Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sports World

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Hard court season on the horizon Posted: 21 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT The grass court season is a very short one in tennis and all too quickly eyes will move onto the hard courts and the build-up to the US Open. With Wimbledon being the third Grand Slam event of the season, and coming only weeks after the French Open with very little time for players to adapt to grass, very quickly the summer tournaments finish. This is an important period of the year and can help any player go into the US Open with some great form and confidence if they come out of Wimbledon in high fashion. Those looking to bet on Andy Murray should bear this in mind. But it can also work to the opposite. After Wimbledon and the French Open coming in very quick succession, the fact the US Open is not until September gives players a chance to recover from a poor grass court season. Many players have shown over the years they can come back into contention at Flushing Meadow after missing many tournaments, either by choice or through injury, as they are 'fresh' compared to many of their rivals. The US Open 2011 tennis odds often reflect this. There are so many tournaments on the international circuit and the hard court season is no different. Players need to be very careful picking and choosing their preparation for the US Open. While the US Open betting will tend to reflect the world rankings there will always be form players coming through in the weeks before the tournament gets underway. The tournament also gives one more chance to those top players who have missed out at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon to add a Grand Slam victory to their CV for 2011, while boost their rankings points to get them into the end-of-season tournament. Flushing Meadows can punish any players who come in under-prepared or in a poor run of form. With so many players under pressure to win a Grand Slam title in their short careers to truly be considered among the top stars of all time, the US Open is usually one of the most entertaining tournaments of the year.

Brazilian tips Bayern for Euro success Posted: 21 Jun 2011 07:05 AM PDT Summer signing Rafinha is predicting big things from Bayern Munich this season and feels theGerman giants can lift the Champios League trophy next May. The Brazilian has moved to the Allianz Arena from Italian outfit Genoa, in a deal believed to be in the region of €5million. Having penned a three-year-old deal with the Bundesliga outfit, Rafinha has high hopes for the season ahead both domestically and in Europe. Anyone following the Champions League odds may want to bear his comments in mind. After reaching losing in the final of the Champions League to Inter Milan in 2010, Bayern disappointed last term, finishing third in the league and were knocked out of Europe's top club competition in the first knockout round. Despite having no permanent manager as yet, Rafinha believes there will be big improvements this season and even think Bayern can overturn Europe's finest. When asked about his new team's hopes in Europe, the full-back said: "Barcelona are the clear favourites for me. However, I am confident that Bayern have what it takes to dethrone them." The 25-year-old, who has had a previous spell in Germany with Schalke, also feels Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea and AC Milan can also "pose some problems" for Barca in 2011-12. It has been ten years since Bayern were Champions League winners – beating Valencia on penalties at the San Siro in 2001. There is an even bigger incentive though for the Bavarian outfit to rule Europe this season, with the final set to take place at their home ground in May 2012.

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