Roger Federer has sided with long-time rival Rafael Nadal, who has expressed his frustration on the contentious choice of blue clay being used in the 2012 Madrid Masters tournament.

Nadal, widely-regarded as the best clay-court player for a generation, is unhappy the ATP has approved a one-year trial for the Spanish tournament next May to be played on blue clay rather than the traditional red or orange colour.

Organisers are keen for the switch as it makes for better television viewing and, aside from Nadal, there have been no public objections from leading players.

Tournament official Ion Tiriac has been trying to enforce the change for the past two years following feedback from TV viewers. There is no official rule governing the colour of the clay so he sees no reason why it cannot happen. Those following the Australian open men’s singles betting may want to keep an eye on things though.

“I have between 300 and 500 million viewers. If this helps to show the game better on TV, with all respect, we will do it despite one or two persons (who object),” Tiriac told dpa.

“I have to convince the ATP. There is no rule, there is nothing.”

He added: “The TV is convinced, the fans are convinced, 90 per cent of the players too. It is nothing special, it is the same thing we did 30 years ago when we changed the colour at the indoor tournaments.”

However, Nadal is yet to be convinced by the proposed change and clearly believes it is unnecessary.

“It’s a shame because of the history and tradition of this surface,” he recently tweeted. “I hope I don’t have to play one day on blue grass.”

And Nadal now has Federer on his side in the row after the Swiss star said players’ views on such issues should be taken into account more and if someone of Nadal’s stature is not happy then people should listen. People following the Women’s singles tennis betting may also have their own views.

Federer said: “This is a long story, but I find it sad that you have to play on a surface the players don’t accept.

“I find it sad that a player like Rafa, at a tournament on his own country, has had to fight against a surface that he does not want to play on.

“I would listen to Rafa on such an issue. It’s sad, yes, that we will play on a surface that is not accepted by all players,” he said.

David Ferrer has again bemoaned the amount of tennis the world’s top players have to play during the packed season and admits he is tired ahead of next weekend’s Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina.

Ferrer was a beaten semi-finalist in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London on Saturday, but must now try and summon up more energy for his country’s Davis Cup showdown in Seville. People looking at the Australian Open Odds will be wondering how much this will take out of him.

The 29-year-old admits he would prefer to have a rest rather than take on Argentina next weekend and echoed other players’ recent comments that the season is simply too long.

“I’m very tired,” the world No 5 said after his defeat at the O2 to eventual winner Roger Federer. “I want to stop, but I can’t because I have Davis Cup. But I’m really tired.

“I think all the players know the season is very long and is very tough for us. We play a lot of tournaments. We finish in December.

“Now I will play in the Davis Cup. Finally in December I will have only one week to rest and then I will come back in January to play in the new season. We know that and we want to change. We need to change the calendar,” he added.

Ferrer will be pleased that the schedule is changing from next season but the Olympic tournament in 2012 means there is likely to be just as much tennis for the world’s top players over the next 12 months. Those following the women’s tennis betting should also bear this in mind.

Many players want a longer break over December and an extra fortnight off at the end of the campaign has been organised with two weeks taken out of the 2012 schedule after the US Open, including one between the Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals.

Ferrer will represent Spain in the Davis Cup final alongside Rafa Nadal while Argentina, aiming for their first-ever Davis Cup win, have Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian in their side.

X Factor judge Gary Barlow believes Marcus Collins ‘is better than him’

He may be a member of one of the most successful boy bands from British history, but X Factor judge Gary Barlow believes his protege Marcus Collins is better than him.
The Take That singer-songwriter, who only has Marcus left in the competition, told Now magazine that the hopeful is “much better” than he was in his 20s.

Gary also admitted recently that he occasionally struggles to tell his acts what to do, because he sits there thinking: “Who am I to tell them this?”

But the singer appears to be advising his acts well so far as, despite only having Marcus left in the competition, he has the favourite in the X Factor betting.

Marcus and Little Mix are yet to land in the bottom two on the show and, since no act to win The X Factor has ever had to take part in a sing-off, they currently have a distinct advantage over the others.

Misha B and Amelia Lily have both faced the judges’ vote, with Amelia ending up in the bottom two just a week after being voted back onto the show.

Gary also praised his act on the programme for being “so low maintenance”. Speaking on Loose Women last week, the mentor for the boys category said everyone had been “great to work with” on the show. Those looking at the X Factor winner odds should remember this.

Discussing Marcus, the singer added: “You give him a job to do and he does it twice. He’s brilliant!”

Marcus decided to audition for the show after one of his hairdressing clients suggested he was a good singer. Speaking about how it feels to still be in the competition, the hopeful said that it can sometimes be overwhelming but that his “dreams are coming true”.

Mark Walsh insisted he would take the positives from his 2011 William Hill Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals defeat by Gary Anderson and return a better player.

‘Special Brew’ saw his impressive run to the last four of the Wolverhampton showpiece shattered by ‘The Flying Scotsman’, who in turn was routed in the final by the 15-time world champion Phil Taylor on Sunday. Those looking at the darts betting will have been impressed by his efforts.

Walsh led 10-6 but Premier League champion Anderson, who hit 13 maximums in the match to equal the tournament record for 180s in a game, won 10 of the game’s final 11 legs to make the final at Civic Hall.

The 46-year-old claimed a career-best £25,000 in prize money in his best performance in a major since he reached the 2005 UK Open final.

“It’s a disappointing but I’m proud to have shared the stage in the semi-finals with three brilliant players,” said Walsh. “I was the dark horse but if I’d hit all my doubles it might have been a different story.

“Gary’s a fantastic player and he turned it on at the end there. When he hits his finishes he’s a very dangerous player and he deserved the victory.”

The 2011 Gleneagle Irish Masters winner Walsh, who will next turn his attentions to the Players Championship event in Wigan, starting on Saturday, said he could not wait to return to the oche. Those who bet on darts should bear this in mind.

He added: “I’ll take a lot of confidence from this week and it’s been a great tournament for me. It’s one of the best weeks of my life and I can’t wait to come back in 2012.”

Matthew Stevens is officially back in business and with an improved and more mature attitude on and off the baize should be considered a force to be reckoned with once again.

The UK Championship has been a happy hunting ground for the 34-year-old Welshman who won his only ranking title in this event in 2003 after beating Stephen Hendry 10-8.

Two runner-up places in the World Championship are the two big stand-out features on Stevens’ snooker CV, not to mention the fact that he’s also a five-time world semi-finalist. Those looking at the UK Snooker Championship odds should remember this.

There’s plenty of heartache to ponder over at the Crucible for this likeable player. In 2000 he led compatriot Mark Williams 13-7 in the final only to lose 18-16 and then five years later suffered an agonising loss to Shaun Murphy by the same scoreline in the 2005 final. He had also built up leads in that final 10-6 and 12-11.

Becoming Masters champion in 2000 must have seemed like a distant memory as he suffered a dramatic slump which saw him fall out of the top 16. Stevens said recently: “I was a bit down and going out drinking but now you don’t have the time for that. I’m really enjoying my snooker now as we’re playing week in, week out.”

The 2010/11 season concluded with Stevens returning to the elite top 16 after a four-year absence. People following the Betfair UK Snooker Championship odds need to bear this in mind.

Despite a patchy showing over the last few months, losing to China’s Liang Wenbo in round one of the Australian Open and a quarter-final whitewash by Williams in Shanghai, the immediate future looks bright for the Camarthen-born star and he has every reason to be confident when he lines up against Marcus Campbell in the opening round in York.