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World number one Rafael Nadal has been dumped out of the Australian Open by fellow countryman David Ferrer in straight sets.

Nadal was troubled by a thigh strain throughout his quarter-final clash in Melbourne and eventually went down 6-4 6-2 6-3, setting up a semi-final between Ferrer and Britain's Andy Murray on Friday (January 28th 2011).

"For respect to the winner and to a friend, I prefer to talk about the match [than the injury]," the 24-year-old said afterwards. "Today I can't do more than what I did, he played at a very high level."

The defeat ends Nadal's dream of becoming the first player since legendary Australian Rod Laver to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously. It was his first loss in a major tournament since an injury ended last year's Australian Open campaign against Murray.

Number two and three seeds Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will do battle in the first semi-final tomorrow.

The fixture list for the 2011 RBS 6 Nations has been announced with another tantalising finale is in store for rugby fans.

On March 19, Grand Slam holders France host Wales in the final match of the tournament while England travel to the refurbished and renamed Aviva Stadium to take on Ireland and Scotland play Italy keen to avenge their 16-12 defeat.

The opening weekend on February 4/5 – which already sees Wales and England make history by starting the Championship on a Friday night – are a reverse of 2010’s first round games with Ireland and Scotland travelling to Italy and France respectively.

Ireland’s first match back at Landsdowne Road after four years at Croke Park is at home to Les Bleus the following weekend.

The tournament takes on extra significance with the 2011 World Cup just months away and David Pickering, Chairman of the Six Nations Council, said: "The RBS 6 Nations Championship remains the envy of the rugby world, a tournament played with pride and passion and drenched in history and tradition".

All UK time - Add 1 hour for France and Italy

RBS Six Nations Fixture Schedule 2011

Friday 4th February - Wales v England - 7.45pm
Saturday 5th February - Italy v Ireland - 2.30pm
Saturday 5th February - France v Scotland - 5pm

Saturday 12th February - England v Italy - 2.30pm
Saturday 12th February - Scotland v Wales - 5pm
Sunday 13th February - Ireland v France - 3pm

19/20 February Free

Saturday 26th February - Italy v Wales - 2.30pm
Saturday 26th February - England v France - 5pm
Sunday 27th February - Scotland v Ireland - 3pm

5/6 March Free

Saturday 12th March - Italy v France - 2.30pm
Saturday 12th March - Wales v Ireland - 5pm
Sunday 13th March - England v Scotland - 3pm

Saturday 19th March - Scotland v Italy - 2.30pm
Saturday 19th March - Ireland v England - 5pm
Saturday 19th March - France v Wales - 7.45pm

Stars such as Andy Murray and Roger Federer will have even more incentive to perform in front of fans with Wimbledon tickets in 2010, as they will be competing for £1 million.

The All England Club (AEC) has revealed that both the men's and ladies' winners will take home the jackpot prize, which is £150,000 more than Federer and Serena Williams, the 2009 champions, earned for their efforts.

Overall prize money for the SW19 tournament will rise to £13.7 million, a 9.4 per cent increase on the £12.6 million total for last year's event.

Tim Phillips, chairman of the AEC and the championships, said fans are driven to purchase their Wimbledon tickets for the chance to see the world's best players in action.

"It is important that we offer a level of prize money which is both appropriate to the prestige of the event and which gives the players full and fair reward," Mr Phillips added.

Federer claimed the 2009 title after a marathon battle with Andy Roddick, which the Swiss star won in a 16-14 fifth-set tie-break.”

Majordomo believes offering corporate tickets to star employees can help businesses boost the motivation of their staff.

The corporate tickets and events management broker has suggested that rather than giving away awards or financial incentives, employers can improve the performance of their workers by getting them to compete for corporate tickets to major international sporting events.

Rewards could range from corporate tickets to the Wimbledon Championships, international matches at Twickenham - such as England's autumn internationals against Southern Hemisphere opposition - or Test match clashes at either Lord's or the Brit Oval.

The Cartier International Polo and Henley Royal Regatta are two more events which businesses can choose from.

Patrick Kennedy said "Not only do our packages offer a memorable and enjoyable experience to top performers, but allow the opportunity for further networking, and incentivse internal colleagues to get the experience next time" he added