• Week in Words

Smashing up the scene

Serena Williams takes out her frustrations on a helpless racket in Singapore © Getty Images

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In the latest edition of ESPN's Week in Words, Serena Williams shows her equipment who's boss, Sergio Aguero pines for Mario, Louis van Gaal comes across all Iron Man, and Bernie Ecclestone doesn't want to hear any complaints ...

"I don't know how many times I hit it, but boy, that racket will never do me wrong again, I tell you"
Serena Williams was warned by the umpire as her frustrations boiled over in the first set against Caroline Wozniacki

"My match-up against her so far hasn't been great. I won once and lost like 10 times, or nine, I don't know. I don't even count anymore"
Just for the record, Caroline Wozniacki, your head-to-head record against the angry Serena is 1-9

"When I saw Owen score that goal for England against Argentina in 1998 I thought: 'You little s***!' Even aged 10, I knew they couldn't allow him that much space"
Sergio Aguero reveals he used to idolise Michael Owen as a child

"Mario was crazy when he wanted to be. He'd do daft things whenever he felt like it because he thought he could"
Nowadays, Sergio's fonder of a different striker. The Argentine admits to missing former team-mate Mario Balotelli

"I have a shield, an iron shield"
Louis van Gaal channels his inner Tony Stark as he insists Jose Mourinho's mind games have no impact on him

"I was stunned - for two minutes I was just thinking about that goal. It is 100% the best goal I've seen live"
Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen couldn't believe his eyes when team-mate Erik Lamela fired home a 20-yard 'rabona'

"They're all decent lads, don't get me wrong, but it's almost like a mafia situation" Former United captain Roy Keane isn't convinced by the Old Trafford old boys' network

"He's a mercenary, there's no question about that, but he's a terribly gifted sportsman"
Former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains throws some veiled-praise in Sonny Bill Williams' direction

"It's totally unfair and totally wrong. It's suiting people's agendas. Is that right? Of course it's not. But I can't turn the clock back, I'm living in 2014, I can't go back to Downton Abbey!"
England boss Roy Hodgson has an interesting way of voicing his opinions on the media's handling of Raheem Sterling's 'tiredgate'

"It's better they go. I don't want people going around with begging bowls"
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone doesn't have much time for Caterham's struggles with administrators and bailiffs

"Now we have to play against Chelsea. In the Netherlands they say that is another cookie, I don't know if in English it is like that. It is another biscuit"
LVG's back, this time taking a crumb of comfort following his United side's 2-2 draw at West Brom

"Fellaini has now taken his tracksuit off. Fortunately he has a Man Utd strip on underneath"
Whoever was controlling the West Brom Twitter account was made to eat their words on Monday night when Marouane Fellaini came on and equalised

"He is one of those players - and I don't think he will be unhappy with me saying it - that some days you look at him in training and he is useless"
Aguero's been spending a little too much time copying Balotelli's antics in training, according to Joe Hart

"The only reason he has lost weight is because he has had tonsillitis"
Harry Redknapp comes out with a classic in his war of words with the supposedly-overweight Adel Taarabt

"To be honest, at the start of the season, I thought maybe I would be retired this year. I wondered if I might scrape into the team, and I'm really thrilled that I'm more competitive than I thought I'd be"
Team GB's Jo Pavey is targeting Rio 2016, when she will be the grand old age of 43

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