Drama as tennis star Rafael Nadal collapses in agony during televised press conference

By MIKE DICKSON and HUGO GYE

In pain: Rafa Nadal slid off his chair and on to the floor

His opponents will testify to his seemingly super-human fitness levels, but Rafael Nadal has shown that his body is fallible with a dramatic collapse during a press conference at the U.S.Open.

Very publicly and without warning, he went into seizure while answering questions in his post-match interview, and while there is no lasting damage the incident vividly showed the physical demands of professional sport.

Nadal was answering questions after his victory in the third round of the U.S. Open.


Concern: Nadal later returned to announce he felt cramp in his thigh


Suddenly, the 25-year-old clutched at his right leg and then put his hands to his head as his discomfort grew with the threat that he could go into full body spasm.

He slipped back into his leather chair and gently slid down, finally allowing himself to fall to the floor behind the desk.

The room was cleared as a physio and doctor were swiftly sought and, within minutes of being given the correct stretches and liquids he was walking around as if nothing had happened.


As the cramp takes hold Nadal heads for the floor


A similar thing happened to British No 1 Elena Baltacha's opponent Jamie Hampton on court last week and, again, while that looked dramatic it was quickly remedied.

A grinning Nadal, who went on to do his round of TV interviews, made light of the whole episode, saying: 'It was just unfortunate that it happened in the front and back of my leg at once

'It's just bad luck that it happened in public. It was really hot, I ran a lot and you sweat a lot in these conditions.'


Pleasure and pain: Rafa celebrates his victory against David Nalbandian before succumbing to the pain of cramp in the post-match interview


Andy Murray thought it was not that unusual an occurrence.

'I don't think it's odd that someone's cramping,' he said.

'I'm sure a lot of people were surprised because it was him that was cramping, but Rafa's human. I think some people forget that sometimes.

'I think around midday loads of people were struggling with the heat. He very rarely plays that early.

'So if you mess up like your eating or get it wrong or you're drinking wrong before the match - and from the parts of the match I saw today he did quite a lot of running, as well - you can get yourself in a bad way in these conditions.

'I'm glad he's all right, but I'm sure it was a bit of a shock for him.'



Andy Roddick also played down Nadal's drama, saying: 'Not to put a dampener on the story, which I know you guys think is really big, but people cramp after matches when you're cold. It's just something that happens.

'It's just unfortunate it happened in front of you all. Every single player in there has had that happen before. Every single one.

'What we do, we run around, run miles and miles and miles and miles on the tennis court in nasty weather. You throw nerves in there, I mean, it happens. As long as it doesn't happen during a match, you're fine.

'I heard about it. They were telling me it was like this whole thing and people were surrounding him. I started laughing. I saw Rafa and he was laughing about it later on.'



source: dailymail

Slam dunk! Delighted Justin Bieber can't hide his glee after winning basketball match

By CHRIS JOHNSON



Swinging into action: Justin Bieber took part in a charity basketball match today in Atlanta, Georgia



Justin Bieber slam dunked his way to victory today in a charity basketball match.

The 17-year-old singer showed off his impressive ball skills in Atlanta, Georgia in the LudaDay Celebrity Basketball Game 2011.



The teen star headed up Team Bieber, playing against rapper Ludacris's Team Luda in a close-fought match.





Victory: The teen singer celebrates after learning his team had won after taking on rapper Ludacris





Ludacrus confirmed he had been beaten by Bieber on Twitter, posting the message: 'FINAL SCORE 134-132 TEAM BIEBER.FUN GAME.'



The game raised $10,000 for the Ludacris Foundation, which supports the youth of struggling communities build a better future for themselves.



Confident Justin informed his fans of the match on Saturday, tweeting: '#TEAMBIEBER is going hard on sunday in ATL. #LUDADAYWEEKEND.





Who's the man! The final score was 134-132 in the close-fought match





'Victory is the only outcome! WHO IS COMING?! #charity.'



Bieber has also spent the weekend in the recording studio, revealing: 'Finished in the studio for the night. did something real special for u. now heading to ATL for this bball game btw #TEAMBIEBER and #TeamLuda.'



Last week Justin was involved in a minor fender bender in Los Angeles after crashing his Ferrari into a Honda.



Both parties were uninjured.







Ball skills: The game raised $10,000 for charity for the Ludacris Foundation





source: dailymail

Black England soccer stars suffer Nazi salutes and vile monkey noises from racist Bulgarian fans

By Daily Mail Reporter



Vile: One Bulgarian supporter gives a Nazi salute during the game against England in Sofia



Football Association chiefs have made an official complaint after black England soccer players were subjected to vile racist abuse from Bulgarian fans.



Manchester United's Ashley Young and Arsenal's Theo Walcott were taunted with monkey noises and Nazi salutes during England's victory in Sofia last night.



The chants could be heard when Young was substituted and Walcott was targeted when he missed a chance late in the Euro qualifier.





Hateful message: Bulgarian fans unfurl an abusive banner as a supporter gives a Nazi salute





FA officials reported the behaviour to the UEFA match delegate after the game which saw home supporters unfurl a banner which said 'F*** UEFA.



England's two-goal match winner Wayne Rooney slammed the Bulgarian fans' behaviour.



He said: 'We could hear it on the pitch. It has been going on for years.and it's not right.





Fiery salute : Bulgarian soccer supporters light up a flare in Sofia





'It needs to stop and hopefully something will be done about it.'



Walcott told Mail Sport: 'It was very clear. I ignored it. I think the FA will deal with that and I don't want to comment too much. The result was the important thing.'





Abused: England's Ashley Young in action last night in Sofia against Bulgaria





England captain John Terry had not heard the abuse during the game, but told Sky TV: 'You don't expect that at all. It was a great spectacle for everyone to watch let's not let that spoil it.'



Like Terry before him, he admitted to being 'not very informed' about what had occurred, having been focused on the match.



But he added: 'It is very pitiful for such things to happen. Because of that I would like to apologise on behalf of the Bulgarian Football Federation.'





Bulgaria boss Lothar Matthaus, a former German World Cup winner, apologised for the conduct of the minority of his team's fans.





England have encountered racism problems on their travels before. Seven years ago Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole were targeted by home spectators during a friendly played in Madrid.



A spokesman for the FA confirmed: 'We've raised it with the Bulgarian FA and the UEFA delegate after the match. That's all we're saying about it.'





source:dailymail

Four years later, Oscar De La Hoya comes clean: It WAS me in the fishnet and high heels pictures

By THOMAS DURANTE



Struggles: An emotional Oscar De La Hoya admitted battling with alcohol and cocaine, as well as cheating on his wife, in an interview with Univision



Recounting his rise to the top of the boxing world and his fall from grace in an ego-busting photo scandal, Oscar De La Hoya is confessing the truth.



Speaking about the claims of stripper Milana Dravnel, as well as his own substance abuse and infidelity, the retired boxer has bared it all.



It has been nearly four years since photos purportedly of the former champ clad in fishnets, panties and high heels were splashed online.





Feminine side: In 2007, De La Hoya was the subject of a photo scandal when a stripper who claimed he cheated on his wife with her made these images public

De La Hoya reportedly hired a team of lawyers, a PR firm and business





At the time, Mr De La Hoya’s handlers brushed off the photos as bad Photoshop jobs and his accuser as a money-grubber.



But in a tell-all interview this week, the former welterweight champ revealed: ‘It was me.’



In the interview with Univision, the former welterweight champion spilled the details of his marital, drug and alcohol problems.





Costume party: Milana Dravnel, who claimed Oscar De La Hoya cheated on his wife with her, allegedly leaked several embarrassing images on the internet





Known as 'The Golden Boy,' Mr De La Hoya became the subject of the photo scandal in 2007 when Ms Dravnel, who claimed he had cheated on his wife with her and posted the embarrassing images on the internet.



At the time, the De La Hoya camp claimed it wasn’t him in the photos and that the stripper was 'out for money.'



The Golden Boy’s legal team even brought in their own ‘photo expert,’ who said the photos were a computer-generated forgery.



His spokeswoman said of the photos: 'His head's too small and it doesn't even look like his body.'





Family man: Oscar De La Hoya poses with his wife Millie, right, and children Nina and Oscar Jr in this 2009 photo





De La Hoya reportedly hired a team of lawyers, a PR firm and business associates to discredit Ms Dravnel and goad her into retracting her story.



But in the interview with the Spanish-language network, which aired Tuesday night, the troubled pugilist revealed the truth.



'Let me to tell you, yes, yes, it was me,' he said.



TheSmokingGun.com reported that in June 2008, Ms Dravnel settled a federal lawsuit she brought against Mr De La Hoya.



Details of the settlement were never revealed as they signed confidentiality agreements, the website reported.





Kiss: Oscar De La Hoya has two daughters with Millie Coretjer, whom the retired boxer married in 2001





Warrior: In his last fight, Oscar De La Hoya, left, suffered a beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, right





De La Hoya retired from boxing in 2009 after a 16-year career that won him 10 world titles in six divisions.



His last match was a punishment at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, and De La Hoya's corner stopped the first after the eighth round.





Calling it quits: After 16 years in the ring and several world championships, De La Hoya retired in 2009





Oscar De La Hoya highlights





source: dailymail

Goldenbald? David Beckham's latest look isn't a patch on the others

X marks the spot: David Beckham's neck tattoo points in the direction of his apparent bald patch



We've seen him with centre partings, crew cuts, ponytails, cornrows and even a Mohawk.



But David Beckham’s many admirers are unlikely to copy what seems to be his latest style – the bald patch.



It could of course have been a trick of the light, but the 36-year-old soccer star nicknamed Goldenballs seemed to have a chink in his tonsorial armour as he carried his six-week-old daughter Harper into a Los Angeles restaurant.



Beckham, who at one time had a multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with Brylcreem, still chooses to grease back his hair.







A life in hairstyles: Clockwise from top left, the fresh-faced teenager with centre parting in 1995; England's Captain Mohawk in 2001 and his luxuriant blond locks in 2003, running wild and tamed into a ponytail





Unfortunately, this did little to conceal the area of skin apparently visible around the crown.



In a sketch for Comic Relief last year alongside comedian James Corden, Beckham hinted that all was not well in the hair department.



As Corden pretended to style his thatch, he said: ‘I’m losing it a little bit there.’



Yesterday, award-winning hairdresser Karine Jackson said: ‘As a woman I love to look at David Beckham’s hair and I was a bit shocked to see this.





Mother's pride: David and Victoria were taking their six-week-old daughter Harper to a Los Angeles restaurant





The couple were accompanied to the restaurant by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and his family





‘Certainly, he has been thinning over the last ten years. However, we have seen photographs of him in the ocean recently and if he was going bald you would have noticed it before.



‘Indeed, a particular bald patch is very rare in male pattern baldness so it could be a trick of the light.



'Alternatively, it could be a temporary loss caused by, for example, bruising from a football match.’





Keeping things under his hat: Beckham kept his bald patch hidden under a baseball cap as he went surfing in Malibu with his sons yesterday





Surf's up: Beckham keeps a close eye on Romeo as he hangs out on the board





If Beckham is going bald, perhaps he should seek advice from his friend Gordon Ramsay, who recently invested £30,000 in a hair transplant.



The celebrity chef joined Beckham surfing over the weekend at Malibu in California, where the former England captain and his family are renting Steven Spielberg’s beach house for the summer at £93,000 a month.



The men were joined on the beach by Beckham’s sons Romeo, eight, and six-year-old Cruz, and Ramsay’s wife Tana.





Windy weather: Becks clambers up the rocks while his three sons paddle in the water on the windy day



source: dailymail

From drab to WAG: The new Posh and Becks - Robbie and Claudine Keane - ditch their tracksuits in mid-Atlantic makeover and arrive glamorous at LAX

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER



We're here! Robbie Keane arrives at LAX today with his wife Claudine ahead of his debut with LA Galaxy



They're likely to rival the Beckhams for the title of most glamorous couple in football.



So Robbie and Claudine Keane made sure they were camera-ready when they arrived at LAX yesterday.



The couple left Heathrow in tracksuits - Claudine's a typical WAG-style blue velour type- but they appeared to have transformed mid-air before arriving in Los Angeles looking groomed and gorgeous.





From drab to WAG: Robbie and Claudine depart for LA at Heathrow in tracksuits but have appear to have had a makeover mid-air and depart at LAX looking glam





The husband and wife faced scenes reminiscent of when David and Victoria Beckham arrived at the Los Angeles airport in 2007 so the footballer could begin his contract with LA Galaxy.



Irish striker Keane, 31, is joining the soccer ace from MLS club Tottenham Hotspur on a two-year contract, and judging by his face, he was ecstatic about the Hollywood move.



Claudine, 27, sported perfect make-up and shiny blonde hair which hardly lent itself to comfortable travel.





City of Angels: The couple have relocated to Hollywood after the Irish striker signed a £1.8million deal





Stylish: Claudine wore a pair of bright blue skinny jeans, midriff-bearing white top, Hermes Birkin bag and spiked Christian Louboutin heels





She wore a pair of bright blue skinny jeans, midriff-bearing white top, Hermes Birkin bag and spiked Christian Louboutin heels.



Keane changed from a black tracksuit and white T-shirt into a printed tee underneath a denim shirt and black jeans. He kept on the same comfortable white sneakers.



He waved to assembled photographers and fans as he emerged from the terminal with a grinning Claudine by his side.







Revealing: Claudine showed off her toned abs in this white crop top while her husband changed into a denim shirt and dark jeans but kept wearing the same sneakers





The couple happily posed for photographers, with Robbie leaning in to kiss his wife's cheek at one point.



Keane has said it was a 'dream come true' to join the MLS and revealed that David Beckham had played a role in the move after speaking to him about Galaxy when the former England captain trained with Spurs in January.





Big things ahead: Galaxy boss Bruce Arena said Robbie 'will be a great addition to our club





Flashback: Claudine and Keane yesterday and Victoria and David Beckham in July, 2007, as each couple arrives at LAX to join LA Galaxy





Warm welcome: The Beckhams were greeted with a crowd of fans and photographers when they arrived in Los Angeles in 2007





'When David Beckham came and trained at Spurs recently he couldn't speak highly enough about the Galaxy, their fans and the league in general, so I can’t wait to get over and get started,' he said.



'I am delighted, honoured and very excited to be joining the LA Galaxy.'

Galaxy boss Bruce Arena said: 'Robbie Keane will be a great addition to our club. I have followed his career and have always respected his ability as a competitor and a goalscorer.



'I believe that he brings qualities in and around the penalty area that we have been lacking.



Hopefully, he will be another piece of the puzzle in our quest for the Supporters’ Shield and an MLS Cup championship as well as to advance to the next round of the Champions League.'





Mass excitement: Hundreds of eager fans waited at LAX to welcome Robbie to Los Angeles







Move: The former Tottenham player has said it is 'a dream come true' to play for the MLS team



source: dailymail

Olympic trial of London road race causes chaos as furious drivers are forced to abandon their cars

By JOHN GEOGHEGAN and CHRIS GREENWOOD



Taking up the tarmac: Competitors are spread across the entire width of the road along the London-Surrey route



The organisers had hoped it would be a seamless test run for the 2012 Olympics.



But the chaos that surrounded yesterday’s London-Surrey Cycle Classic may have given an unfortunate taste of what to expect next summer.



Much of London was left in gridlock by the bicycle race, and some furious drivers were even forced to abandon their cars.





Wide berth: Even The Mall in London had to be cordoned off to allow the cyclists through



Top cyclists rode from The Mall in central London to Box Hill in Surrey and back again - the exact same 87-mile route as the road race in the 2012 Olympics.



About 1,400 roads in London and Surrey were shut for most of the day, resulting in huge traffic build-ups.



Roads in central London were blocked off from 4am yesterday while those further out had closed at 8pm on Saturday. Many closures remained in place until 4pm yesterday.



Transport for London bosses said they warned residents and businesses that roads in the area would be ‘severely affected’.







Tourist attraction: The leading pack did draw some support from cycle fans as they hit the home straight down The Mall





Areas affected included Westminster, Chelsea, Fulham , Richmond, Hampton Court and parts of Surrey.



South west London, including Kingston and Putney, were among the worst-hit areas.

Motorists complained that journeys of just a few miles took up to two hours and in some cases were impossible to complete.



There were reports of tempers fraying around Earls Court when a wedding convoy realised their route was completely blocked by temporary road blocks.



One unnamed race steward in Putney High Street admitted the road closures had been ‘chaotic’ with staff left in the dark over when diversions would be lifted.







Pedal power: Competitors rode from The Mall in central London to Box Hill in Surrey and back again - the exact same 87-mile route as the road race in the 2012 Olympics





Takeover: About 1,400 roads in London and Surrey were shut for most of the day, resulting in huge traffic build-ups





The race passed through six London boroughs, four Royal Parks and out into Surrey before returning to central London and The Mall where Briton Mark Cavendish was first across the finishing line.



The event follows the route to be followed by the Olympic road cycling races, which take place over five days next summer, from Saturday, July 28, until Wednesday August 1.



Free to watch, it will include separate races for men and women plus time trials.





Mark Cavendish sprints fro the line in front of Buckhingham Palace and (right) celebrates his victory





Not exactly a walk in the park: Normally peaceful Richmond Park was on the cyclists' route





Support: Spectators in Headley, Surrey, were out in force. About 1,400 roads in London and Surrey were shut for most of the day, resulting in huge traffic build-ups







Sealed with a kiss: Cavendish celebrates his win with girlfriend Peta Todd



source: dailymail

I wish I had a six-pack like that! Celtic legend Henrik Larsson can't hide his envy over Gerard Butler's muscles during charity football match

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER



I wish I had a six-pack like that! Henrik Larsson looks on enviously as Gerard Butler shows off his muscles in the changing room ahead of a charity football match between Celtic and Manchester United



Back in the day, Henrik Larsson was one of the hottest football heartthrobs in Sweden.



But, as he sat in the changing room with Gerard Butler this afternoon, ahead of a charity football match, Larsson couldn't help casting an envious glance at the Hollywood actor's incredibly muscular physique.



As Butler stuck his tongue out at the cameras while putting his top on, Larsson could be seen in the corner, failing to mask his jealousy over the 300 star's six-pack.





Posing up: But the pair smiled for the camera as they posed with Butler's Celtic football shirt





Butler was just one of the celebrities who took to the football field for Celtic as the team took on Manchester United in a charity football match to help raise money to tackle famine in East Africa.



Lifelong Celtics fan Butler couldn't hide his delight as he took to the field at Parkhead for the legends match.



The 41-year-old star was seen beaming as he made his way into the stadium in his white T-shirt and beige trousers, taking the time to have photographs taken with fans.





Preparations: The chance to play for Celtic was the fulfilling of a lifelong dream for 300 star Butler





Ready for action: Butler grins and waves as he poses before taking to the field before the match





Celtic manager Neil Lennon said before the match he was 'very excited' about the upcoming game.



He said: 'Manchester United have had some great teams over the years, and a lot of the players will be turning up for that.



'The history of our club was that it was started as a charitable organisation for Irish immigrants in Glasgow and we have carried that through year after year on donating to charity ever since.





I'm free! Butler looks in a world of his own as he plays during the energetic game





Warming up: Butler enjoys a kickabout with Manchester United's Roy Keane before the match





Excited: Butler couldn't hide his delight as he made his way into the stadium for the game





Casual: Butler, dressed casually in a pair of beige combats and white T-shirt, took the time to pose with fans



source: dailymail