Ronaldo's New Girlfriend

It's pretty clear now what Ronaldo's girlfriend preference is: a brunette model.

His new girlfriend, Letitizia Filippi, 30, is a dark-haired model. There's a plus to this girl, though! Apparently, she's also talented in ball control. Must be something she picked up from the Portuguese footballer.

Ronaldo's Interview On the Real Madrid Transfer

It's been decided that Ronaldo is staying with Manchester United. But the mess that the issue made still clings on. Here is Ronaldo's full interview by a Portuguese newspaper (from Daily Mail):

The Cristiano Ronaldo Interview in Full

Another Nadal-Federer Epic Final?

We can certainly expect another epic match between the two top players of lawn tennis, and it may just come sooner than later. It looks like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are at different ends of the chart of US Open draws!

Baijing Olympics Gold Goes To Nadal

2008 is certainly Rafael Nadal's year --- from winning the French Open and the Wimbledon tournaments to getting the Olympic gold medal in lawn tennis singles. Oh, and he's now the top-ranked player of male lawn tennis!

From UK Daily Record:

He said: "In my wildest dreams I never thought I could do what I have this year.

"I know how difficult it is to win these things and especially here because you only have one chance every four years.

"I arrived very tired but probably the reason I won this title is because I had a fantastic time in the Olympic village."

Federer on US Open and Davis Cup

The US Open has just started and Roger Federer is set to meet with Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) for the first round of the tournament.

Federer is the 4-time holder of the US Open champion title. We might see him get his pace back in after a couple of defeats this year.

Federer is also looking forward to the Davis Cup tournament on September, with Sweden up against Belgium.

Officially World Nos. 1 and 2

As of August 18, 2008, the tallies are done and the two top lawn tennis players have officially switched positions. Rafael Nadal is now on top as the World No. 1 male lawn tennis player, while Roger Federer takes on the World No. 2 position.

Federer Wins Olympics Doubles With Wawrinka!

He didn't achieve his dream of getting the gold in the lawn tennis singles tournament of the Beijing Olympics. But we all know that Roger Federer can still win in any match, and win he did.

Federer won the gold in doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka, beating another Swedish pair (Thomas Johannsen and Simon Aspelin) in the finals. Roger Federer got his Olympic gold after all!

Federer Exits Olympics Tennis Singles

It's another heartbreaker for the Swiss as he was surprisingly defeated by American James Blake. This year doesn't seem to be a good one for Roger Federer.

The match was seemingly one-sided and James Blake took all the cards. Even Federer's formidable forehand was failing the athlete.

Federer had hoped to win in singles. But his defeat sealed it. He still remains for doubles, but he had hoped his victory would be in singles.

It's Hot In Beijing

It's a problem echoed by Rafael Nadal:

"The problem is the humidity, no?" he said. "The (truth), I didn't feel nothing (from) the pollution. That didn't affect ... me. The problem is the humidity. I had to change the shirt every 10 minutes."

And.. va va voom: there's the pic.

Other players also couldn't take the heat and went on shirtless. Aside from Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Guillermo Canas, Nicolas Massu, Fernando Gonzalez, Jonas Bjorkman, and Lleyton Hewitt also took their shirts off --- view this blog post.

The Tennis Stars At the Beijing Olympics

The Beijing Olympics has begun, yet amidst the glorious celebration of sports victories, there are some simple things that trouble our lawn tennis stars. They're both at the top of their game, but they're also evidently not too comfortable with the setting.

For Roger Federer, it was the issue of not staying at the Olympic Village. Some people might frown on Federer's decision not to go along with everyone else to the Olympic Village. But it's pretty obvious from his character that he values peace and privacy, which he won't get if he stays in the Village. He prefers to be alone most of the time.

And as the one of the most famous athletes of the world, he also catches attention of many fans and people. Even fellow athletes are asking for his autograph and Federer just didn't want all that attention.

"Taking the bus and not being in control of my own schedule, and many people recognising me in the village. It was not as enjoyable as Sydney, which I loved."

Federer isn't the only one. Other star athlets like Ronaldinho and Kobe Bryant also opted not to stay at the Olympic Villages.

To be crowned World no. 1 Rafael Nadal, who is making his Olympic debut, is quite happy to be staying with the Spanish team in the Olympic Village.

"It's very different from the regular tournaments on the tour. You are in the Olympic Village, so it's always very nice to be with the rest of the sportsmen of the world."

Kaka To Transfer To Chelsea?

Just last month, there were speculations of Chelsea's Roman Abramovich making a bid for AC Milan playmaker Kaka. And just last month, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon claimed they did not make an offer for the Brazilain midfielder --- and that it is unlikely.

Recently, however, Kaka's agent has stated that the clubs are indeed talking about a transfer. There are no decisions yet. While Kaka's agent is willing to talk, Kaka himself has not stated anyything about the rumored transfer.

Ronaldo Is the Key..

After a lot of news revolving around Ronaldo's failed transfer to Real Madrid and his disapproving behavior throughout the ordeal, here's an article that captures just how much it was worth for Manchester United to hold on to the winger:

Ronaldo has won it already

Ronaldo Stays In United

After a long controversy on whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo will stay with Manchester United or part from his team, the Portuguese star has finally made a decision: he's staying. It seems his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has managed to convince him that staying in United is the best thing for him right now.

Despite this, Ronaldo is still keen on playing for Real Madrid, and might only be staying in Manhcester United for just another season.

From Daily Mail Online UK:

Ronaldo said: 'Sir Alex Ferguson heard my reasons, I heard his and we have an agreement that the best for both parties would be if I stay. Therefore, I can confirm that next season I will play in Manchester United.

'For a while, my desire was that Manchester would accept Real Madrid's bid. To say the opposite would be cheating people and my own conscience.'

Kaka: FIFA World Player of the Year 2007

Here's a look back at the FIFA World Player Gala 2007 at the Zurich Opera House, Switzerland, where the FIFA World Player of the Year 2007 was chosen.

The date was December 17, 2007. Kaka emerged victorious over nominees Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.

Here's a picture of the three: Kaka as the winner, Messi in second place, and C. Ronaldo in third.


Got to hand it to Messi. He's shorter and has a lighter build than Kaka and Ronaldo but he's a fighter in the field.

Nadal Will Be World No. 1!

Despite a stunning loss to No. 3 Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal will still be expected to take the no. 1 spot in men's lawn tennis. Djokovic put an end to Nadal's winning streak of 32 matches, and is said to be climbing onto the no. 2 spot as the points clock in this season.

The final rankings will be confirmed on August 18, 2008. We'll see how the the top three make their rounds.

Federer On Losing Cincinatti Masters

Roger Federer has it tough now that Rafael Nadal's fast catching up to take his crown as number 1. After losing in the ATP Masters, Federer has no choice but to keep on winning his future matches if he wants to retain his title.

From FOX Sports:

“So far it's OK,” Federer said.

“I guess I'll analyse and assess my game after the US Open.

“For the moment it's just all a blur. So many tournaments in a row, big tournaments in a row, it's hard.

“It's a tough trip we've got up in front of us now, going back to China and coming back to the Open.

“I'm looking forward for the next two tournaments. Those are really the ones that can make this season from a good one to a great one again. I hope I can manage to pull off something in the next couple of weeks.”

So Far.. for Roger Federer

Failing to snatch that sixth Wimbledon victory may have caused Roger Federer more pain than we seem to believe.

The number 1 player is now out of the Cincinnati Masters after losing to Croatian Ivo Karlovic. He was first defeated by Gilles Simon in the second round of the tournament. He won in his next match, against Robby Ginepri. But his latest loss booted him out of the tournament.

His position as World no. 1 is also threatened, now more than ever. His losses and Rafael Nadal's victories are speedily closing the gap between them. Nadal is set to overtake Federer and get the top rank if he continues to win the Cincinnati Masters.

So Far.. for Rafael Nadal

The Spaniard has been tasting a lot of victories lately. After winning the Rogers Cup early this week, Rafael Nadal has sealed his fifth consecutive tournament win! It has indeed been a good year for the player, who won Best Male International Athlete in the ESPY Awards 2008 (against Ronaldo and Kaka).

Just earlier this year, Rafael Nadal proved that he was clay court king as he won the French Open. Then he went on to a great Wimbledon mens final against Roger Federer. It was considered as the greatest (and longest) ever Wimbledon mens finals!

His rivalry with the World no. 1 has always been celebrated by lawn tennis fans. Both were equally talented and skilled that either one of them is welcome to reign over mens' lawn tennis.

Nadal won Wimbledon 2008, knocking Federer off his hopes of getting a sixth Wimbledon title. And now with Federer on losing grounds at the Cincinnati Masters and with only hundreds of points between them, Nadal is poised to get the top spot away from the Swiss.

So Far.. for C. Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently hot celebrity status. He took time off the field for his ankle surgery, but even without football action the Portuguese star is still being tailed by the media.

First, he broke off with Spanish model Nereida (who at first denied the split). Then he went to L.A. to attend the ESPY Awards 2008 as a nominee for Best Male International Athlete (fellow soccer player Kaka was also a nominee but they both lost to lawn tennis champ Rafael Nadal). His stay in LA was also heavily covered by the press --- from his grand entrance on the ESPY red carpet, to snubbing Paris Hilton, to his bronze tan.

But perhaps Ronaldo's most pressing problem would be on whether or not he gets to transfer to Real Madrid or not. He certainly wants to. But Manchester United is not letting him go, and the whole situation is still on fire.

So Far.. for Kaka

No major news on Kaka these days. The latest we heard is how he became a father 2 months ago. June 10, to be exact. He and his wife Caroline welcomed their newborn Luca Celico Leite.