Brain power is increasingly a major battleground in sports science as elite athletes search for a critical edgeTowards the end of Kyle Edmund’s breakout performance at the Australian Open, his coach Fredrik Rosengren was asked about his great leap forward. The British No 2’s improved serve and fitness had helped, the Swede acknowledged – but there was something else, too. “You have to believe you can do it in tough situations,” said Rosengren, who stressed that Edmund now had the “mindset” to go deep into grand slams.Belief. Mind over matter. Taming your inner chimp. Hang around elite sports people long enough and you will hear multiple variations on the theme. The race to run a sub-two-hour marathon, for instance, is sometimes...
Melbourne crowds are likely to offer warm support to her this week and research suggests fans continue to back stars and sports laid low by doping scandalsHere is a prediction. Every time Maria Sharapova steps on to court at the Australian Open this year she will be greeted with shrieks of: “Come on Maria!” and elongated waves of goodwill. There will be smiles. And, before even the Russian’s first practice stroke, the unease generated when she received the honour of parading the women’s trophy at the draw last week will be ancient history – much like her positive test for meldonium at Melbourne Park two years ago, and her 15-month suspension.The thing is, we – the public – talk a...
The Winter Olympics, World Cup and Commonwealth Games will all have an unavoidable backdrop that reminds us that all international sport is politicalIn the winter of 1945, Dynamo Moscow came to Britain on a goodwill football tour that turned out to be anything but. They played Chelsea, Cardiff City, Arsenal and Rangers, the last two matches so rancorous they inspired George Orwell to write his famous essay The Sporting Spirit. The tour, Orwell wrote, had only created fresh animosity on both sides. “And how could it be otherwise?” he asked. “I’m always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between nations.” Sport, Orwell thought, had become “bound up with the rise of nationalism – that is, with...
From England’s victorious youth football squads to cricket’s county championship underdogs, there are strong claims aplenty this yearThey did not beat the double world champions over three compelling Tests, but Warren Gatland’s Lions deserve a place on the list for their part in a thrilling series in New Zealand that will stand the test of time. Often under the cosh, there were times when it looked as if the Lions would be hopelessly outmatched against a team as brilliant and confident as the All Blacks, especially after losing 30-15 in the first Test. Instead of allowing their hosts to run away with it, Gatland’s tourists responded with a magnificent performance in the second Test, fighting hard to win 24-21. Their...
An independent union wouldn’t only combat well-publicised issues in British sport – it would also give athletes a voice and ensure greater transparencyWill the last Olympic sport in Britain free from bullying, sexism or racism allegations – or, indeed, disgruntled athletes – please turn out the lights? The question is especially pertinent given British Gymnastics has now joined the lengthy roll call of sporting bodies accused of allowing “a culture of fear”, with athletes and coaches afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals.How many times must we hear that F-word before we accept that it is not just the odd snowflake who cannot handle the rough and tumble of elite sport? And, then, will we actually pledge to do...