Hewitt advances to quarter-final

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LLEYTON Hewitt likes his chances of being the last man standing as the Brisbane International men's quarter-finalists prepare for a heatwave double-header today and tomorrow.

Hewitt, with high hopes of a strong Australian summer to lift his ranking of No.60, was as tenacious and almost as efficient as he was when a top-five player a decade ago in inflicting a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain's sixth seed Feliciano Lopez yesterday.

If forecasts prove correct, players will walk into a furnace in the day session today when three men's quarter-finals and one women's semi-final are played.

Bureau of Meteorology forecasts yesterday afternoon were for a maximum of 37C today and 41C when the two men's semi-finals will be played in the heat of the day tomorrow.

Top seed Roger Federer is spared the heat with his quarter against Marinko Matosevic scheduled to open tonight's session, but the tradeoff is the winner will have a few hours less time to recover for tomorrow's semi-final.

In the second match in the day session, Hewitt will play Marius Copil, a Romanian qualifier who scored the second career win over a top-20 player when he fought off France's third seed Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-3 to make his first ATP quarter-final.

"I feel I can last as well as anyone on the court and it's a good sign leading into the Australian Open,'' Hewitt, ranked No.60, said.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia hits a backhand volley in his match against Feliciano Lopez of Spain at the Brisbane International tennis tournament. Source: AFP

Chasing his first week-one title win since his Adelaide final win 14 years ago, Hewitt, 32, said he was glad to have "snuck out'' of both his matches in straight sets at Pat Rafter Arena ahead of the gruelling test ahead.

Overhead cover at Pat Rafter Arena and show court 1 are a factor in favour of matches proceeding despite the heat.

The arbiter of whether the men's matches can proceed safely at the Queensland Tennis Centre will be ATP supervisor Lars Graff.

Women's matches can be postponed if readings are too high on a heat stress monitor readings which can be taken three times a day by the WTA physios on site.

This measures both the temperature and humidity, takes into account heat coming off the court and are taken at 30 minutes before play starts, midday and just before the start of the last matches matches.

The courts and balls play faster in elevated heat and humidity, with Hewitt saying the conditions in Brisbane are as fast as any on the tour, owing also to a lack of grit on the courts this year and balls which he believes are different from those used by Tennis Australia last summer.

The winner between Hewitt and Copli, 23, will advance to a semi-final tomorrow against either second seed Kei Nishikori or Croatian Marin Cilic.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reacts after he won the first set against Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Source: AP

South Africa's fourth seed Kevin Anderson withdrew with a stomach virus, the sixth player to quit the tournament through injury or illness.

Anderson was to have played Australian wildcard Sam Groth last night.

Caroline Wozniacki (shoulder), Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki (gastro), Queensland qualifier Ash Barty (torn left adductor), Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (thigh) and Canberra wildcard Nick Kyrgios (shoulder) previously quit the tournament before or during matches at Tennyson.

Lopez served for the first set against Hewitt at 5-4, but the Australian found a way of countering the Spanish left-hander in their backcourt duel, admitting he targeted his opponent's backhand.

Copil, ranked No.147, beat only two top-100 players in 2013 but he says he has made improvements to his fitness since his father Craciun took charge of his fitness in mid-November.

"He is there for a reason. I'm old enough to know I have to back well tomorrow,'' Hewitt said.

Copil, 23, last year beat only two top-100 players but he says he has made improvements to his fitness since his father Craciun, who played flanker and No.8 for the Romanian rugby team in the late 1970 took charge of his fitness in mid-November.

"The heat for me is no problem,'' Copil said.

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The inner sanctum of success

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WELCOME to Australia's inner sanctum, the dressing room at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as Michael Clarke's buoyant team prepares for what they hope will be a 5-0 whitewash against England.

The exclusive access gained by photographer Phil Hillyard has given an unrivalled view into the world inhabited by Australia's elite cricketers for more than a century.

Don Bradman frequented these dressing rooms for NSW and Australia before the parents of these current players were born.

The Australian cricket team poses for a portrait in the SCG dressing rooms. Pic: Phil Hillyard Source: News Limited

The rooms do not ooze the new age glitz and glamour of modern sporting heroes, they are small and functional, reflecting a game as steeped in tradition as the members' stand they inhabit.

Michael Clarke is the only member of the team to have played in Australia's famous 2006-07 whitewash, which was completed in Sydney.

Hillyard was hoping to take the same picture of that exceptional team as greats such as Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath bowed out but was beaten by a lack of time leading into that Test.

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"I'm grateful to Michael Clarke and (coach) Darren Lehmann for allowing me to capture this unique piece of history," said Hillyard, who will be photographing the fifth and final Test in Sydney for News Corp Australia when it begins on Friday.

That history could extend to the same 11 Australian players competing in all five Tests of a 5-0 clean sweep.

Even if Australia does whitewash England, Clarke claims he will be far from satisfied.

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"I think this team can get better. I don't think it would be wise of us to get carried away. We've won four Test matches in our own backyard," Clarke said after training at the SCG on Friday.

"But it seems in international cricket at the moment a lot of teams are having success in their own backyard. It's what you do away from home as well.

"And that's going to be a huge challenge for us over the next 12 months. We play some really tough opposition.

"And we've got to try to find a way to have some success overseas as well. I certainly believe this team can get better."

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Ashes romance looks unlikely

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THE "romance" of trouncing England 5-0 with an unchanged team is in danger of being mugged by a grassy pitch which has James Faulkner in line to play the last Test.

Unless SCG pitch conditions have changed significantly when a final inspection is made on Friday morning by selectors, Faulkner will replace George Bailey for the fifth Test.

Australia was always going to wait until Friday morning before deciding on the fitness of Ryan Harris (knee) and Shane Watson (groin) but both bowled at practice on Thursday without obvious discomfort and look set to play.

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However a grassy strip combined with an uncertain weather forecast means playing the same XI in all five Tests was always going to be seriously challenged.

Certainly Clarke was not ruling out the possibility of change when he spoke after training on Thursday.

"I think it would be extremely romantic," Clarke said of playing the same XI in all five Tests.

"But I think you've got to pick the best 11 players to help you have success in the conditions you're playing."

The state of the pitch will have a major bearing on that, as Clarke observed, with the chance of unsettled weather today.

"I want to see it again in the morning," he said of the pitch.

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"I think a day of sun today and a lot of rolling it might whiten up a bit. But that's as much grass as I've seen on an SCG pitch. It feels pretty hard at the moment. Looking at it today I think it will certainly suit the fast bowlers."

Curator Tom Parker admitted the pitch had a "green tinge" but claimed the more it was cut and rolled the whiter it would become.

"I anticipate it's going to be very similar to what we've seen here last year," Parker said. "We're looking for good consistent carry to the keeper and we should see a bit of bounce in this pitch as well given the amount of grass on it and the mature grass that's on this pitch."

Asked if he would bowl first Parker said it would depend on conditions.

"If it's overcast and the forecast is for some possible light showers or drizzly rain and if it's like that you may well bowl," Parker said.

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"And I think you've seen here in the past when it's overcast and cloudy the ball does move around a bit here at the SCG so we've really got to wait for the day and hopefully it's a bright sunny day."

In the Sydney Test last year, against Sri Lanka, Australia batted then wicket-keeper Matt Wade at six, where he scored an unbeaten century, and Mitchell Johnson batted at seven to fit Mitchell Starc back into the side as an extra fast bowler.

And Clarke bowled first when he won the toss, although he is due to lose one after winning all four this series.

It would be no surprise if Brad Haddin, the second highest run scorer in the series, was moved to six on Friday, ahead of Bailey, and Faulkner was slotted in at seven.

Haddin at six and Faulkner seven is the same line-up Australia also chose for the last Test at The Oval in August.

Likely teams:

Australia: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon.

England: Alastair Cook (c), Joe Root, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Gary Ballance, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Scott Borwick, Stuart Broad, Boyd Rankin, Jimmy Anderson.

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Solskjaer hired as Cardiff manager

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FORMER Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as the new manager of Cardiff City, the Premier League strugglers announced on Thursday.

The 40-year-old joins from Norwegian club Molde and succeeds Malky Mackay, who was sacked on December 27 after his relationship with club owner Vincent Tan broke down.

"Cardiff City Football Club are delighted to announce that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has joined the club as first team manager," read a statement on the Cardiff website.

"Following discussions with Tan Sri Vincent Tan and club chairman Mehmet Dalman, Ole, joining Cardiff City from Molde FK, today (Thursday) met with his new squad at the Vale training ground and will soon be unveiled to the press at Cardiff City Stadium." Solskjaer, who attended Cardiff's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday in the company of Tan, has signed a "rolling contract".

Cardiff were promoted to the Premier League after a 51-year absence last season, but Solskjaer arrives to find the south Wales club one point and one place above the relegation zone.

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"I feel lucky to be back in the Premier League," said the former Norway international, who was pictured holding a Cardiff shirt on the club website.

"I had to have a talk about it with the family, obviously, but it is a great opportunity."

Tan, who has been likened to a James Bond villain after appearing at matches in dark glasses and wearing leather gloves, sparked angry protests from some Cardiff fans by sacking Mackay, having previously dismissed his head of recruitment, Iain Moody, in October.

The Malaysian also created controversy in 2012 when he forced Cardiff to change their traditional blue colours to red, but Solskjaer described reports that former United manager Alex Ferguson had warned him not to take the job as "absolute nonsense".

"He has wished me the best and given me some good advice, as he always does," Solskjaer added. "I had a good conversation with him." Solskjaer spent 11 years at United after signing from Molde in 1996, during which his boyish looks and razor-sharp instincts in front of goal earned him the nickname 'The Baby-faced Assassin'.

He was renowned for coming off the bench to score vital goals, notably netting a famous injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona.

He joined United's coaching staff after retiring in 2007 and was appointed manager of Molde three years later, leading the club to glory in the Norwegian top flight in 2011 and 2012 and last year's Norwegian Cup.

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Johnson excited by SCG seam dream

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ENGLAND looks set for another Mitchell Johnson humiliation on a surprisingly green SCG pitch as Australia strives for a 5-0 whitewash.

The well grassed strip threatens to make Johnson the most dangerous he has been all summer when the fifth and final Test begins in Sydney on Friday.

"Yeah it looks like there's a fair bit of grass on it," a smiling Johnson said through his bristling moustache.

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"I think they played a T20 game here and it looked like there was a bit of grass on it so judging by that, it's a different game altogether, but it would be nice if they left a little bit of grass on it."

Just who will bowl with Johnson remains a mystery, with injured duo Ryan Harris and Shane Watson not in action at training on Wednesday.

Fast bowlers were given the net session off as they recovered from the fourth Test in Melbourne but they must prove their fitness on Thursday, determining whether Australia can play the same team in all five Tests this summer.

All-rounder James Faulkner is a chance to play if Watson is unable to contribute significantly with the ball while Nathan Coulter-Nile remains on standby for Harris.

Decimated England could not have received a more sobering sight on New Year's Day as they inspected a pitch which once had a reputation as a spinner's paradise.

And captain Michael Clarke is not afraid to send teams in, as he did with England in Melbourne last week. He also asked Sri Lanka to bat first in the Sydney Test a year ago, and subsequently won both those matches.

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Johnson has come from the clouds as a reborn fast bowler, destroying England all summer to have 31 wickets at an average of just 14 and an equally exceptional strike rate of just 32 balls per wicket. Not surprisingly he has won three of four man of the match awards.

If Johnson can take at least four wickets in the last Test he will have had the most successful series in Australia by a fast bowler since Rodney Hogg claimed 41 wickets against England during World Series Cricket in 1978-79.

There will be no respite for England, with Johnson still cranky at the Kevin Pietersen time-wasting tactics which caused their confrontation in Melbourne.

"It definitely is frustrating when it happens all the time but that's part of the game, it's part of their tactics," Johnson said.

"It hasn't really bothered us throughout the series but I thought it was time to just let him know it was inappropriate.

"It probably spurred me on to really get back in the game. Not long after that I got Bairstow out so it was probably a tactic that didn't work on his behalf that time."

Johnson claims he has been able to make such an impact because of decisive instructions from Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann.

"My role has been very clear," Johnson said. "In the past I've felt I've had to play different roles and sometimes that still happens where you have to back off a little bit and maybe tighten it up a little bit.

"In general my role has been to go out there, bowl fast, be aggressive, bowl in short spells. I'm very comfortable with that."

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Barty hopefully fit for Aus Open

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ASHLEIGH Barty's coach is confident the Queenslander will be fit for the Australian Open after a leg injury ruled her out of all warm-up events.

Jason Stoltenberg said medical advice suggested Barty could recover from the tear in her left adductor in time for her home Grand Slam, starting on January 13.

"We're still really confident,'' Stoltenberg said.

"We can only be guided by what the trainers and doctors tell us but they're still confident that she's going to be right by then.''

The pain of the injury ultimately forced Barty out of the Brisbane International, where she won three qualifying matches before upsetting Daniela Hantuchova in the first round.

But giving herself up to 12 days' rehabilitation before hitting Melbourne was another factor in pulling out of yesterday's scheduled match against star Maria Sharapova as well as the Hobart International next week.

"The injury itself did make the decision but considering it's the first day of the year and she's 17 years of age, it was a no-brainer really,'' Stoltenberg said.

"It's just a matter of making the right decision now and giving it a good rest in the next 48 hours.

Hopefully in a week she'll be up and at 'em.

"It's really disappointing because she had such a good start but we're not going to let that take away from the good momentum that she's built and the confidence she's got from the last few days.''

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Ashes victory forged in India: Pup

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OUR stunning Ashes success has been built from the rubble of a 4-0 loss in India earlier this year.

To lose a Test is painful - to lose every match of a series is one of the toughest things I have experienced in cricket.

The low of that tour has given us the drive to want to turn it around.

To follow the Indian tour with a 3-0 loss in England made it nine Tests in a row without a win and we became fed-up with losing.

We've gone out of our way to do extra to make sure we had success. We were sick and tired of not performing.

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That is why there is still so much drive in this team, why we're so keen to win 5-0 in Sydney and why we were so desperate to win the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne when a lot of people thought we would be complacent after regaining the Ashes in Perth.

Experiencing the highs and lows has made us stronger as a team and that's why you see everyone so excited when we've won, because we have been through such a long, lean patch. It is certainly a nice change.

But our celebrations have been measured. They certainly haven't been over the top because we know what life's like on the other side.

Inevitably there will come a time when we're not going to win. We've got some tough tours and opponents coming up over the next year or so, starting with South Africa in February.

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It's about enjoying the good times but not getting carried away because it's a tough game.

It's like when you are struggling for runs. When you do make that next hundred it feels even more special because you've experienced the tough times.

I can relate to that in my own career. As much as I hate taking myself back to it, I think my career turned around the day I got dropped.

It made me realise how hard you had to work to stay in the Australian team and what was required to be good enough to make that level.

Most of all it makes you realise how much you cherish every game you play for Australia and how much it means every time you win.

You never think about being 4-0 up. Of course you want to win every Test you play so I'm not going to say I'm surprised. That's always our mindset. But you never consider what may happen down the track.

There's no point. Many a player, including me, has slipped up worrying about what might be instead of concentrating on the here and now. You can't play international cricket any other way.

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One of the things which gives us most pleasure is being able to reward everyone who has supported us through the tough times by winning back the Ashes.

This success is as much for the fans as it is for the players. We never take that support for granted and are delighted to see how many people have been following us this summer.

We have loved playing in front of near full grounds around the country and look forward to doing it again in Sydney over the coming week in what is one of the great Test matches for all of us.

We are also delighted to see that Channel Nine has been rating up to three million on some days and grateful to all those who tune in to watch us play.

It's a great time for cricket in Australia and we are desperate to ensure that continues at the SCG in the coming days.

So thanks everyone for your support and have a happy and safe New Year.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

France, US at 1-1 in Hopman Cup

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and John Isner shake hands after their match left France and the US level at 1-1. Source: Will Russell / Getty Images

JO-WILFRIED Tsonga of France held off big-serving John Isner to win 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 and level the Group B tie against the United States in the Hopman Cup at 1-1.

The US led after world No.12 Sloane Stephens beat Alize Cornet 7-5 6-0 at Perth Arena, overcoming an early challenge to win in 103 minutes.

But the 10th-ranked Tsonga repeated his win over Isner from last summer's Hopman Cup. Isner holds a 3-1 advantage over the Frenchman in ATP matches, however.

The mixed doubles is still to be played.

Stephens said she was happy with her performance.

"It's not often I win a set 6-0, so I was proud of myself for that. I stayed tough," Stephens said.

"I tried to up my game a bit in the second set to stick into her a little bit.

"I tried to stay solid and stick to my patterns. It worked out well." Cornet said she was disappointed to falter at key times in the second set.

"The first set was very good from both of us," Cornet said.

"Even the second set was quite good.

"I had a lot of game points but I didn't make any of them. That killed me in the second set." The US are in a good position to win a record seventh straight Hopman Cup.

But Australia's title drought will stretch into a 16th year after this summer's pairing of Bernard Tomic and Sam Stosur slumped to losses against Canada and Italy.

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Murray wins in 37 minutes

Andy Murray fired a warning to his Australian Open rivals after his "double bagel" win. Source: Kamran Jebreili / AP

HAD this been baseball, the mercy rule would have been invoked as tennis statisticians were left to trawl through the gruesome wreckage of Andy Murray's withering return to the ATP Tour.

Clinical to the point of disinterest in a hopelessly lopsided mismatch, Murray took a mere 37 minutes (and 24 seconds) to pummel Qatari willdcard Mousa Zayed 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round of the Qatar ExxonMobile Open.

Ranked 2099th in the world, Zayed had no chance, claiming only 17 points to the Wimbledon champion's 48.

Thrust into a match he would not have won with an 11-game handicap, Zousa trudged from the court to the lone solace of a $US10,500 loser's cheque.

As brief as it was, Murray's shellacking was not the fastest in ATP Tour history.

That honour rests with fellow Briton Greg Rusedski, who trounced Carsten Arriens 6-0 6-0 in 29 minutes in Sydney in 1996.

Contesting a singles match for the first time since undergoing back surgery, Murray had not played competitively since October.

Unsurprisingly, the Scot headed straight to the practice court after dismissing Zayed.

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'Slight improvements' for Schu

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SEVEN-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has undergone further surgery to relieve pressure on his brain as he continues to fight for his life after a skiing accident in the French Alps.

Doctors last night revealed they saw a "surgical window of opportunity" to carry out a second, two-hour operation to remove blood clots after a brain scan revealed a slight improvement in the 44-year-old's condition.

But the medical team say the retired motor ace remains in a "fragile" critical condition.

"The situation is more under control than yesterday but we cannot say that he is out of danger," head anaesthetician Jean-Francois Payen said at CHU Grenoble Hospital.

"We have won some time but we must continue an hour-by-hour surveillance."

Doctors were very pleased there had been no worsening of Schumacher's condition and he was showing "very slight" improvements, but they said they cannot say what will happen in coming days and the situation was still touch and go.

The second operation had its risks but the family gave their permission prior to the operation taking place at 10pm local time.

The F1 legend remained in an induced coma and in a state of hypothermia to give him the best chance to recover from the serious head trauma. Professor Emmanuel Gay, one of the specialists treating Schumacher said the German was not out of danger and he was still haemorrhaging in the brain.

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IN PICTURES: SCHUMACHER'S LEGENDARY CAREER

"We cannot say that we have won because there are still some highs and some lows, but it's better than yesterday," he said. "He is still in a very critical condition, this has not changed. And we still cannot tell how he will be, which state he will be in when he does wake up. We cannot speculate on the future because once again it would be too early to do so."

Brain scans had shown intercranial haematoma (internal bleeding), cerebral contusions (brain tissue bruising) and oedema (fluid build up).

Further operations have not been ruled out but "strategies" would be considered over the next 48 hours.

"There are still many haematomas in the brain, with little bits everywhere," Professor Gay said. "That is what makes the situation critical and it needs to be looked at hour by hour, day by day. The situation can still evolve, but we won't be able to evacuate the other haematomas at the moment because they are not accessible. They are not as big as the one we removed yesterday."

The update on Schumacher's condition came amid revelations he may have been travelling up to 96km/h when he went between two marked ski runs and hit a rocky outcrop. Witnesses said the helmet he was wearing split in two and was full of blood.

Aerial images of the run clearly show the two ski runs with barely 50m between them. There is speculation Schumacher may have been travelling too fast to switch between the two runs and accidentally went off-piste.

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There has been huge global interest in the accident; more than 100 media were yesterday at the hospital waiting for word and broadcasting live updates around the world.

Schumacher, who turns 45 on Friday, was skiing with his 14-year-old son Mick when the accident happened just after 11am on Sunday.

Doctors said the helmet had given him a fighting chance but his head still suffered a very violent shock.

RISK-TAKER: LOVE OF SPEED HAUNTS SCHUMACHER

He was flown from the Meribel resort in the Trois Vallees ski area within eight minutes of the accident, before being transferred to the nearby city of Grenoble for specialist treatment.

Fans have gathered outside the hospital, including some who have made the more than four-hour drive from Germany to be close to their hero.

Schumacher's wife Corinna, his 16-year-old daughter Gina-Marie and son Mick remained at his bedside overnight.

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"We would like to thank the medical team who we know do everything possible to help Michael," the Schumacher family said yesterday in a written statement.

"We would like to also thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for Michael's recovery."

MEDICOS say the next day or so will determine the future of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, including if emergency surgery has saved his life and or if he has suffered any long-term damage.

Schumacher is being watched around the clock by doctors and his family who have maintained a bedside vigilas he continues to fight for his life. following a skiing accident.

The 44-year-old German remains in an induced coma in a critical condition after he suffered internal bleeding and severe bruising to the brain when his head struck a rock during a high-speed off-piste ski run in the French Alps.

Doctors declined to say Schumacher was in a stable condition overnight, rather that he was still in a critical condition and being kept in a coma and in a state of hypothermia to give him the best chance to recover from the serious head trauma.

Professor Stephen Chabardes, the neurosurgeon who operated on the star, said all recommended treatments were being performed and he was being watched hour-by-hour. He said brain scans had shown intercranial haematoma (internal bleeding), cerebral contusions (brain tissue bruising and oedema (fluid build-up).

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FANS, RIVALS SHOW SUPPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

"We operated urgently to try to eliminate the (bleeding) haematoma and after the operation we saw that we had been able to eliminate these but also sadly the appearance of various bilateral lesions," he said.

Anaesthetist Jean-Francois Payen said: "We are working day and night at his bedside; it is too early to say anything as far as prognosis is concerned."

And neurologist Jean-Luc Truelle said it would take time for a better indication of the potential lasting damage.

The German, 45 on Friday, was skiing with son Mick, 14, off-piste when he fell and hit a rock, striking his head.

Doctors said Schumacher's helmet had given him a fighting chance but his head still suffered a very violent shock.

Witnesses, who called emergency services,confirmed he had been wearing a helmet but had been knocked unconscious and they saw blood coming from under the damaged helmet, marking the snow about him.

A Ferrari fan waits in front of the emergency department of the Grenoble hospital where Michael Schumacher is being treated for a severe head injury.

Paramedics flew to the Trois Vallees ski area within eight minutes of the accident and had him back to a local hospital before he was transferred to the nearby city of Grenoble for specialist treatment.

SIX OF THE BEST SCHUMACHER FORMULA 1 DRIVES

Outside the hospital, Schumacher's fans have gathered - including some who drove more than four hours from Germany to be close to their hero. There are also more than a dozen television live broadcast vans parked in front of the hospital, broadcasting the latest news around the world.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was shocked "along with millions of Germans" by the accident to the F1 legend."We listened to the doctors earlier as they described the situation as extraordinarily serious," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said. "We hope, along with Michael Schumacher and his family, that his injuries will heal and he will recover. We wish his wife, his children and the rest of his family strength and mutual support."

Schumacher who lives in Switzerland was on a private trip staying locally at his chalet when the accident happened at the Meribel ski resort.

In a bizarre incident, the Guardian has reported that a journalist dressed as a priest in an attempt to gain access to Schumacher's hospital room.

"I wouldn't have ever imagined something like this could happen," Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, was quoted as telling a journalist.

Michael Schumacher's friend and surgeon Professor Gerard Saillant at a press conference about the F1 legend's condition in Grenoble.

After the ruse was discovered the man was was purportedly escorted off the hospital's premises.

Schumacher is a towering figure in the motor industry and considered the greatest F1 driver ever. He retired from F1 for the final time in 2012 after a three-season comeback with Mercedes.

The race ace, who also drove for Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari, won the last of his world titles in 2004. He won two with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before moving to Ferrari and winning five in a row from 2000. The German has 91 career race wins.

Schumacher is considered the first ever self-made billionaire sports star.

Jean Marc Grenier, the deputy director of the hospital, speaks to the press.

Michael Schumacher pictures while announcing his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the 2012 season.

A file photo shows Michael Schumacher skiing in the Italian Alps in 2006. Schumacher is in a critical condition after hitting his head in a fall while skiing.

A file pitcure of Michael Schumacher from his Ferrari days, Schumacher is in a critical condition after hitting his head in a fall while skiing.

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