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Rafa Nadal beat Roger Federer yesterday at Roland Garros to win his sixth French Open tennis final and in doing so equals a record set by Bjorn Borg.

Nadal looked likely to win in three straight sets but Federer played some amazing tennis to winning the third set 7-5 from being 4-2 down at one point.  But the comeback was not to be completed and Nadal went on to win the match 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-1.

In the semi-finals Nadal beat Andy Murray, while Federer became the first person to beat Novak Djokovic in 2011.  Rafa Nadal remains number one in the men’s tennis world rankings.

On Saturday 29-year-old Li Na became the first Chinese tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament when she beat the fifth seed Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-6 (7-0).  This follows her Australian Open final defeat in January.

After winning the French Open told reporters:

“It’s a dream come true because China never had a Grand Slam champion, so that’s why so many players in China are working so hard. The dream is you can be the top player or win the Grand Slam.”

The current men’s tennis world number one player, Novak Djokovic continued his amazing unbeaten run to 39 matches, 37 matches in 2011.

Novak Djokovic won 6-4 6-4 in a very comfortable win over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Rome Masters yesterday. Djokovic was in complete control of the match and had Rafa Nadal doing much of the running.  Nadal was completely outplayed, not an easy thing to do, in a one-sided game.

The Rome Masters is the latest championship won by Djokovic this year that already includes Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and the Australian Open.

If Djokovic continues this great form he has every chance to break the record of consecutive victories which is currently held by Guillermo Vilas when he won 46 consecutive matches, set in 1977.

Maria Sharapova returned to winning ways as she won her first tour title since Strasbourg in May 2010 as she beat Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the Women’s Tennis final of the Rome Masters on Saturday.

Rain delayed the start of the women’s final, and Stosur, ranked seventh in the world, was slow to start and Maria Sharapova, currently ranked eighth in the world, won the first set without much resistance.

Stosur put up competitive fight in the second set but it was not enough. The Russian 24 year-old, who has suffered with a shoulder injury and not won a grand slam since the 2008 Australian Open, went on to win 6-2 6-4.

Ian Poulter

Sports psychology has been around for many years but over the past few years there has been an increase in various aids to help golfers concentrate and focus their mind including the wearing of wrist bands.  Power Balance® is one such product. The band is made of durable coloured rubber with a hologram on either side.  The Power Balance® wrist band is allegedly “designed to react positively with your body’s natural energy field.”

Their website states people have reported improved performance when wearing the product and have experienced improved game performance when wearing Power Balance®.

Among the many sports men and women that are wearing Power Balance® wrist bands are footballers David Beckham and Darren Bent, F1 driver Rubens Barichello, pro golfers Ian Poulter, Hunter Mahan and Ricky Barnes, tennis players Victoria Azarenka and Mardy Fish, and members of the London Wasps and England Cricket teams.

“I have been wearing a Power Balance bracelet for the past few months now and I love it. It allows me to play golf at a higher level. In fact, I wear the bracelet both on and off the golf course. Plus, they are stylish and allow me to add a little flair to my outfits.” Ian Poulter – Golf

Sceptics will question the claims made by the company and how wearing a bracelet can affect your performance; and there will always be those who don’t believe in something without scientific proof.

I’ve been wearing the wrist band on and off over the past week and wonder if it actually works or that wearing it makes me believe I should feel more focused in what I am doing.

Because the company suggest the Power Balance® may not work for everyone the product is sold with a no-quibble money-back guarantee.

The Power Balance® is available from www.powerbalanceuk.com priced £29.99.

One of the biggest growing sectors to emerge over the internet in the last decade is online sports betting, along with all forms of online gaming and gambling this sector has grown beyond belief, particularly since the global financial crisis took hold.

It is difficult to find a publication, online, in print or even on television that doesn’t carry advertisements from the top bookmakers offering free bets and the like to entice you into their own particular portal.

For the casual gambler or anyone new to the game the choice of which online bookie to choose is a minefield, each will tempt you with special offers and freebies but how do you know when you are being offered the best deal.

If you were in the market for insurance for example, you would probably head for your favourite insurance comparison site to check for the best deals, but who can help you to compare the many and varied online betting sites that are available to choose from.

Fortunately there is a website that compares the best betting sites for you, which could save you diving head first into the unknown by signing up with the first bookmaker you see because their initial offer looks to good to miss. It is well worth taking time out to make comparisons and find out what you are really likely to be signing up for.

The huge amount of competition in the online sports betting sector is good news for the gambler , the top companies are very aware of their competitors offers which means that there are a lot of good prices available across the board as well as the many generous welcome offers.

One area that can often be overlooked in this sector is customer service, which is of course crucial if you are entrusting anyone with your bet. They will, after all, be handling your money, so you want the best service and peace of mind that you can get so be sure to check out user reviews to see how your bookmaker compares.

Historically sports betting has always attempted to keep ahead of the game by offering punters various forms of accumulator bets and the like, but these days it is possible to place a bet on the most simple things such as who will win the first throw in or corner in a football match.

This in turn has added to the excitement of gambling and online sports betting fans are able to place bets on almost anything they choose as the event is taking place.

Compare the sites, place your bets and good luck, but remember to always act responsibly and do not gamble more than you can afford to lose!

Wheelchair Rugby star Mandip Sehmi

The latest instalment of the London 2012 Olympics mascot film – ‘Adventures on a Rainbow’  – was launched today featuring cartoon versions of Wheelchair Rugby star Mandip Sehmi and other GB athletes meeting mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.  Like the first episode, the story is written by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and follows the mascots as they continue on their sporting adventure across the UK, inspiring young people to take up sport.

Sehmi was on hand for a screening of the film as he opened the new London 2012 Shop in Heathrow T5, the first to open at an airport.  Joining him for the screening were pupils from London 2012 Get Set Network school Cranford Primary School in Hounslow.  The full four-minute film can be seen on the London 2012 website, www.london2012.com/mascots, and is being screened on the London 2012 Live Sites – a network of big screens across the UK.

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chair, said: ‘The exciting new film, which we launched today at a screening in our new London 2012 Shop in Heathrow T5, follows Wenlock and Mandeville who have beentravellingaround the UK meeting sports stars, children at schools in the London 2012 ‘Get Set’ education programme and community groups and inspiring young people to choose sport as we head towards the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

‘Adventures on a Rainbow’ is the second London 2012 Mascots film and Wenlock and Mandeville as they travel around the UK on their journey to the London 2012 Games, meeting new people and trying out the sports.  The story is written by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and the film is produced by Crystal CG, the Official Digital Imaging Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.