Preise » 6-4, while Murray held off Fernando Verd

A disappointed Fernando Alonso feels McLaren simply didnt have the pace to challenge for points at the Chinese GP. Heading into qualifying the Woking squad were eyeing spots in Q3, but had to settle for 11th and 12th on the grid after a red flag forced them to abort their final qualifying runs.Despite chaos ahead in the race, McLaren couldnt hold onto any positions they gained at the start, finishing 12th and 13th at the chequered flag. We didnt have the pace today to be in the points. That is a shame. We need to improve for the next round, Alonso told Sky Sports F1.The Safety Car didnt help, but even after the Safety Car we were not quick enough in the race and we need to go into the details of what we can improve. Martin Brundle chats to Fernando Alonso ahead of the Chinese GP The result means McLaren have still only scored one point in 2016, and that was picked up by reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne in Bahrain where he deputised for Alonso.However, the Spaniard is still taking positives away from Shanghai.We ran with a lot of people today so we probably have a good reference now to where the strongest points of our car are and where the weaknesses are that we need to improve, Alonso added.It is a useful race and my first long run to be honest, in winter testing we never did 50 laps and in Australia I had the accident and in Bahrain I didnt participate. Jenson Button agreed with Fernando Alonso that McLarens pace wasnt quick enough In the sister car, Button is hoping the post-race analysis will show they went the wrong way on strategy, otherwise he agrees with Alonso that their pace isnt good enough.We tried to do a two-stop, but it didnt look like it was ever going to work, maybe our pace just isnt good enough or maybe it was the wrong choice of tyre, we will have to look at that, Button told Sky Sports F1.Hopefully we have made the wrong strategy call putting on the medium because if we havent then we arent quick enough to be in the points at the moment because nothing else went wrong. So I am hoping that that was the wrong choice. Chinese GP report Nico Rosberg wins, Lewis Hamilton down in seventh The Shanghai International Circuit boasts the longest straight on the F1 calendar and Sky Sports F1 analyst Paul di Resta feels that on a less power dependent track points will come for McLaren.They are getting closer, they will definitely come when we get to a smaller track. I guess the big test to come for them is Barcelona, it is not so reliant on the Honda power plant, but more the downforce of the car, he said.They are getting there, getting them into Q3 and out of trouble is key.Dont miss the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8:30pm on Sky Sports F1 for full analysis of an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Marc Priestley and Alex Lynn. Also See: Chinese GP report: Rosberg wins WATCH: Dramatic start in China Joel Armia Jersey . 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Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Andy Murray goes into this weeks ATP Masters 1000 in Paris with an excellent chance to leave the City of Light on Sunday with the No. 1 ranking wrenched from the hands of the man who scant months ago seemed to have it under long-term lease, Novak Djokovic.So why are Murray and Djokovic so seemingly blasé about this new, electric development?Murray, whos been playing like a father already worried about how hes going to afford college tuition, keeps reminding everyone that earning that No. 1 ranking remains on his to-do list for 2017 -- not 2016. He repeated the mantra to the media when he arrived in Paris the other day:My goal wasnt to finish No. 1 at the end of this year, Murray said. There [was] a lot stronger chance of doing it in the early part of next year, which is what I [had] targeted -- rather than this week.Its like liquidating a bunch of skyrocketing stock shares because you didnt really plan on getting rich right now; you were thinking three, four years from now.Murray does make a valid point when he notes that acquiring the ranking isnt entirely in his own hands. Djokovic could conceivably lose to Murray in the Paris final, and also at least once in London, yet still hold onto No. 1.Its not in my control, Murray said. Even if I win all of my matches this week, I still might not get there. Its in Novaks hands.Its a sharp reminder of how deceptive the rankings system used by the ATP and WTA tours is, as well as an October surprise as great as anything this credulity-straining political season has kicked up.Both Murray and Djokovic won their Paris Masters openers on Wednesday. The top-ranked Serb beat Gilles Muller?6-3, 6-4, while Murray held off Fernando Verdasco?6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5.?Murrays reluctance to fire his hopes up under these circumstances is sane and realistic. Yet, Djokovic must be looking like a bigger, juicier target with every passing day. Its partly because he seems increasingly preoccupied with quasi-spiritual, personal development issues than practical, tennis-related ones.Djokovic arrived in Paris in this time of undeniable crisis without the two coaches who are generally considered the architects of his long and successful run at the top, Marian Vajda and Boris Becker. Instead, he is accompanied by doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic, a physiotherapist and trainer, and a guru-like spiritual adviser, Pepe Imaz.The latter is a Spanish former journeyman player who once ranked No. 167 and won a round once at the French Open. Imaz espouses a home-baked, new age-type philosophy long on meditation and platitudes about peace, lovee, harmony and deep hugging.dddddddddddd According to The Daily Mail, Imaz struck up a relationship with Novak after helping Djokovics younger brother, Marko, recover from depression following his failure to make it as an ATP pro.Just days after Wimbledon, Djokovic appeared in a lengthy video shot at a Spanish resort with which his new adviser is affiliated, presumably to spread the gospel according to Imaz. At the time, Murray was in Belgrade, lending support to the ultimately victorious British Davis Cup team battling Serbia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b66eDl9MIBgIn the video, Djokovic is seated on the dais along with Imaz, Marko Djokovic and another Imaz protégé, WTA pro Daniela Hantuchova. At one point, Novak Djokovic makes a fairly long speech about meditation:We switch off the exterior light, and we go inside to try to calm our minds, calm our energies. Why are we trying to do that? Because essentially we all are looking for love, happiness and harmony. And to find the love, happiness and harmony, we need to be able to look inward and to establish this connection with a divine light.And so on.After beating Muller, Djokovic was asked about his working relationship with Imaz.?I dont know where you heard that hes a guru, first of all, Djokovic said. Hes been in tennis for all his life. Im just glad that he came this week, together with my brother, to be with me and work with me. ... ?Im not going to go into details, because there is no sense. I know certain media is trying to find a story here in calling him guru. Im not going to give any room for speculations anymore. Hes been there, and hes part of the coaching team and thats all.Well, the divine light was on the blink the last time Djokovic hit the court. His meltdown in the Shanghai semifinals was epic, and its the last image he left us with. Djokovic claims he has evolved as a person since his third-round loss. But hes undoubtedly devolved as a tennis player. Perhaps his quest for harmony and inner peace is just Djokovics way of preparing himself for a soft landing on that inevitable day when he loses the No. 1 ranking, as all top players do. Maybe he can harmonize himself right into accepting a No. 2 or 4 or 8 ranking with a blissful smile on his face.Murray might continue to insist that his big day isnt at hand and may not be until at least next year. But hes been connecting with a light of his own, and while it may not be divine, it sure looks green. ' ' '