The victory came after a 6-0, 6-1 smash of Lucie Safarova in the title match and a 6-1, 6-1 beating of the world’s fifth-ranked player, Samantha Stosur, in the semis. It was Serena’s 40th WTA championship, but her first clay title since she won the same tournament in 2008. The incredible performance came as a surprise to the champ, but offered the promise of more success in the future based on her prolific personal life.

“I’m just trying to keep my mind busy,” she said. “I’m doing so much it keeps me staying in the moment.

“I’ve never played, I can say, consistently at such a high level with low errors … And the scary thing is, I could’ve served so much better.”

Her comment about serving seems a bit facetious, as she was overpowering, to say the least. She went 25-0 in service games over her final four matches, barely even being tested, despite quality opponents. She routinely offered up serves well over the 110 miles per hour level, frustrating her counterparts who have a far less imposing physical stature.

To make the discrepancy between Serena and her competitors even more stark, Safarova was playing quite impressive tennis herself before matching up with Williams. Safarova shut out her semi-final opponent Polona Hercog 6-0, 6-0. None of that mattered against the world’s most imposing women’s tennis player of the day.

“She was amazing. She deserves to be the champion,” said Safarova, who has never beaten Williams in five career attempts.

As far as the rest of Serena’s life is concerned, the most dominant half of the Williams sisters plans to relocate to Paris, but still maintain a strong presence in the US given the WTA’s primary action being played there.

“Yeah, you know, I love it there. I just … I need a change. I’ll still be based out of the United States because there’s so many tournaments here. So we’ll see,” she said.

WRU chief executive Roger Lewis announced that Gatland is the hottest name in the game at the moment this weekend. Lewis said that talks have at least occurred between the two parties, though he denied that Gatland has accepted the gig as of yet.

“We have had informal discussions with the British and Irish Lions over the last few months,” explained Lewis to The Guardian, “and we have talked to Warren about this for the best part of a year. If the Lions approach us formally and ask us to free Warren from his contract for the Australia tour, we will negotiate the terms of his release with them. Warren does not have a clause in his contract which contains provision for him to coach the Lions, but we are hugely supportive of him and them.”

This public statement of support for a team’s coach leading another squad might seem like a folly, but it does include a bit of politics on Lewis’s side. Lewis is hoping to keep Gatland in the fold after a possible one-year run as the head man of the Lions.

“What I will say is that there is no question that Warren will not be leading Wales on our very important tour to Australia and I, personally, would like him to be involved in our autumn Tests against New Zealand and Australia in Cardiff,” said Lewis. “This is all for the future as we have had no formal approach from the Lions yet and my understanding is that no decision about the head coach will be announced until the beginning of May.”

The leadership of the Lions has already put it out that they want a coach on a yearlong contract in order to allow the new chief to focus on the content and quality of the team for its next domestic season. Gatland remains under contract through the end of the World Cup in 2015 with Wales, but will likely receive a one-year reprieve from his deal. That would mean current Gatland assistants Robin McBryde and Rob Howley would head the Welsh squad during its internationals this fall and the Six Nations tournament next year.

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Since the 2011 U.S. Open Federer has produced at a startling clip, posting a record of 39-2, with his two defeats coming at the hands of Isner in February and longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the semis of the Aussie Open.

The seasoned vet said playing more this year was the plan, and he’s a bit surprised at how well things have gone thus far. His play at the end of the tournament was reminiscent of days of dominance from the previous decade.

“I was able to come through and so convincingly at the end is amazing. I’ve really played amazing these last three matches in particular. I couldn’t be more happy. They were really great wins,” said Federer.

The victory pushed Federer past fellow legends Michael Chang and Jimmy Connors for the most titles at Indian Wells; Chang and Connors each won three tournaments.

“What surprises me is that I’ve actually won this again after all this time, and particularly this year where I was struggling and hurting a lot at the beginning of the year,” said Federer.

For Isner, the defeat is both memorable and a big step forward for his career, as the results guarantee the American will enter the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time.

“I’m going to remember this one for a long time, so getting into the top 10 is nice,” he said. “The hard thing now is staying inside of the top 10. That’s what I’ve got to work on.”

Isner’s serve has proven to be a real weapon, but it wasn’t enough against an all-time champ like Federer.

“I served pretty well,” said Isner. “I don’t think I lost the match because I didn’t serve as well. [Federer] was on top of me and his forehand was way too good.”

That’s not the first–and probably won’t be the last–time an opponent has that to say about the great Roger Federer.

Early tries from Ben Foden and Manu Tuilagi placed England ahead by a comfortable 14-3 margin, and they managed to maintain a nice lead after Tom Croft scored late in the match to put things at 24-15 with a mere five minutes left for France to try to even the score. The narrow margin for error did nothing but sharpen the French focus, and a corner try from Wesley Fofana nearly tied things up before Francois Trinh-Duc tripped up with a late miss on a drop-goal attempt.

The victory keeps the Brits alive in the Grand Slam race and also gives a nice boost to interim coach Stuart Lancaster’s hopes of being named the full-time manager when the decision is made by the national team’s front office. The victory marked the first time England has managed to win all of its three fixtures outside the UK in a single championship season. The result also pushed the squad to the ranking of fourth in the world. Sports betting sites like 888 Sport also did good that day, many bettors placed their bets for this particular match.

With a tough schedule ahead, England will face the difficult task of trying to stay hot in order to earn a top seed when they host the World Cup in 2015.

Despite the Rugby Football Union’s stated preference for a manager with international experience of the highest grade, chances are looking brighter for the less-experienced Lancaster to nab the gig. Big name Jake White recently withdrew his name from the running, leaving Lancaster to compare his talents and accomplishments with Nick Mallet. The victory in Paris put England in the position to compete for a championship against Ireland next week if France can manage to take down Wales, which holds a points advantage over England.

It’s Tricky followed Love and Pride, who set the pace during the race, and waited until the three-sixteenths pole to make her move to the front. It’s Tricky kept things simple from then on, finishing strong and never relinquishing the lead. Tired as she may have been at the end of the race, It’s Tricky had just enough to pull out the victory by nearly three lengths.

Jockey Ramon Dominguez thought the track played a part in his horse’s labored finish, calling the track safe but “extremely tiring.”

“She did get tired the last eighth. She was kind of wandering around a little bit. Overall, I was very happy with her demeanor, how well she handled herself. She’s been known to have her days and be sort of tricky, as her name suggests, but she was great today,” said Dominguez.

Love and Pride came in next, followed by Bahama Bound in third. Coco Ecolo and Delightful Mary took home fourth and fifth, respectively.

It’s Tricky’s trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had chosen to hold out her Phillie because the previous weekend’s Sabin event at Gulfstream was half the purse of Saturday’s race. Also, avoiding Awesome Maria and Royal Delta to start off the year didn’t hurt.

“It was a good spot to get started and we’re thankful she won. I think it was a very good performance and she’ll improve from the race,” said McLaughlin.

It’s Tricky’s leadership group hasn’t yet decided which race they’ll enter her in next, but the March 31st Rampart at Gulfstream for $150,000, the April 13th Apple Blossom at Oaklawn for $500,000, and the May 4th La Troienne at Churchill for $300,000 are under consideration.

It’s true once again, this time at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where Djokovic defeated Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 (5), 6-3 and Federer took out Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-3 in order to advance to the tournament’s quarterfinal stage. Djokovic, the top ranked player in the men’s game, is looking to take home his fourth consecutive championship in Dubai. The Serbian star struggled at times in his first match since winning it all in the Australian Open, but nonetheless kept up hope for a fourth straight victory in Dubai alive with a solid comeback after being down 3-1 in the second set, earning a match-up with fellow Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.

“The difference between the top players and maybe the lower-ranked players is actually those moments,” explained Djokovic. “And managing to keep your composure and cope with the pressure and just focus, have an extra focus, mental strength.”

Federer, on the other hand, had more trouble in the first set, having to break his opponent’s serve in order to win. In the next frame, however, things went more smoothly for the all-time great. Federer lost to Djokovic in the Dubai final last year, but has four titles himself, and is coming off a win in Rotterdam.

“It was tough getting used to [Lopez’s] serve early on,” said Federer, who will face Russian Mikhail Youzhny in a rematch of the 2007 final next. “I wasn’t having many looks — he was serving aces left and right.”

Federer has never lost to Youzhny in 11 career matches, so don’t be surprised if the Swiss star advances to eventually face the current top player in the men’s game, Djokovic, further along in the tournament.

Nadal, who beat living legend Roger Federer in the preceding semifinal match, pushed Djokovic to the limit, but could not take down the top player in the men’s game. Djokovic ended the dramatic match by winning in the 53rd minute of the sixth hour of the match, which ran 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Nadal contested every point throughout the long evening. In fact, Djokovic had to overcome a break point in the fifth set to avoid handing the match, the longest Grand Slam singles final ever in professional tennis, to Nadal. The victory was Djokovic’s fifth Grand Slam title and is his third in a row, leaving little doubt who is the top dog in the hotly contested men’s pro tour.

“It was obvious on the court for everybody who has watched the match that both of us, physically, we took the last drop of energy that we had from our bodies,” Djokovic explained graciously after the victory. “We made history tonight and unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners.”

Djokovic, 24, is now one of only a handful of men to ever win three consecutive Grand Slams since 1968. The others are Nadal himself, Federer, Pete Sampras, and Laver. Nadal also lost to Djokovic in the previous two Grand Slam title matches. For bettors who place bets at places like www.ladbrokes.com, it will most likely more predictable who’s going to win the next final between the two of them.

Nadal remained gentleman-like during the trophy presentation, quipping, “Good morning, everybody.”

Djokovic said the victory was the most rewarding yet of his major championships.

“This one I think comes out on the top because just the fact that we played almost six hours is incredible, incredible. I think it’s probably the longest finals in the history of all Grand Slams, and just to hear that fact is making me cry, really. I’m very proud just to be part of this history,” he said.

Nadal, who dealt with a balky right knee that he injured a couple of weeks ago, beat the Swedish legend 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4, and called the outcome a “dream.” The Spaniard will take on the winner of returning champ Novak Djokovic and Englishman Andy Murray, who play Friday.

Prior to Djokovic’s victory in 2011 down under, Federer took home the 2010 title for his record 16th Grand Slam title, and Nadal won the 2009 championship.

“I thought Rafa played well from start to finish. It was a tough match physically as well. I’m disappointed, but it’s only the beginning of the season,” said Federer. “I’m feeling all right, so it’s OK.”

It won’t show up in the record books, but one pivotal play was a 10-minute delay in the second set due to a fireworks show for Australian Day. After the pause, the older Federer had trouble keeping up with the prime-of-life Spanish sensation. Federer said the delay was “tough,” but didn’t use it as an excuse for the loss.

“It’s not helpful, that’s for sure,” he said. “They told us before, so it was no surprise.”

The crowd was filled to the brim, with over 15,000 attending the match, split about half and half for the two competitors. They watched the two greats slug it out until the end of the fourth set, when Nadal almost lost a 6-1 lead, but eventually closed out Federer with his final set point before a tiebreaker could have settled the score.

“Please win the point, that’s all,” Nadal said he told himself at the end. “I was very, very nervous at that moment. Losing four set points in a row is tough, especially when you play the toughest in history.”

Given Scholes comeback from retirement, which has thus far been extraordinary, he may have some cause for such outlandish praise. The 37-year-old Scholes took the summer off after announcing his retirement, but couldn’t scratch the itch and made a comeback last month. Thus far the English midfielder has notched a goal in his only Premier League game against Bolton and put forth quite a solid performance in Man U’s FA Cup defeat of rival Manchester City.

“Only a handful of players could [come out of retirement so effectively],” insists Ferdinand. “Iniesta, Xavi, Messi — they’re the type of players who look as though they could play football at the drop of a hat at the top level. It’s natural to them.”

Interestingly enough, all three of Scholes supposed football peers play for Barcelona, but we’ll leave that topic for another day. Whether or not you believe the hype that Ferdinand has puffed out with his elegiac words, Scholes does deserve his due as a modern day great in the UK. And while it’s a little more than a little but unlikely he’ll end up belonging in the same class as Messi when things are all said and done, the British midfielder may serve as a role model for the younger Barcelona trio Ferdinand compared him to–in terms of aging gracefully, something Scholes certainly has done with the best of them.

Havre de Grace, trained by industry leader Larry Jones, beat out older male champion of the year and Acclamation winner Cape Blanco for the top prize of the season. Based on the words of Fox Hill Farm owner Rick Porter, it should come as no surprise that Havre de Grace was able to best Cape Blanco, the top turf horse of the year.

“She is the perfect horse. She did it her way,” said Porter. “She won the big races when it counted.”

And win she did, including the prized Saratoga’s Woodward Stakes–her most important first-place finish of the year, against a tough group of males. The same feat was matched by the two previous winners of Horse of the Year honors, fellow females Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.

After 2010 season in which Havre de Grace battled top competitor Blind Luck for superiority, with three photo finishes in four matches to boot, Porter changed things up with an eye toward 2011. He switched Havre de Grace from training with Tony Dutrow to a new slot with Jones, which instantly paid dividends. She beat Blind Luck by a solid 3 and ¼ lengths in the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes, and then followed up that performance by beating Grade 1 winner Switch in the Apple Blossom Handicap for first place. Next, she took home an easy victory at Delaware Park’s Obeah Stakes, and then beat Blind Luck once again in her next race by just a nose.

Havre de Grace continued her winning ways thereafter, and finished the season with an impressive five wins in seven starts and took home a fancy $1.6 million.