Nadal shrugs off talk of world's best

PARIS: Rafael Nadal insists his standing as the world's second best player is accurate, but many who witnessed his French Open humiliation of Roger Federer believe the king's crown sits on the wrong head.

Federer looking forward to Wimbledon

PARIS: Roger Federer is counting on the green, green grass of Wimbledon to help him bury the memory of the worst defeat of his career and a miserable first half of the year.

Boost from Gasol vital if Lakers to rebound

LOS ANGELES: Pau Gasol, whose February arrival helped lift the Los Angeles Lakers into the National Basketball Association Finals, must raise his performance if his team is to rally against the Boston Celtics.

Top French Gasquet pulls out of Beijing

PARIS: French No 1 Richard Gasquet on Sunday said he will not take part in the Beijing Olympics joining fellow world top 10 player Andy Roddick in pulling out.

Top shot

Detroit goalie Hasek retires

Euro 2008

Podolski admits to split loyalties

KLAGENFURT, Austria: Polish-born forward Lukas Podolski admitted he was suffering from divided loyalties after his goals sealed a 2-0 win that sank Poland and launched the German's Euro 2008 campaign.

Greece keen to show 2004 win was no fluke

SALZBURG: Greece will be eager to prove its surprise 2004 triumph was no fluke when it launches its European Championships title defense against Sweden on Tuesday.

Absences hurt Russian hopes against Spain

NEUSTIFT, Austria: Russia's chances of upsetting highly fancied Spain in its Euro 2008 opener on Tuesday will be undermined by the absence of playmaker Andrei Arshavin and striker Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Senna - a Brazilian out for Spanish Euro gold

NEUSTIFT, Austria: The most successful footballing nation in history has no place at the European Championships - but one Brazilian is still hoping to triumph on the Old Continent at Euro 2008.

Coach Bilic says best is yet to come from Croatia

VIENNA: Croatia coach Slaven Bilic claimed his team would improve after narrowly hanging on to a 1-0 win over co-hosts Austria in their opening Group B clash in Vienna.

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