Tuesday 10 July 2012

10 interesting facts of Wimbledon 2012


Wimbledon has always been somewhat special due to its history, tradition and prestige. This is the only Major that you witness royal family came to watch matches. This is the only Grand Slam that all players are required to wear "white" uniform. There's always something special at Wimbledon every year, and here is our list of 10 interesting facts at this year All England Club

1. Roger Federer does not come to grass court of Wimbledon to showcase his RF knitwear. He clinched another title. It has been 2 and a half year since his last, Australian Open 2010. People are seriously considering whether the Swiss is capable of winning a few more to reach 20

2.  Thirty might not be the new 20, but is no longer too old to at the Wimbledon. Both sing champions are in their thirties. In fact, Serena and Venus Willams, both thirties plus, won the women double



3. Wimbledon is emotional. Any Murray shed tears after his fourth successive defeat at a Grand Slam final

4. The Duchess of Cambridge is going to be regular in the front row of the Royal Box for years to come (either accompanied by Pippa or her Prince)

5. It is often said that anyone in the men's top 100 can beat anyone else, and now it's finally proven true. Lukas Rosol, the World No 100, showed that anything is possible by beating Rafa Nadal in the second round

6. In this age of baseline bashing, Radwanska demonstrated that you don't have to welt the ball to reach Wimbledon final 

7. Britain's Jonny Marray and Denmark's Frederik Nielsen, the double men's champion, showed that tales of improbable also happen in the doubles. 

8. Yaroslava Shvedova would have introduced the concept of 'golden set' to many when she won all 24 points of the opening set against Sara Errani, the finalist of French Open, in their third round match

9. Tim Henman might have trouble keeping his hill - many are now calling it "Murray Mound. *Henman hill in the hill outside of Centre Court where fans are usually gathered to watch the match via a giant screen. 
10. Many men in the competition would swap their serve for Serena's

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Federer: I have “no issues” with Novak


Six-time Wimbledon champion Federer and defending champion Djokovic will battle in the semi-finals after cruising through the quarter-finals.

They have met total of 26 times and Djokovic winning 14. Some says that this would be the early final of Wimbledon after Nadal was out of competition early.

Federer feeling good

Federer does not think that he needs to adapt his game plan because of the surface.

“Obviously things are not that drastic of a change anymore from clay, hard court, indoor to grass. But it is interesting that this is our first grass-court match. I’m looking forward to it” Federer said.

“I’m just happy that I’m around further than I’ve been the last couple of years so it’s been a good tournament so far for me. I’m happy, I’m feeling good again. It gives me confidence to going into big match with Novak.

Bet on Wimbeldon 2012 with 36BOL.com
“I think I’ve played over 100 matches on grass now, so I know how it works but it is obviously slowing down. I still believe the aggressive player can be rewarded if he plays the right way.’

I have “no issues” with world number one

The 16-time grand slam champion had some beef with Serbia’s Djokovic six years ago and Federer accused him of feigning an injury while playing against the Swiss star’s compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka in the Davis Cup.

Federer: "I have no issue with Novak"

“I was just upset at him calling the trainer out for no obvious reason against my buddy, Stan, in a five-setter” said the Swiss

“That was it. We had a quick chat about it in Madrid after that and things are cool for a long time between me and him. I’ve always respected him.

“Have I gone out for dinner with him? No. But I’ve had many meetings with him at the player’s council. I have no issues with him, and I hope you believe me.”

Djokovic: Grass is suitable to Roger’s aggressive playing style.

The Serbian is feeling good about playing the former champion the first time on grass surface. The defending champion believes that grass is more suitable to Federer’s aggressive playing style.

“He has a variety, great variety, in his game. He opens up the court and uses that slice really well to get the balls to bounce low. He’s very aggressive at times and he can defend well” Djokovic speaks of his semi opponent.

“He has a very smart game on this surface but I’ve improved playing on grass in the last couple of years.

“I won the title here last year, got to another semi-final this year, so I’m feeling good about myself on the court. I really have nothing to lose”. 

For latest odds and markets for Wimbledon 2012, check out 36BOL.com Sports Betting, your best betting site. 

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Del Bosque and team returned to Madrid


Del Bosque and the team returned to Madrid together with EURO 2012 Cup. Thousand and thousand were welcoming their heroes, who just made history by winning their third consecutive major tournament. La Roja is truly on top of the world now, smashing Italy 4-0 in the final. Del Bosque has made his mark with the unorthodox 4-6-0 formation, of which people will be talking about for a very long time.

Let's take a look at some of the happy moments of Spain's national football team and their fans at Madrid.
















Thursday 28 June 2012

Nadal exits Wimbledon in second round

The tennis world was shocked by early exit of two time Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal, in second round. Lukas Rosol, the world number 100, has taken down the clay court King after a 5 set stunner. 

The Czech player, 26 year of age, had powerful ground stroke and just ripped Nadal's play apart. We have never seen this kind of performance under this circumstance. Mind you, this is Rosol's Wimbledon debut, as he's lost in the first round of the tournament's qualifier the last 5 times.

This marked the earliest exit of Nadal since his defeat in 2005, also in the second round of Wimbledon.


"I don't know what to say," Rosol said. "I'm not just surprised but it's like a miracle. I never expected something like this. There are so many emotions - I don't know what to say.

Lukas Rosol

This year Championship have produced some huge upset, but this is definitely one of the greatest in history. Who could believe that Lukas Rosol to be ranked 100 in the world? 

Nadal, who had to overcome a slow start to beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil in the first round, struggled with his groundstrokes in the first set but managed to steal the tie-break 11-9 with a blistering forehand winner.
Undeterred, Rosol continued to go for his shots, breaking Nadal in the first game and holding on to win the set 6-4 with some tremendous hitting.



The Czech seemed oblivious to the enormity of the situation as he continued his ferocious hitting from all over the court to take an early break and then the set to lead 2-1.

However, mistakes began to creep into the 26-year-old Rosol's game and 11-time Grand Slam winner Nadal pounced, breaking twice to force a decider.

With the light deteriorating, officials decided to halt the match and close the roof to allow the match to reach a conclusion.

The players returned 43 minutes later, with Rosol breaking Nadal immediately and then holding on to secure a famous victory on Centre Court. 

Lukas Rosol profile
Age: 26
Turned pro: 2004
2012 ATP tour win/loss record: 11/13
Career ATP tour win/loss record: 18-32
Australian Open: 1R (2012)
French Open: 3R (2011)
Wimbledon: 2R (2012)
US Open: 1R (2010/11)


Afterwards, the Spaniard said: "I played a great fourth set. He came back [after the delay to close the roof] and played unbelievable in the fifth.

"The only thing I can do is go back home and rest, and I need and deserve it."

He added: "I'm very, very disappointed [but] it's not a tragedy, it's only a tennis match."

The big question now is how far can the Czech go into the tournament. Standing right in front of him is Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German defeated Tunisia's Malek Jaziri 6-1 7-6(2) 6-1. 

Pre-match Preview: EURO 2012 Semi Final, Germany vs Italy


Tonight match against Italy will be the opportunity for Germany to revenge their previous loss on home ground and looking forward to the title after 16 years of waiting. 

The most recent encounter of two teams was the semi-final World Cup 2006, and Azzurri was the winner on Germany's home ground. But the Italy's golden generation only left Buffon and Pirlo, while Loew's squad has matured with many names that can shine. 


Germany is the favorite at EURO 2012
With 3 effortless wins at group stage, Germany cruised easily to quarterfinal where Greece awaited. Joachim Loew was confident enough to put the important players on the bench including Mario Gomez and Thomas Mueller. He introduced some young players who have never played a match in EURO before like Marco Reus or Andreas Schuerrle. He arguably used Klose, a veteran that proved not effective when substituted in. 

But Klose and Reus went ahead and proved that Loew's decision was indeed correct by two goals for Germany. Goal even came from Germany's defender Philipp Lahm. If Mario Gomez is on top of scoring chart, the 34 year old Klose still showed that he has what it takes with a goal in the match against Greece. 

On the other hand, Italy did not have a smooth path like Germany. He had two draws for the start, and some troubles were seen with Italy's offense, when they do not have a really good striker to go with Pirlo. In the quarterfinal against England, Italy still depended too much on Pirlo, one of the few left since World Cup 2006. If put Italy together with Germany, it seems that Prandelli is at huge disadvantage. The only thing that the Italian can cling on to is the history against Germany. However, as proven by France's faith in the match against Spain, history always changes. 

The 15 consecutive wins of Germany is an impressive record to catch, however, Joachim Loew's men have a more important aim, which is to win the first title for Germany after 16 years. 

Our prediction

Germany looks really strong for Italy. Depending on Pirlo alone will not be enough as Germany has some of the best skipper in the midfield. Our prediction leans toward Germany and we say a 1-0 win will be a fair result. 

Betting Tips


Germany Asian Handicap (-) 0.5 at odds 0.930 seems to be the most sensible bet. However, if you are confident with the chance of Germany, Asian Handicap (-) 0.75 at odds 1.266 is worth going for. It will not likely to be a draw so why don't you put money down for 1x2 for Germany to win at odds 1.91 (Decimal odds)

Fore more odds and market, refer to 36BOL Sports Betting

Post-match Statistic: Portugal vs Spain


Unable to finish the match within 120 minutes, Spain and Portugal had to come to penalty shoot-out. With Casillas protecting their goal, Spain was able to pull through their toughest match yet in EURO 2012. Ronaldo and teammates have reason to regret as luck was on Spain's side. This marked the second consecutive EURO final of La Roja. 

Also, congratulations to those who followed our betting tips last night. As we predicted, the 90 minutes ended with a draw, and two teams would need extra time or even penalty shoot-out to decide the match. For full details of our pre-match analysis for this game, click HERE. For now, let's take a look at the number of this match. 



Spain was still the team with better ball possession, or more like Portugal chose the defensive play style and gave the mid to Spain. However, tiki taka last night did not help Spain much, as it was shut down effectively by Portugal's defense. With 55% of ball possession, Spain only managed 9 goal attempts. Bento's men did not hesitate to foul which resulted in 32 free kicks for Spain. 

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was fed numerous chances but all his shots did not find Casillas' net. Our of 8 shots that Portugal had, Ronaldo was responsible for 7. 120 minutes ended without a goal for both sides, which led to the penalty shoot-out. When Alonso failed Spain's first shot, Portugal was hoping for a spot in the final. But Casillas, together with Buffon are arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, denied Moutinho's shot right after that. And when Alves' attempt found the bar, Fabregas finished Portugal's journey at EURO 2012. Spain in final, and they stand a pretty good chance of defending title. 

Watch out for our pre-match analysis of tonight semi between Germany and Italy. Meanwhile, check out the latest odds and market at 36BOL Sports Betting

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Pre-match Preview: Spain vs Portugal, EURO 2012 Semi Final


The first semi-final of EURO 2012 is the battle between Spain and Portugal. Del Bousque focuses on teamwork, and taking control of the match while Portugal relies on Ronaldo to shine. 

With a convincing win 2-0 over France, we can say that the 4-6-0 formation works well for Spain. Without a real striker, Fabregas is the one playing highest on Spain's front while Silva and Iniesta move further to the wings. Del Bosque does not need to depend on Torres, Negredo or Llorente for goals. More important, this formation brings out the strength of Spain's midfield, meaning taking ball possession and control the pace of the game. Moreover, their 6 midfielders are all very skilled, each of them was their own club's soul in midfield, which make it even more formidable. If they ever lose the ball, it's usually taken back by their midfield, which lessen the pressure on the defense and limit opponent's counter attack.

However, Del Bosque is not strategically rigid, he did have good changes when necessary. In the match against France, after Spain took the lead, he felt that the pressure on midfield was too much. Hence, Pedro and Torres were introduced which made France more cautious, which resulted in lessened pressure for Spain. 

Del Bosque's 4-6-0 formation is working well for Spain

Portugal also has some skilled players, but unlike Spain they choose to have a tight defense while relying mainly on Ronaldo in the front line. Paulo Bento received some criticism from home on this rather negative playing style. However, until now he has been quite successful. Except the loss against Germany, Portugal was progressing well into the quarterfinal. 

Similar to Bosque, Bento made the best out of the players he has. Pepe and Bruno Alves make a solid wall in front of Portugal's goal. The trio Veloso - Moutinho - Meirless are assigned the task to feed Ronaldo as much as they can. Nani, Joao Perreira or Coentrao are waging havoc in the wings. Meanwhile, Postiga was used as a bait and attract opponent's defender to create more spaces for CR7. Portugal's game is totally surrounding Ronaldo. So far, Ronaldo hasn't let his team down. He has had 3 goals, and denied 3 goals by woodwork. 

Spain is still the team to catch right now, with 18 competitive game undefeated. However, when looking at the head to head history, back in November 2010, Portugal team inflicted Spain's heaviest defeat since 1963 with a shocking 4-0. Will this pose any psychological effect on this match, we will have to wait and see. 

Our Prediction

We are leaning towards a draw in the 90 minutes time, and the match might then have to go to extra time and even penalty. Bursting damage that Ronaldo can do to Spain is equally dangerous to Del Bosque's men ability to control the game. 

Betting Tips 

Let's take a look at odds offered by 36BOL.com: 


Coming into later stage, it's getting harder and harder to have a good pick, simply because both teams are just as good. With a draw in mind, our recommended bet would be Portugal Asian Handicap (+) 0.5 at odds 0.980. 

Fore more odds and market, visit 36BOL Sports Betting