Every morning TheScore.ie brings you the stories you need to know before that first cup of coffee.
1.TENNIS Novak Djokovic produced on of his greatest performances to defeat Roger Federer in the ATP Tour Finals before dedicating the win to his sick father.
The Serbian star saw off his rival 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 at London’s O2 Arena last night and paid tribute to his dad Srdjan, who is battling a blood disorder that struck suddenly a few weeks ago.
2. #ACCOLADE Leinster and Ireland full-back has been named Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year. The 26-year-old, who is currently sidelined after having back surgery, adds the award to his European Player of the Year prize after helping Leinster to a third Heineken Cup in four years.
Read the full list of awards here.
3. #IREGRE Shane Long looks increasingly likely to start up front for Ireland when they meet Greece in an international friendly at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow as fellow striker Jon Walters has been ruled out of the game. The FAI revealed yesterday that the Stoke target man has returned to his club after picking up a knee injury.
4. #ON THE SLIDE Ireland have slipped to eighth in the latest IRB World Rankings, falling behind next week’s opponents Argentina. The now need to beat the Pumas on November 24 to ensure they don’t drop into the third band of seeds ahead of the World Cup draw, which takes place on December 3.
5. #CHEATING The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have called for more measures to be put in place to tackle banned substances in sport. “The (Lance) Armstrong affair especially has shown that we’re dealing with a more and more highly developed process, a real conspiracy, with unwarranted pressures on teams,” director-general David Howman said. ”WADA isn’t in a position to tackle this type of sophisticated cheating.”
Read the full story here.
