McIlroy nets another victory

Rory Mcilroy prepares to hit a tennis ball to Maria Sharapova as Caroline Wozniacki looks on in the BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition tennis match yesterday (AP)

Should we be jealous of Rory McIlroy, multi-millionaire golfer, reigning US Open champion and – as of Sunday – the planet's number one player? Probably not.

The 22-year-old has put in the requisite 10,000+ hours – together with stunning natural ability – to reach the top of his sport at a Woodsian age – the man's earned it. So, when his tennis-playing girlfriend, former WTA champ Caroline Wozniacki, invited him on to the court at an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden this week, few would have feared for McIlroy's ego had he hit a forehand up into the cheap seats.

Unfortunately, the golfer's sporting talents spread beyond the fairways and he "won" a quick rally with Maria Sharapova with a cheeky lob. Which, given everything else, doesn't seem fair. On behalf of all non-millionaire, averagely sporting people we'd like to offer this guidance: next time, Rory, just smash it into the net, son.

Watch: ind.pn/rorytennis