Tennis follows cricket's lead

As exhausted players call for a the hectic tennis calendar to be reviewed, plans are afoot to create a Tennis World Cup. Designed to be tennis' answer to cricket's Twenty20 format, the plans, writes Neil Harman in The Times, will see a biennial ten-day team tournament with shorter matches and compulsory mid-match substitutions.

The speeding-up of the game and potential controversies as captains alternate their players are among the elements that will appeal to TV companies that are frustrated by the indeterminate length of matches and the youngsters whose attention span is notoriously fickle and who will be more inclined to pick up a racket and play.

Although it is not the first time a world cup concept has been put forward, the excitement surrounding the ideas are building, with top players including Andy Murray backing the plans. It is time, says Harman for a traditionally conservative sport to embrace the future and follow cricket's lead.

Tennis has a chance to seize the moment and be inspired. Rather than cling to the old tenets, it has to be moved by new ones. One can imagine the obstacles being built because, as anyone who has tried to bring change to the sport knows only too well, behind one committee that sees the light, there are several more that do not want to imperil their positions of authority.

Meanwhile, as Sol Campbell completed 45 minutes for Arsenal reserves on Tuesday night, his former team-mate Martin Keown is now tipping him for a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Arsene Wenger would not be interested in him if he didn't think he was fit enough to play in the Premier League, writes Keown in The Daily Mail.

I was still playing when I was 37 in the team that went unbeaten and I’m quite proud of playing at that age. Arsene Wenger has been around the likes of me, Steve Bould and Tony Adams, who all played to a ripe old age. He won’t be frightened by Sol’s age.

Sol will want to get into the side and then try to break into the England team. He’ll want to prove he is the best in his position. Usually if you make it into the Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea team, you’re very close to breaking into the England squad.