London 2012 Summer Olympics Tennis Terms - YAHOO!
The 2012 Games of the XXX Olympiad will be held from July 27-August 12 in London, England. Tennis is among the Olympic sports in which professional athletes are allowed to compete; consequently, the best players in the world will enjoy the spotlight in London.
The full list of entries will be announced on June 28th, but expect Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and many other well-known stars to battle for gold at Wimbledon in five events (men's and women's singles and doubles, as well as mixed doubles for the first time since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988).
As the competition unfolds this summer, here are 10 terms to know, geared to help the casual fan understand Olympic tennis:
1. Point - The basic method of scoring in tennis. The format of scoring in each game: the first point equals 15, the second 30, third 40, and the point after that wins the game. If the score is tied at 40, see below for an explanation of deuce.
2. Deuce - This situation occurs when the score is tied at 40 all. In order to win the game, a player or team must win a point to reach advantage and then win another point immediately after gaining the advantage in order to win by two total points.
3. Advantage - This happens when a player or team wins one point after the match is tied at deuce. To win the game, the side with the advantage must win one more point. If the player or team that does not have the advantage wins the next point, then the score returns to deuce and the game continues until two consecutive points are won.
4. Match - A match is won by a player or team winning either the best of three or the best of five sets (the vast majority of matches at the Olympics will be two out of three sets, but the men's final will be three out of five).
5. Love - Simply means that the side with love has zero points in that game. For example, if a player leads 40-0, then the score may be said as "40-love."
6. Service Break - A game that is won by the player or team that is not serving at that time.
7. Ace - A serve that is delivered legally, and is not touched in any way by the receiving player. An ace results in a point for the server.
8. Lob/Smash - A lob is a high-arcing shot that is designed to go over the head of a player, usually one at the net. If a lob is not hit precisely enough, a smash (violent, overhand shot) may be the type of return that comes back at the player using the lob.
9. Approach Shot - A shot that is intended to be placed deep in the opponent's side of the court, generally with the purpose of allowing the player hitting this shot an opportunity to come to the net.
10. Passing Shot - This term describes a shot that goes past a player that has moved in close to the net or is on his or her way to the net.
The author always looks forward to the Olympics, and is especially interested to watch Olympic tennis as it makes a return to Wimbledon for the first time in over a hundred years just a few weeks after the Grand Slam tournament concludes.
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2012 Roland Garros Women's Wheelchair Champ Esther Vergeer a One-Woman Dynasty: A Fan's View
PH CARPOOL: VAUXHALL VXR8 BATHURST S - Pistonheads
Name: Gary Handa
Car: Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S 6.0
Owned since: October 2011
Previously owned: Boxster S, MX5 Supercharged, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, 360hp Mk4 Golf ... and, er, quite a few others....
Why I bought it:
With the imminent arrival of our first child, I was on the look-out for a four-door saloon.
But...after the tragic loss of some close friends last year, I decided that I never wanted to be in a position when I was older to look back and say 'I wish I'd done that'. So I knew it had to be loud, rorty and with a completely anti-social thumping great V8 - definitely not your usual four-door 'family' car.
I was all set to sign up for a C63 AMG, when my wife suggested buying something instead of leasing. And after seeing Hammond's review on Top Gear, I knew what I was looking for.
The previous owner had seen the same feature too, because he took his Silver 6.0 VXR8 to Walkinshaw Performance and said: "Make my car a Bathurst S". They said: "But we don't make the Bathurst in Silver - and besides, we use a 6.2 engine, not the 6.0 in yours. And anyway, you'd need the supercharger, the larger injectors, the chargecooler, the fully adjustable coilovers, the 6-pot AP brakes upgrade..." He handed them a blank cheque and the keys to his car.
The great twist is that WP transplanted everything off the demo car they built for Vauxhall (and driven by Hammond in said episode...) onto my car. So after carrying out a history check and an independent inspection, I went to collect it. From Aberdeen. I don't think I could have gone much further to buy a car. But with Walkinshaw making fewer than 20 examples of the Bathurst S, they don't come up very often.
Since I've had it, the power has been increased - once by WP themselves to 580hp and then finally by LSV8 Power to 610hp. Torque runs fairly constant at the mid 500lb ft level more or less right across the rev range.
Official performance figures are a little thin on the ground. Theoretical top speed is 195-200mph. The 0-60mph sprint should be sub-5, 0-100mph is around 8 seconds and the trap speed at a 1-mile marker is 167mph, bouncing off the limiter in 5th.
What I wish I'd known:
It's not the kind of purchase you make on a whim; do your research and everything should be OK. The manual gearboxes can be a weak point (mine had a warranty-covered replacement 10 months previously), discs and pads won't leave much change from 2K and treat suspension components as consumables and you'll be fine.
Having said that, on day 10 of ownership, my (warranty-replaced) gearbox went bang again, it needed discs and pads all round and I replaced the clutch. This despite doing everything I could to ensure all was well to begin with. Just unlucky I guess - these things happen.
Things I love:
The sense of occasion. It sounds very clichd, but the sheer pleasure of just driving it is huge. From the second it bursts into life with that ever-so-slightly uneven rumble at tickover and then, when you get going, it always feels brilliant. Not only when you're on the limit at Spa or Rockingham, but also just popping down to Asda for some nappies or milk.
Also, the shriek of the supercharger is utterly addictive, as are the pops and bangs on the overrun. The novelty of parking in 'Parent and Child' spaces and then producing a buggy, much to the disdain of Mr and Mrs Hybrid, will also never wear thin.
Oh, and I'm quite partial to the 610hp - it makes for quite nippy progress.
Things I hate:
It helps that I'm a compulsive tinkerer, so anything I knew I didn't like about the car I've fixed - from extensive sound-proofing and panel dampening, to upgrading and enhancing the stereo (with DAB, GPS and touch-screen iPod control), to adding convenience features that are standard on German execs. I've also 'refined' the looks (my wife's only request was to lose the original spoiler).
The gearbox is quite agricultural and 6th is ridiculously tall, but apart from that it's all good really. The tall 6th gear even has a positive side - it's great for un-stressed cruising, but no good for V-Max type events...
Costs:
A question that's asked more often than the one that's answered with 'it's a Vauxhall'...
Average mpg since I've owned it (10K miles now) is just under 17. However, on a long motorway run, leaving the cruise control at 75 (where it's ticking along at 1,800rpm), I have seen 27mpg.
Servicing is cheap. It's a 6.0-litre lump of pushrod pig iron, where services cost between 200 and 300 every 10K miles. What gets expensive are the bespoke parts on this car. Holden made thousands of Commodore VEs but HSV only made 100s of HSV R8 Clubsports - which have different bumpers, wings and even rear lights - and which are over 1000 a side!
Insurance is great when you get to my age with full no claims, but I did have a little hassle as all the mods needed to be declared and it couldn't be registered as a factory Bathurst S (as it's a 6.0 not a 6.2). However, Bridle Insurance were very good.
Where I've been:
Driving it home from Aberdeen was a bit of an adventure in itself, Brands Hatch Indy was too small, Bedford is always great fun and I'm looking forward to doing Spa very soon - time, money and son allowing.
What next?
Nothing for a while yet - I can see this car becoming a 'keeper'. At the moment I've got some more tinkering to do until it's 'my' car completely, so the next car will depend on the child/children situation. Supercharged M5 Touring perhaps? Chances are it won't be 'normal'...
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us atcarpool@pistonheads.com!
Rihanna treats Hackney Weekend to a cracking view of her fishnet-clad crotch before hitting east London (in the same t-shirt as Rita Ora... awkward) - Daily Mirror
Rihanna closed Hackney Weekend in east London last night wearing the smallest, most pointless pair of tights there ever was. It was as if she couldn't be bothered to deal with a ladder, so rather than taking her shorts off and taking her tights off and putting her shorts back on again (talk about laborious), she just lopped the bottom three quarters off of her nylons.
After a surprise appearance during Jay Z's set on Saturday night (watch it here, it gave Picture Bitch goosebumps and everything) , Rihanna looked sexier than ever as she performed during the climax of Radio 1's festival in east London.
Aside from the fishnet cycling shorts, Rihanna looked as if she'd just stepped off the streets of Shoreditch, wearing unique sunglasses and a customised leather jacket over a relatively normal (if not rather small) pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
Watch her doing her thing on stage last night - to the sound of Disturbia..
Following the show, Rihanna looked like one of the locals as she hit a small pub called The Birdcage in Hackney - usually full of edgy types like Alexa Chung and Peaches Geldof.
Wearing the same outfit, she was snapped having a few pints with her entourage before heading back to her hotel - after apparently being told that it was Rita Ora's turn to wear the t-shirt.
Given that they're always being compared to one another, Rita and Rihanna have probably decided to just start sharing everything - instantly doubling their wardrobe. Mind, they'll have to come up with some sort of rota to avoid situations like these.
Rita was snapped hitting Soho wearing exactly the same leopard print t-shirt and a Rihanna-style visor in the early hours of this morning. Awkward.
Shall we see if a fishnet tight comes in our list of Rihanna's most daring moments? YES LET'S.
London 2012 Olympics failing to inspire people to play more sport - The Guardian
New research has shown the scale of the challenge facing the government and London 2012 organisers to meet their promise to "inspire a generation" to play more sport, with eight in 10 people saying the Games have not yet had an effect on their exercise habits.
The ComRes findings accompany a new joint report by the independent Sports Think Tank and theology thinktank Theos, which claims that "no recent Olympic Games has produced proven economic benefits to the host country or city".
On Friday, the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, insisted the government would not walk away from promises made when London won the right to host the Games that it would inspire more people to play more sport.
While accepting that it was "a big challenge", he said that £1bn invested over five years through Sport England would help boost participation figures, particularly among the young. New figures show that while participation rates for those over 26 have risen in the past year, among under 25-year-olds they continue to fall.
The government has also claimed that the Games will boost tourism numbers by 4 million and result in a £1bn boost for inward investment.
Only 4% of those surveyed said they agreed strongly with the statement: "I'm inspired to play more sport at the moment because of the London 2012 Olympics", while 80% disagreed or disagreed strongly.
Sports minister Hugh Robertson and the London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, have said it is unfair to judge the legacy effect of the Games before they have even taken place.
The government was last year forced to drop a target set by the previous Labour administration that promised to get a million more people playing more sport by 2013. Figures released on Friday showed that 500,000 had been added to the numbers.
The report, Give Us Our Ball Back: Reclaiming Sport for the Common Good, says too many claims are made on behalf of sport and that it should be considered a worthwhile investment in itself.
"Releasing sport from the demands of public utility will allow it to occupy its rightful place in society – that of contributing to a full, happy and meaningful life," it concludes.
"External benefits will naturally come from playing, watching and engaging in sport, but should be seen primarily as byproducts of something with specific worth already."
Andy Reed, the former MP who is co-director of the Sports Think Tank and chair of the Sports and Recreation Alliance, said: "Those of us who love sport need to remember to be cautious about placing unrealistic political, economic and social demands on it and relearn how to value it for its own sake."
The survey also showed that 64% of the public believe taxpayers have contributed too much to the cost of the Games, with the figure rising to 70% in London, where a proportion of the council tax has also been put towards the £9.3bn cost of staging the Games.
Earlier this month, the government said there would be at least £400m in contingency remaining from the £9.3bn public funding package for the Games, which paid for the venues, security, and other costs. The London organising committee (Locog) privately raised the £2bn it costs to stage the Games from sponsorship and ticketing income.
IOC says can keep London betting clean - Reuters UK
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - Organisers are confident that they can prevent gangs behind illegal gambling from fixing events at the Olympics in London next month, a senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) figure said on Monday.
The jailing last year of three Pakistani cricketers in London and the latest match-fixing scandal to afflict Italian football have heightened alarm that corruption is undermining top level sport.
The Olympics are something of a paradox for bookmakers - the biggest event in the sporting calendar attracts a huge global TV audience but is a sideshow for most serious gamblers.
However, the IOC is taking no chances and is working closely with British authorities to ensure that fixing does not blight the London Games.
"Experts are telling us that the Olympics is not a primary target of match fixing because they are such a huge event, under such scrutiny, that it is a big risk to try to fix competition at the Olympic Games," IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"We treat this as a serious threat and we have taken measures to be ready in case anyone would want to fix competition at the Olympic Games," the Belgian added.
Games athletes and officials are forbidden from betting on the Olympics. Britain's licensed bookmakers have signed up to scrutinise activity during the July 27-August 12 Games and will channel their findings through the Gambling Commission, the industry regulator.
"We will report any suspicious betting. The IOC has set up a joint assessment unit for the duration of the Games," said Bill South, a former police officer who is head of security for William Hill, Britain's largest bookmaker.
"All the operators will have 24/7 reporting. We will suspend or void bets if necessary," he told Reuters.
British bookmakers have said that betting on the Olympics is likely to be relatively small, comparing spending over the Games as a whole with what they take on a weekend of English Premier League football. That should making wrongdoing easier to detect.
"We would offer a market on any event but the chance of all events attracting a market is unlikely," said South.
"Our trading team will make an assessment of what a potential market looks like. The smaller the market, then anything unusual is more likely to be apparent."
TECHNOLOGY BRINGS TEMPTATION
Advances in technology have created rich new opportunities for those seeking to rig results or specific episodes in a contest - "spot fixing".
More and more events can be beamed live into parts of the world like Asia where sports betting is often illegal and therefore unregulated.
Mobile technologies have also facilitated the growth of in-play betting where punters can bet on a event already under way, That is legal in itself but exposes sports players to the temptation of fixing seemingly trivial incidents.
De Kepper says that tackling fixing was more complex than the battle against doping - a scourge of international sport which the IOC has spent decades trying to combat.
"The financial impact, the means at stake behind illegal betting are far, far more important than in the criminal/doping network," he said.
De Kepper said the IOC was not against betting itself, noting that many sports were funded by lottery or levies on gaming.
However, he said that the IOC needed help to eradicate the dangers posed by unlicensed bookmakers.
"That needs the cooperation of police, that needs governments to realise that this is threatening... the credibility people can have in organised sports," he said.
"This is a public order question that many governments around the world at this stage have not realised," he added.
(Editing by Alison Wildey)
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