The band are getting back together! Yes, nine months on from their last ensemble appearance, the Fab Four of men's tennis – Novak, Andy, Rafa and Ringo, sorry, Roger – will all play at the Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, this week, after Rafael Nadal confirmed his return to superhuman fitness with a 6-0, 6-2 swatting aside of David Ferrer in the final of the Mexican Open. Elsewhere Novak Djokovic won his fourth Dubai Championships title, beating Thomas Berdych, who had previously out-smouldered Roger Federer in the semis. "I had a good feeling, a good vibe," the 25-year-old multimillionaire world No 1, who hasn't lost since October, noted afterwards.
Barcelona bundled over
In Spain the double-Clásico provided a matching set of black eyes for Barcelona, a world's greatest team who seem to have forgotten how to beat the world's other half-decent teams. Barca were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid last week, and then beaten 2-1 at the Bernabeu in La Liga to leave them a mere 11 points clear at the top. In the upper reaches of Serie A, Juventus recovered from having their coach window smashed on the way in to emerge with a prosecco-football 1-1 draw at second place Napoli and maintain what already looks an indissoluble four-point lead. In England, Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 sweeping aside of Norwich, while the world's most sought-after Welsh left-back, Gareth Bale, scored again as Tottenham beat their north London rivals Arsenal 2-1.
A juggernaut and a colossus
England's cricketing juggernaut completed its preparations for the Test series in New Zealand by crumpling to a three-wicket defeat at the hands of a New Zealand XI in Queenstown. In South Africa, Pakistan, so meek in the Tests, finally came snorting into life as Twenty20 colossus Umar Gul took 5 for 6 to seal a 1-0 series win.
High jinks at the Olympics
Finally there was more last week on the bizarre and – let's face it – slightly embarrassing inquiry into Australia's swimming capitulation at the London Olympics last year. Six male swimmers have admitted that they took the sedative Stilnox as part of a "bonding session" before the Games got under way. In what sounds like one of the less enjoyable episodes of sporting hell-raising, the swimmers also knocked on other athletes' hotel doors, made prank calls and were in bed by 10.30pm. The Aussie team won just one gold medal in London. But what times they were.
