The US Open Tennis Championship begins August 30, 2010. Last year’s champion, del Potro has withdrawn due to wrist surgery; Serena Williams due to a foot injury. Here are the rankings:

MEN
No.1: Rafael Nadal , Spain, No.2: Roger Federer, Switzerland, No.3: Novak Djokovic, Serbia, No.4: Andy Murray, Great Britain, No.5: Robin Soderling, Sweden, No.6: Nikolay Davydenko, Russia, No.7: Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, No.8: Fernando Verdasco, Spain, No.9 Andy Roddick, United States, No.10: David Ferrer, Spain.

The odds for the Men’s US Open Tennis Scores are: 9/4 Federer; 10/3 Nadal: 3/1 Murray; 14/1 Djokovic; 16/1 Roddick; 25/1 Soderling; 25/1 Berdych; and 25/1 Nalbandian

WOMEN

No.1: Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, No.2: Kim Clijisters, Belgium, No.3: Venus Williams, United States, No.4: Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, No.5: Sam Stosur, Australia, No.6: Francesca Schiavone, Italy, No.7: Vera Zvonareva, Russia, No.8: Li Na, China, No.9: Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, No. 10. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus.

The Women’s US Open Betting Favorites sans Serena is Kim Clijsters (+300), Maria Sharapova (+550), Venus Williams (+700). In the 2nd Tier the contenders are Caroline Wozniacki (+1200), Samantha Stosur (+1400), and Jelena Jankovic (+1600). The Longshots are: Elena Dementieva (+2000), and Victoria Azarenka (+2000).

The US Open Tennis Open pick is Venus Williams and its between Federer and Nadal .

Riding bikes has always been a popular recreational activity for people from all backgrounds and economic statuses. One of the first things children want to do, well in addition to playing video games, is to learn to ride a bike. And this process, as well as the first successful attempt, is one of the great memories most people take into their adult lives. With the importance bicycles have traditionally played in American society, it makes perfect sense that the growing trend is to integrate them as much as possible into daily transportation options.

One of the ways that this can be most effectively accomplished is through electric bike conversion . There is a nice variety of quality electric motors available that can be attached to almost any make of bicycle and allow it to transition to electric power when desired. Some of these are different sizes and weights and are attached to various parts of the bike, though that means part of the wheel or chain units. There is also a range of prices for them and while all of these options might seem confusing, there are qualified sales staff to guide you through the process. And if you don’t want to tackle the installation on your own, this can usually be done too for a small fee.

Portland is a green city. Well, that’s an obvious statement for anyone who has ever been there and noticed all of the lush and beautiful foliage, trees and gardens. However, it is also green in the environmental sense. And if that’s a strong statement to make about any city it can be modified to acknowledging that many of the city’s residents are extremely health, fitness and environmentally oriented. And now one might think that would be obvious in such a naturally beautiful city, and it is. Part of what many people do on a daily basis to keep them fit physically, mentally and also spiritually is to engage in a tai chi or yoga workout.

There are many studios and private instructor lessons that provide all levels of tai chi exercise to participants of all ages. The Tai Chi Foundation is a well respected organization with a school in Portland. They take a holistic approach to the art and emphasize the emotional balancing aspects of this practice. The Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA is another well respected establishment with a branch in Portland. It has various levels of training and practice lessons. It is not uncommon to see people in some of the city’s beautiful parks practicing this ancient art. The Portland luxury hotels will have information on where guests can participate in a local class.

Sometimes a professional sports stars personal life is as interesting as is their professional career. Oftentimes the lives of sports and other stars are full of drama and controversy, as is currently being demonstrated by golfer Tiger Woods. These sensational news-breaking stories are sought out by the media and eaten up by the public. Sometimes their personal lives increase their notoriety and sometimes they damage their careers. While a personal controversy is unlikely to damper a professional athlete’s abilities it can be extremely crushing to sponsorships, which are usually the bulk of their income. Tennis player Andy Murray has already demonstrated some interesting and potentially controversial behaviors on the court, though his personal life has remained largely his own and has been less than sensational.

Murray has claimed the ranks of professional tennis players since he began playing professionally in 2005. He has countered some swiftrank recovery situations on the court, though his personal life has been somewhat less interesting. That is, to the public eye, not to Murray himself who seems to be a family oriented individual. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His maternal grandfather was a professional football player and Murray now sponsors two professional teams. One is the same team for which his grandfather Roy Erskine once played, Hibernian, and the other is the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Murray was linked romantically to Kim Sears, who is the daughter of the respected tennis coach Nigel Sears. They lived together in Surrey, England until their recent break up which was announced this month. Murray’s brother Jaime is also a professional tennis player. Murray has a lot of years left in his career and it is unknown now what direction his court personality and temperament may take. However, based on what we have seen from him up to this point, it may be suspected that his personal and family life may valued and important to him.