Federer and Djokovic To Miss French Open?

This year's French Open may lose two of its recognisable faces as both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are doubts for this years second Grand Slam.

Djokovic will be in a race against time to return from a wrist injury which left him weak and limp in his defeat to Roger Federer in the semi-finals of this weeks Monte Carlo Masters. Federer on the other hand, may have to miss the tournament to be with his wife as she gives birth to the couples third child.

Djokovic began suffering heavily from his wrist injury in the quarter-finals of this weeks masters, labouring to a lengthy three set victory against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez before tumbling out to Roger Federer 7-5 6-2. The loss brought an end to an exceptional run in Masters tournaments after winning the last four.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Djokovic said, "I just rest now. I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don't know". However, unlike Laura Robson and Juan Martin Del Potro, Djokovic confirmed that he would not need surgery as there is no serious damage.

Djokovic went on to say, I'm going to go see doctors tonight and then tomorrow again have another MRI, to see if anything changed in the seven days since I had the last one. It's really not in my hands any more. I'm going to rest and see when it can heal 100%, then I will be back on the court."

On the other side of the court, Roger Federer has confirmde that, should his wife give birth he would abandon the French Open to be at her side as she gives birth to their son. It is not known how far into the pregnancy Mirka is, but in an interview with BBC Sport Federer hinted that he would have no qualms missing the French Open if he had to.

"It's a priority for me trying to be there, trying to support my wife. I've played enough tennis matches. Missing a tournament or missing a match wouldn't change anything for me." When asked specifically about the French Open he replied, Yeah, let's talk about it when it would happen."

Today, Roger Federer takes part in the first all-Swiss final since 2000 when he takes on Stanislas Wawrinka, the victor taking both the Monte Carlo title and also third place in the rankings.

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Andy Murray Set For Coach Discussion

Andy Murray is set to sit down with his whole team for the rest of the week and begin discussions on who should be his next coach as he seeks to have someone in place before the French Open.

Murray's decision to hire a new coach comes after the split with previous coach Ivan Lendl. The partnership had been in full flow for over two years and in that time the Scot had won both his Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal.

But last months the pair brought an end to their glorious relationship as Lendl was no longer able to commit to Murray's schedule as he sought to compete more regularly on the senior tour.

Murray's partnership with a high-profile former player also paved the way for a new trend in tennis coaching, as Stefan Edberg returned to coach Roger Federer and Boris Becker likewise to work alongside Novak Djokovic.

However, Murray is not necessarily looking to repeat the trend that he started, telling BBC Sport, "There's a lot of factors you need to look at and I would hope I would have someone in place by the French Open, but I don't want to rush it. I don't want to get someone just because they've won a lot of tournaments or were great players."

Murray went on to say, "[A new coach] needs to be the right fit for you and they need to get on well with your team too, because otherwise it's very hard to make it work. It's going to be an exciting few weeks because getting a new coach can make big differences, as you saw with Ivan."

Murray was speaking at the press launch of this years AEGON Championship at the Queen's club after returning from the weekend's narrow Davis Cup loss to Italy.

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Djokovic Beats Federer To Claim Indian Wells Title

Novak Djokovic won his first ATP Tour title of 2014 on Sunday, overcoming Roger Federer 3-6 6-3 7-6 in a hard-fought encounter at Indian Wells.

The Serb recovered after a careless first set, winning the second before achieving his third Indian Wells title after battling through a deciding tie-break in the final set.

Djokovic was understandably pleased to claim the title and gain revenge for last months loss to Federer in Dubai, telling the BBC, "It was a proud achievement. It was not just winning the trophy but the way I came back from a set down in a couple of matches. That gives me a lot of confidence."

The match did not start well though for Djokovic as he looked sluggish in the opening set. A recently resurgent Roger Federer fully capitalized, needing just one break point to take the lead before eventually claiming the first set 6-3.

However, as the match progressed Djokovic began to assert himself, a strong defensive performance keeping Federer at bay. Much the same as the first set it was a single break that separated the pair, Djokobic this time taking the lead to win the second set 6-3.

The third set saw the two former champions burst into life, trading blow after blow as each sought to take the upper hand. It was Djokovic who claimed the advantage, breaking mid-way through the set to find himself serving for the championship at 5-4.

Despite getting every first serve in Federer was ruthless, a number of huge  forehands ensuring the match continued as he broke back, forcing a deciding tie-break to separate the pair.

Once there however, the Swiss seemed to run out of steam, quickly finding himself 3-0 down and with a mountain to climb against the gritty Serb. Federer saved one match point with a powerful ace but could not stop Djokovic at the second attempt, a limp backhand into the net ensuring his defeat.

Both players will now turn their attention to the second Masters tournament of the year, Miami, which begins this week as Britain's Andy Murray seeks to defend his crown.

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Stuttering Murray Scrapes Into Quarters

Andy Murray survived a second round scare in Rotterdam as he narrowly beat young Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4 3-6 6-3.

After breezing through his opening round match 6-3 6-3 against Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Murray struggled against the World number 113.

He started strongly, breaking twice to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set. The tenacious youngster then broke back, giving Murray only a single break advantage. This was all he needed though, taking the opening set 6-4.

Much to Murray's annoyance, Thiem refused to go quietly, the 20-year-old swinging freely as he pegged Murray back. The frustration showed after Thiem got the desired break, Murray smashing his racket into his foot. The Austrian showed no sign of nerves as he took the second set 6-3.

Murray rediscovered his rhythm in the third set, battling to break early. From there it was simply a matter of holding serve, as the Scot eventually ground out a 6-3 victory to progress to the quarter-finals.

Playing in his first tournament since his Australian Open defeat to Roger Federer, Murray is aiming to replicate his Rotterdam experience in 2009 when he overcame Rafael Nadal in the final. In order to do that though he will have to overcome Marin Cilic in the next round.

Fresh off the back of claiming his 10th ATP Tour title last week in Zagreb, Cilic is in imperious form, unbeaten in seven matches and seeking vengeance after his Queen's final loss to Murray last year.

Cilic overcame fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-4 on his way to the quarter-final.

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Murray Falls in Rankings Shake-Up

As the curtain falls on this years Australian Open we have been treated to the first winner since Juan Martin Del Potro's US Open in 2009 who isn't one of the so-called 'Big Four'; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Perhaps more interestingly though, Stanislas Wawrinka's maiden Grand Slam title has well and truly splintered the dominance held between these four over the last five or six years as the updated rankings were released today. His victory moves him up to a career-high ranking of third and he becomes the highest seeded Swiss player, a feat previously held by Roger Federer since 2001. Meanwhile, Federer tumbles to eighth, his lowest ranking in twelve years.

Nadal and Djokovic maintain their place occupying the top two spots but Nadal's runner-up spot has meant a gap of nearly 4,000 points has opened up between the pair. Despite a disappointing second-round defeat, Del Potro moves up to fourth whilst David Ferrer drops two places to fifth.

However, it was a hugely unsuccessful tournament for the British trio of Andy Murray, Laura Robson and Heather Watson. Murray's quarter-final loss to Roger Federer means he falls to sixth, his lowest ranking since 2008. With no Grand Slam's or Masters tournaments until March, it seems unlikely that he will begin climbing again for a number of months.

In the women's rankings, first-round losses for Robson and Watson meant neither were able to defend significant ranking points earned the year before. Robson slips ten places from 48th to 58th whilst Watson, who missed a large section of last season through glandular fever, tumbles to 161st, her worst ranking in a number of years.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, Australian Open victor Li Na moves up to third in the rankings, only eleven points away from number two seed Victoria Azarenka. Serena Williams holds onto top spot whilst Maria Sharapova falls to fifth.

The big mover was beaten finalist Dominika Cibulkova, who leaps eleven places to thirteenth. Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard continues her ascendancy, breaking into the top twenty for the first time after reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne. Sloane Stevens falls five places to eighteenth whilst Venus Williams tumbles to 49th.

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Murray Advances in Four Sets

Andy Murray lost his first set of the Australian Open so far as he laboured to victory against Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-2.

Murray won the opening two sets before the Frenchmen hit back in a third set tie-break. However, Murray replied, sealing his place in the quarter-finals after winning the fourth.

Frustration was evident in Murray's game today as he attempted to get off the court quickly, making a number of errors in the process.

Robert was the lowest ranked player going into the fourth round. Having come into the tournament as a 'lucky loser', he was placed in the draw just 10 minutes before the deadline. With a self-descriptive style of 'casino tennis' Robert put on a show for the Melbourne crowd, firing big winners throughout the match.

Murray acknowledged his opponent afterwards, telling the Guardian, "He is a fun player to watch but not to play against. He made it very tricky for me. He's very unorthodox. You want to close these matches out quickly if you can, but he played very well."

The warning signs were there for Murray early on, saving a break point in the first game after a huge winner from Robert. However the fourth seed took control after this game, sealing the first set 6-1 in just 25 minutes.

He continued to dominate throughout the second set, winning the first four games in a row before Robert finally managed to claw one back. Nevertheless, it was all in vain as Murray claimed the second set 6-2.

Robert refused to go down without a fight, battling toe-to-toe with Murray in the third who lost the intensity held in the opening sets. The Scot broke to serve out the match at 5-3 but was broken back by the dogged Frenchman after missing two match points.

The set entered a tie-break and once again Murray had two points to end the match, both missed as Robert capitalized, winning 8-6 to take the match to a fourth.

Murray pulled himself together in the fourth, regaining his composure to claim it 6-2, making just three unforced errors all set.

In the quarter-finals Murray will face a blockbuster tie against Roger Federer after the Swiss overcame Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets.

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Murray Powers Into Fourth Round

In his first real test of this year's Australian Open, Andy Murray produced his best tennis, beating the twenty-sixth seed Feliciano Lopez 7-6(2) 6-4 6-2.

As the fourth day heatwave finally ended Murray faced his first seeded played in the tournament, overcoming the challenge with ease as he won in just over two hours.

Murray came into the match with a 7-0 winning record against the Spaniard and his victory extended this run. Lopez is a left-handed player and it is notably documented that Murray enjoys playing lefties, attributing to growing up playing with his brother Jamie.

After the match Murray told Sky Sports, "It's been a good start. It was very tricky conditions the first couple of matches with the heat but today was beautiful conditions to play in."

The match did not start well for Murray as he was broken in his opening service game for the second consecutive match. However he broke back instantly as the match started in scrappy fashion.

The errors continued to fly from both rackets as the first set advanced to a tie-break. Murray gained an early mini-break and ground out the first set courtesy of a Lopez error.

The first set galvanized the Scot and he broke instantly at the start of the second. The rest of the set passed by uneventfully as both players held their serve unchallenged, Murray taking it 6-4.

By this point Lopez cut a beaten figure as he was broken twice in the third set to find himself 4-1 down. Murray ruthlessly saw out the match playing a couple of stylish winners before a Lopez error gifted him the match.

In the fourth round Murray will play record-breaking Frenchman Stephane Robert. With a three set victory over Martin Klizan, Robert became the first ever 'lucky loser' to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

Should Murray beat Robert he will face the daunting prospect of a match against either Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter finals.

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Sports Ladder (2nd-8th August)

UP - Wrestling - A good week for wrestling as it re-enters the Olympics. As one of the original events in the 1896 inaugural games it was important for it to regain a spot, even if it did mean that Squash sadly missed out. All we need now is to get rid of non-Olympic-spirit sports such as football, golf, tennis etc and it will be restored to its former glory.

UP - Sebastian Vettel - After yet another commanding victory, Vettel has now gained himself a 53 point lead with only 175 points remaining and looks dead set to win his fourth consecutive Formula 1 crown. As much as it pains me to say it, it might actually be skill rather than luck which has driven Vettel to success and I might finally have to bite the bullet and say congratulations.

UP - Arsene Wenger - How do you appease the fans questioning your ability? Beat your closest rivals and then sign one of the best playmakers on the planet. After a summer of discontent amongst Arsenal fans they will feel that the future is much brighter following Wenger smashing their transfer record by about £27 million. Perhaps they will eclipse their regular fourth spot this year.

UP - Jordan Spieth - Spieth has had an outstanding debut year on the PGA Tour, currently 10th in the Fed-Ex Standings and 28th in the World Rankings, the 20 year old's year got even better as he was handed a spot on the American Presidents Cup team courtesy of Fred Couples. After Charley Hull recently highlighted the success a youngster can have, Spieth will be looking to emulate that success.

UP - Ben Maher - It's always nice to highlight a small success story and few will have heard of Ben Maher. However, an Olympic gold medalist at London last year, Maher has just become the world's top-ranked showjumper after successfully winning team gold and individual silver at last months European Championships.

DOWN - Chris Coleman - Oh Chris, we've all been there. Actually, well, I haven't. There is a lot of pressure being a National team manager, but one thing that is usually required for away trips is a passport. A disappointing week for Coleman who after missing his flight with the team, then lost 2-1 to Macedonia.

DOWN - Gabriel Agbonlahor - It's a good thing Gabby is fast, because he'll have around 13 million of Louis Tomlinson's fans chasing him after causing the One Direction singer to leave the field during Stiliyan Petrov's Charity Match with a late tackle. The footballing world enjoyed it thoroughly although I'm pretty sure Agbonlahor will be getting plenty of hate mail over the coming days.

DOWN - Lewis Hamilton - Probably not the debut season that Lewis Hamilton had in mind when he left McLaren for Mercedes last year. Plenty of poles but poor race pace has meant only one victory and this weekend pushed himself completely out of the title race. Will we ever see him win a Championship again? Sadly I think not.

DOWN - Greg Dyke - Same old, same old as Greg Dyke, the new Football Association Chairman announces that England should aim to win the 2022 World Cup. You know that World Cup which we might boycott. Incredible that Dyke was under the impression that to date we have not been aiming to win the major tournaments. Sort it out at grassroots level first and perhaps we'll aim for 2038!

DOWN - Roger Federer - Form is temporary, class is permanent. Federer will have to take solace from this saying as he suffers his first year since 2003 where he has not made a Grand Slam final. Coming into the twilight of his career, Federer now has to make the bold decision whether to bow out as a hero or risk threatening his great legacy by continuing to play.