Sports Betting Blog

It took the Swiss Maestro four sets to beat the defending champion, but once again, Roger Federer is trying to prove that he still got what it takes to get back to the top of the sport. And he just might. Earlier today, Roger Federer was facing Novak Djokovic at Centre Court. He knows very well how it feels to be here, what it takes to be successful at the All English Club. Knowing well that Rafael Nadal was out of the picture and that if he managed to defeat the Serb, he will meet either Andy Murray or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday’s final, Roger Federer made sure to play this matchup as if it was the championship game. He has won the Wimbledon Championships 6 times, and is now officially going to make it to the final for the 8^th time. The only time he lost at a Wimbledon Final was back in 2008 when he lost game 5 to Rafa Nadal.

Federer made the best of the matchup against the No. 1 ranked player in the world. At the end, the six time Wimbledon Champion defeated Djokovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. As of press time, it looks as if it is going to be Andy Murray who will be facing Federer in the final. This is Murray’s first trip into the Wimbledon Finals. As a matter of fact, this is the first time a British has made it into the final since 1938. Oh yeah, the crowd can’t be as static to see one of their own holding a chance to win the Championships. Then again, Murray has not won a single Grand Slam and before him, will be standing no other than Roger Federer, a player who has won 16, and is just one tennis matchup away from reaching a record breaking 17^th Grand Slam win, tie Pete Sampras for his 7^th Wimbledon Championship, a record they will share with a player from the 1880’s William Renshaw. As if that was not enough, if Federer wins the Wimbledon Trophy, he will take over the No.1 spot in the rankings currently held by Djokovic and tie Sampras record of 286 week as the top ranked player in the world.

So things are looking very, extremely, well for Roger Federer. And defeating Novak Djokovic in the semis is going to give Federer the needed stamina to close the deal in the final. Sure enough, there is still a chance that Murray or Tsonga could pull off one heck of an upset. But it’s just not too likely. Despite Murray having all the support from the local crowd, Federer is looking very well and he never showed a sign of the back pains that have slowed him down in the past. Federer realizes that there is a lot at stake for him. “There’s obviously a lot on the line for me in terms of winning here, the all-time Grand Slam record, world No. 1,” Federer said in the press conference after defeating Djokovic. “I’m also going into that match with some pressure, but I’m excited about it. That’s what I play for.”

It’s pretty hard to believe, and it has certainly come as an unexpected move, but even though they just still can’t really make it official, the two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash will be joining the LA Lakers for the next three seasons. But before he committed to the Lakers in this sign-and-trade deal, Steve Nash got on the phone with Kobe Bryant to make sure they were both in the same page. Let’s not forget that these two guys have hold a very fierce rivalry throughout the years. They both have had their chance to shine in the spotlight of the Western Conference, and yet, Steve has not been able to find a way to reach a championship. After this bold move, he might have the crew to pull it off before he retires.

Both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are veteran players with plenty of experience. And this overall really seems like a good move. For starters, the Lakers are going to finally have a talented and truly experienced point guard in their starting lineup. It might take them a while to get used to the new system, but deep down inside it really makes sense to get the ball off Kobe’s hands and into a player that has had more assists in the last three seasons than any other player. The thing here is that Nash is going to get plenty of good looks to assits the Lakers two big guys, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and hopefully give them the clever fast paced game that these guys need to deal against younger and more athletic teams such as the LA Clippers and the recently raised to stardom Oklahoma City Thunder.

In a radio interview Steve Nash went ahead and gave a couple of details about his call with Kobe. “For me, it was important to speak to him and make sure he was completely on board, and that he could kind of visualize this as being a good fit, and being excited about it. So I spoke to him.” It became evident that he wasn’t going to sign before checking with the franchise player. “Kobe, he was great. He was excited, and explained to me how he thought it would help, and why he thought it would be great, and I think a lot of the reasons he had were ones I could already envision before speaking to him.” And that is certainly a plus. Perhaps Nash is exactly what the Lakers need to put up a better fight against Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden over at the Thunder.

Steve Nash will be given a three-year deal worth an estimated $27 million. The Lakers, well over the salary and luxury tax levels, can absorb Nash into the trade exception created when they dealt Lamar Odom to Dallas last December. But heck, this is one of those big market teams that can take these sort of economic risks. And let’s face it, this is a great chance for both Bryant and Nash to work out their system and get another championship win. The 38-year-old point guard deserves to reach his retirement with at least one championship ring. This is his best chance yet.