Iranian team in training.

Head coach of IranÕs national soccer team predicts a resounding win for Iran in a World Cup qualifier match against the UAE on Monday.
ÒAlthough we missed some friendlies, the team is in very good physical and mental shape,Ó said Ali Daei, who went on to predict Iran will Ôdefinitely beatÕ the UAE.
According to Presstv, Daei said that President Mahmoud AhamdinejadÕs recent visit to the teamÕs training camp had raised the playersÕ spirits, adding that the team will do its best against the UAE and make Iranian fans ÔhappyÕ.
IranÕs national team will play against the UAE for the 2010 World Cup qualifier match at TehranÕs Azadi Stadium on Monday.
Iran is in Group 5 of the Asian World Cup qualifying tournament with Kuwait, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
Also, captain of Iranian national football team said that he will be in good shape in about one month for the 2010 World Cup Qualifications.
ÒI am continuing my treatment in the physiotherapy center in Frankfurt. I feel better now but according to my doctor it is too soon to come back to the field. It will take at least one month.Ó
Mehdi Mahdavikia said in a telephone interview with Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
When asked about the decider match against the Emirates, he added, ÒThis is IranÕs most important match. We have the ability to beat the Emirates. Iran will pave its way to qualify for the next round of the 2010 World Cup Qualifications by defeating that team.Ó
Meanwhile Bruno Metsu, head coach of the UAE, says his team will not adopt a defensive approach in their match on Monday against Iran in Tehran.
The UAE will play in Azaidi Stadium in the Asian qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup as leaders of Group 5 with four points from two matches. Iran and Syria have two points, while Kuwait have one, Gulfnews reported.
ÒI know that one single point will help us maintain the groupÕs leadership, but we will never play a defensive match to achieve a tie. We will play our usual attacking game,Ó Metsu said yesterday.
ÒI have confidence in my players and their fighting spirit and I am sure they can achieve a positive result in Tehran.Ó
UAE striker and top scorer Faisal Khalil, who is expected to start the match up-front alongside Esmail Mattar, added, ÒWe are ready for the match and I believe we have a good chance of reaching the second round of the qualifiers.
ÒIran have not yet won a match after two encounters and they will be under tremendous pressure tomorrow.
ÒWe are determined not to let them register their first victory over us.Ó
And right-back Ahmad Dada said that the UAE were ready to face their latest test. ÒWe have completed our preparations and raring to go in Azadi Stadium.
ÒThe differences between the UAE and Iran are not like what it used to be a decade ago. Now most of the Asian teams are almost of an equal standard and all the results are expected.Ó

Manu Ginobili

Spurs star Manu Ginobili expects his injured ankle to be healed for the Beijing Olympics, allowing him to play for defending champion Argentina.
ÒItÕs something that I am looking forward to,Ó he said Saturday.
Practices do not begin until early July, meaning Ginobili will have more than a month for his ankle recover. The Olympics are from August 8 to 24, AP reported.
ÒYesterday I got an injection to get the swelling off of the joint, and they told me that in a week, 10 days IÕll be totally fine,Ó Ginobili said. ÒSo I trust them and I think IÕm going to be perfectly healed.Ó
Ginobili hurt his left ankle early in the playoffs and it hampered him in the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
After averaging 18.2 and 21.3 points in the first two series against Phoenix and New Orleans, GinobiliÕs output fell to 12.6 points.
The Spurs, the defending champions, were ousted by the Lakers in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Ginobili, winner of the Sixth Man Award, was the SpursÕ leading scorer during the regular season, averaging 19.5 points.
ÒHeÕs got to heal and heÕs going to have that time,Ó Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ÒWe started that process today with Manu and heÕll be off of his ankle for the next four to five weeks. Obviously we couldnÕt do that during the playoffs but it would have been great if we could have.Ó

Ana Ivanovic delivered a perfect performance at the French Open on Sunday, a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Petra Cetkovska that put the 2007 runner-up in the quarterfinals.
The No. 2-seeded Ivanovic, also a finalist at the Australian Open in January, lost the matchÕs first two points, then proceeded to dominate. It took just 54 minutes for her to beat the 77th-ranked Cetkovska, who was playing in only her third Grand Slam tournament, AP reported.
It was the second love-love result of the womenÕs tournament, and Cetkovska rarely even earned game points.
Ivanovic only faced two break points, both while serving at 4-0 in the second set.
She will face No. 10 Patty Schnyder or No. 27 Katarina Srebotnik who eliminated Serena Williams in the third round for a berth in the semifinals.
No. 26 Flavia Pennetta, who beat Venus Williams on Friday, lost to qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-2. The 19-year-old Suarez Navarro, making her Grand Slam debut, beat two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo in the second round.
Pennetta converted only one of nine break-point chances.
Schnyder and Srebotnik faced off later Sunday, as did No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska.
In menÕs action, three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal was to play No. 22 Fernando Verdasco. Other fourth-round matches Sunday: No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 18 Paul-Henri Mathieu, No. 19 Nicolas Almagro vs. Jeremy Chardy, and Michael Llodra vs. Ernests Gulbis.

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt set a new 100m world record by clocking 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix meeting in New York.
The 21-year-old Jamaican, who won silver in the 200m at last yearÕs World Championships, was running the 100m for just the fifth time.
Bolt beat the previous best of 9.74 set by compatriot Asafa Powell.
ÒI wasnÕt looking for a world record but it was there for the taking so I just went out there and ran my best race,Ó he told BBC.
The 6ft 5ins sprinter made the track world sit up and take note on May 3 when he clocked the second-fastest 100m time in history in 9.76s.
Bolt beat Tyson Gay into second place, with the American running a personal best of 9.85.
Bolt has made no secret of the fact that he sees himself as a 200m specialist and earlier in the week he was still undecided if he would even enter the 100m Jamaican Olympic trials.
ÒMy first start wasnÕt that good but I knew if I got Tyson on the start I would have a better chance of winning.Ó
However, after becoming the fastest man on the planet he confirmed he would now double up in Beijing, ÒIÕm definitely going to run the 100 in the Olympics.
ÒIÕve just got to concentrate now and work on my 200 some more, because I havenÕt been doing a lot of 200 work.Ó