the time, we played badly and they were just better than us. "I was not only disappointed with the challenging in midfield but all over the pitch.

"But they did not produce anything we did not expect. We had watched them, we knew about Jovetic, there was nothing new out there that surprised us but we still played badly." And the Spaniard urged his side to get to grips with the offside law.

Adrian Mutu was in an offside position when the onside 19-year-old Jovetic went through on goal to put La Viola ahead and Benitez was left bemused by his shaky defence and added: "It is the new law -and another mistake by us. "If a player is in such a position he is offside and it makes it difficult for defenders who are distracted by him but the law says the other player coming from deep is fine, he can go through. Just another error by us."

However, Benitez insisted Reds supporters would see a vast improvement in coming weeks, starting with Sunday's crunch Premier League tie against Chelsea . "We now have Chelsea away at the weekend in an important Premier League game," he said. "I believe you will see a different Liverpool in that match, a totally different performance with a different mentality.

"Then we have Lyon home and away in this group, they are the leaders and it means we have to now win them both. "Mentally we will have better days than this." Understandably, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli was in joyous mood after the game as his side maintained their unbeaten home record so far this season. "We were fantastic, that is the best performance I have seen by a Fiorentina side in the four years I have been in charge," he enthused.

" Liverpool did not play well but that was because of the performance of my team. We were outstanding, especially in that first half when we were just fantastic.

source : bbc news

Nadal's absence creates ripple effect

Rafael Nadal's stomach strain has put his season on lockdown for now, and his absence is having a similar effect on the men's tour. Nadal will be out of action for a few weeks while he recovers from the abdominal issue he suffered before and during the U.S. Open.

Yet the ripple effect of his absence is having a serious impact on the remainder of the 2009 campaign. Multiple sources in Europe confirmed Nadal's layoff was a major factor behind Roger Federer's decision to skip two forthcoming events in Asia .

Furthermore, Federer is now expected to play only sparingly ahead of the World Tour finals in November. The Swiss master still regards Nadal as his fiercest challenger, and doesn't want his rival to have an advantage of freshness over him heading into next year's Australian Open.

Federer already has received some criticism in Asia for his withdrawal, but it's hard to fault his logic. This approach means he still can have a clear lead as world No. 1 heading into 2010. He also will have plenty of gas in the tank as he tries to wrest away Nadal's Australian crown.

With their places at the Tour finals already assured, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro also are likely to pare down some of their tournament commitments over the next few weeks. Players ranked from six through 12 still are slugging it out for Tour finals spots, but in reality, this season feels near completion.

Drop shot

The start of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo resembled a U.S. Open-style women's bloodbath with Dinara Safina, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova all bowing out against lower-ranked players in their opening matches. Safina was knocked out by 132nd-ranked Taiwanese qualifier Chang Kai-chen, but the question must be asked -- is any Safina defeat really an upset anymore?

Clean winner

Kimiko Date Krumm's victory in the Hansol Korea Open last week was the latest heart-warming chapter in the Japanese veteran's return to pro tennis. Date Krumm beat Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final on the eve of her 39th birthday and becomes the oldest WTA event winner since Billie Jean King. Her most recent victory before last weekend -- August 1996, in San Diego .

Use your frequent flyer miles

Get yourself to Kuala Lumpur this week for the Malaysian Open, which is the newest addition to the Asian swing of the ATP Tour. There's a strong field hoping to win the inaugural event with Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling and Fernando Gonzalez competing in the event. Be sure to check out the spectacular Petronas Towers in downtown KL a magnificent example of ultra-modern architecture.

Federer, Nadal could meet in Davis Cup opener next year

Geneva, Switzerland (Sports Network) - The draw was held for next year's Davis Cup competition and reigning champion Spain will open up against visiting Switzerland in the first round, which means world No. 1 Roger Federer could possibly meet former top-ranked star Rafael Nadal, in March.

The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion Federer and Aussie Open titlist Nadal have never met in Davis Cup play, and neither player has committed to the March matchup just yet. Nadal is 5-2 against Federer when they've met in Grand Slam finals.

The powerful Spaniards will seek a second straight title when they host the Czech Republic in the 2009 Davis Cup final in Spain in December. Federer helped the Swiss beat Italy in a playoff this past weekend, as Switzerland remained in the top-tier World Group.

The draw will also see the United States open against host Serbia , which could mean a possible Andy Roddick-Novak Djokovic showdown. The Americans own a record 32 Davis Cup titles, with their last one coming two years ago.

The other March 5-7 first-rounders will pit host Belgium against the Czechs; Germany versus host France; visiting Argentina against Sweden; Russia versus visiting India; Ecuador against host Croatia; and Chile versus visiting Israel.

Nadal pulls out of Thailand Open

Nadal was advised by his doctor to withdraw from the Sept. 26-Oct. 4 tournament to recover from a stomach muscle problem, Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, said Monday.

An ultrasound found that Nadal had an "acute rupture of his right abdominal muscle" that will require physiotherapy, rest and medication for "two to three weeks," the chief doctor of the Spanish Tennis Federation said in a statement released by tournament organizers on Monday.

Nadal lost his U.S. Open semifinal in straight sets to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who went on to capture his first Grand Slam title with an upset victory over top-ranked Roger Federer in the final. Nadal was forced to skip a title defense at Wimbledon due to sore knees that kept him off tour for all of June and July.

Peyton Manning leads Colts comeback against Dolphins

Peyton Manning engineered a fourth-quarter comeback to lead Indianapolis to a 27-23 victory over the Miami Dolphins last night and break the record for the most wins by a Colts' quarterback. Manning, returning to Miami for the first time since the Colts' Super Bowl triumph over the Chicago Bears at the Dolphin Stadium in February 2007, threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, guiding his team to their second successive win of the campaign.

The victory was Manning's 119th with the Colts, surpassing Johnny Unitas's record of 118 when the franchise was based in Baltimore. "That is because he can do things like he did tonight. He can lead you on drives with just enough time left, he is very, very smart," said the Colts head coach, Jim Caldwell. Miami (now 0-2) had the ball for a remarkable 45 minutes and seven seconds – the longest time of possession for a losing team since 1977 when the statistic started being recorded.

With Tiger Woods, Serena Williams and Jennifer Lopez among a crowd of more than 66,000, Manning was quick to show his own star quality, faking a hand-off on the first play of the game and finding the tight end Dallas Clark down the middle for an 80-yard touchdown. Miami responded swiftly with Ronnie Brown charging home from 14 yards on a direct snap to bring the Dolphins level.

The teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter to go in 13-13 at half-time and took that score into the fourth quarter after a scoreless third. The Dolphins got their noses in front when Brown burst over from three yards, but the Colts were again level after Donald Brown shook off two tackles to power home from 15.

A Dan Carpenter field goal got Miami back in front with just under four minutes to play, but that was more than enough time for Manning, who took just 32 seconds to put the Colts ahead. Manning's short pass to the right found Pierre Garcon and the receiver sprinted home for a 48-yard touchdown. Miami had a late chance to snatch victory but Ted Ginn was unable to haul in Chad Pennington's deep ball into the end zone.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, whose team rushed for more yards than the Colts and converted 71% of third downs, said his plan to concentrate on the running game had almost worked. "It is really disheartening, how many times have you seen a game like that?" he said. "It is exactly the formula to beat that team, exactly the formula, but we cannot give up big plays on the other side, we know that." Miami's Brown, who rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns, felt the bitterness of the defeat more than most but said Manning had been the difference. "When you have a guy like that on the other side who does such a great job of getting his guys down the field, in position and putting them in the right place, you know it is hard

Source : News Updates

Federer clinches Davis Cup win for Swiss, spot in world group

GENOA, Italy (AP) — Roger Federer gave Switzerland a spot in next year's Davis Cup world group by beating Potito Starace for an insurmountable 3-1 lead Sunday against Italy. The top-ranked Federer kept his focus through a two-hour rain delay before completing a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win to clinch the best-of-five playoff series. Federer defeated Simone Bolelli in his opening singles Friday and posted two points for Switzerland less than a week after his five-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the U.S. Open final.

It was a tough weekend for us and I'm happy I could help Switzerland win," Federer said. "I was able to play very well. With Federer sitting out, Italy's team of Starace and Bolelli beat Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli in the doubles Saturday. Federer was looking forward to some more rest over the next two weeks.

I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm, everything is hurting," he said. "And I've got to do some baby-sitting. I've been spending a lot of time on the tennis court the last few weeks. Federer's wife Mirka gave birth to twin girls in July.

The match was suspended due to rain with Federer ahead 6-3, 4-0 on the red clay courts at the Valletta Cambiaso club. Federer responded well to an array of drop shots from Starace before the rain delay, then resumed after the break as sharp as before, finishing off a streak of nine games won in a row. Starace, the lowest-ranked player on Italy's team at No. 90, replaced Andreas Seppi against Federer. It was Starace's first loss in 11 Davis Cup singles matches.

"I tried everything, but he was particularly good today," Starace said. While it didn't quite match his stunning shot against Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open a week ago, Federer again won a point with a shot through his legs after chasing down a lob. Starace replied but missed a volley wide, setting off a loud round of cheers for Federer. A large group of red-clad Swiss supporters bowed and Italian fans also applauded.

Federer stretched his winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches to 12, dating back to his five-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the 2003 semifinals. Winning the Davis Cup is one of the few achievements missing from Federer's long list of accomplishments. Fabio Fognini of Italy beat Michael Lammer 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) in the final singles match to make the final score 3-2

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