Ajax sign Serbian brothers and give dad a job in package deal

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Alkmaar player Nemanja Gudelj

 Ajax Amsterdam have signed Serbia international Nemanja Gudelj from fellow Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, while also recruiting his younger brother and giving their dad a coaching job, the club said on Wednesday.

Ajax signed Nemanja on a five-year deal and the 23-year-old midfielder is the club's first major signing in preparation for next year's Champions League.

"The new season starts early for us at the end of July with a match in the preliminary round of the Champions League, so therefore it's important that we get our lineup in order as quickly as possible," coach Frank de Boer said on the club's website (www.ajax.nl).

"The arrival of Nemanja Gudelj is an important step in that process. We've decided we need a better physical presence in our lineup next season. Nemanja brings that and a winning mentality."

Ajax said Nemanja's 17-year-old brother Dragisa would join their reserve side and father Nebojsa will be on the coaching staff.

Nebojsa Gudelj, 46, played in the Netherlands and coached NAC Breda for two years until he was sacked last year.

Younus, Azhar tons put Pakistan on course for big total

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Pakistan's Younus Khan  Younus Khan and Azhar Ali struck centuries to punish a sloppy Bangladesh and power Pakistan to a strong 323 for three wickets on the first day of the second and final test on Wednesday. Younus (148) fell to the second new ball, having added 250 for the third wicket with Azhar (127 not out) as Pakistan laid the foundation for an imposing first innings total. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq was unbeaten on nine at stumps. Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and opted to field but the hosts suffered an early jolt as paceman Shahadat Hossain limped off after the second delivery of the match with an injury. Left with a depleted attack, Bangladesh still managed to send back openers Mohammad Hafeez (eight) and Sami Aslam (19) early to reduce Pakistan to 58 for two but let the visitors off the hook by overstepping on crucial deliveries. Azhar was caught at slip on 18 but was saved when replays showed bowler Mohammad Shahid's front foot had not landed behind the crease. Younus also got a reprieve on 78 when he was caught at short cover but part-time medium paceman Soumya Sarkar was found to have overstepped. The 37-year-old Younus was the more fluent of the pair, putting the sweep shot to good use against the spinners and was the first to reach triple figures, his 29th in tests, with a square drive for two off Sarkar. Shahid finally dismissed him when Younus, who hit 11 fours and three sixes in his knock, sliced a cut shot straight to the gully fielder. Pakistan's 50-over captain Azhar lofted left-arm spinner Taijul Islam for a four to bring up his eighth test hundred. Mushfiqur used nine bowlers in total to try and break the third-wicket stand between Younus and Azhar. Bangladesh blanked Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series and also won the lone Twenty20 match before drawing the first test at Khulna, despite conceding a huge first innings deficit.

We are not safe yet warns Hamburg coach Labbadia

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Hamburg SV's coach Bruno Labbadia Hamburg SV coach Bruno Labbadia has warned his team not to get carried away by the two straight wins that have lifted them out of the relegation zone and has urged them to finish the job against rivals Freiburg on Friday. Hamburg, the only team to spend every season in the Bundesliga since the top flight league's creation in 1963, spent most of the campaign at the wrong end of the table. Labbadia's arrival earlier this month signalled a change in fortunes for the former European champions, who have won two of their three matches under the new coach. "We are back in the race with two victories but we are still under pressure. We have to do it again now against an opponent who must be respected," he told reporters on Wednesday. "So it will be intense. "Obviously, the atmosphere can be extremely important in carrying us but at the end of the day we have to perform on the pitch." Hamburg, who spent more than 25 million euros ($28.07 million) on players in the close season, are 14th on 31 points, only one point above both the relegation playoff spot that Freiburg occupy and 17th placed Hanover 96 in the drop zone. "Cup or battle for Europe, all this is nothing compared to the pressure to avoid relegation. The mental part is the toughest," said Labbadia, who is in his second spell with Hamburg. The northern club also play bottom side VfB Stuttgart before finishing the season at home to Schalke 04.

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Murray puts aside Munich success to concentrate on Madrid

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Andy Murray of Britain celebrates after winning the final match against Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany

 Andy Murray headed straight to the practice courts at
the Madrid Masters on Tuesday as the Scot came back down to earth a
day after winning his first career clay court title in Munich.
Murray, seeded second at the Caja Magica, is awaiting an opponent for
his second-round start on Wednesday - and the Scot needs every hour
he can squeeze in to try and make the huge adjustment from Munich's,
wet and rainy conditions to the dry altitude of the Spanish capital.
The ATP number three arrived after winning in Munich in a delayed
Monday final, but was facing a race against time to adjust to the
totally different courts of Madrid.
"It's nice to win events at any level. I hope I can have a good run
at one of the next two events, either here or Rome, and get myself
ready for the French," Murray said of his three-hour Munich win in
Monday's rain-delayed final over Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Should Kohlschreiber defeat qualifier Alejandro Fall in the first
round, he and Murray will clash for the second time in three days.
"It was an extremely tough match and a dramatic finish. That always
makes it a little bit nicer," said Murray, who has never been past
the quarter-finals on Madrid's clay. "This gives me a little bit more
confidence obviously with the French Open just a few weeks to go.
"(Winning on Munich clay) is obviously a positive for me, it was a
goal that I had for this year."
"Conditions last week were very different to what they are here.
Obviously I think a little bit more altitude here. But it's been
very warm. Last week it was very cold a lot of the days and raining.
"It's going to be a tricky turnaround. I practiced this afternoon,
and will just make the best of the time that I've got before my match
tomorrow."
In men's first-round play at the joint event, Bulgarian 10th seed
Grigor Dimitrov, a semi-finalist last week in Istanbul, began with an
easy win as American Donald Young retired trailing 3-0 in the second
set having lost the first 6-4.
French 13th seed Gael Monfils hammered Serb Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-0
while Argentine Leonardo Mayer advanced over Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-3.
On the women's side, third seed Maria Sharapova crushed Mariana Duque
of Colombia 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round, while 2011 winner
Petra Kvitova, seeded fourth, beat Coco Vandeweghe of the US 6-4,
2-6, 6-3
Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback after a 2014 filled with
injury, beating Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3.

Wolfsburg dismiss Guendogan interest; Kruse decision this week

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VfL Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs  Wolfsburg general manager Klaus Allofs on Tuesday dismissed speculation that the Bundesliga club was after Germany midfielder Ilkay Guendogan. "He is not an issue with us," Allofs said in response to a report in the local Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung which said the second-placed club was interested. Guendogan, 24, said last week he will not renew his contract at Borussia Dortmund, which expires in 2016. As a result Dortmund are expected to sell him in summer in order to get a transfer fee. Guendogan previously played in Nuremberg, also under Dieter Hecking who is now Wolfsburg coach. Wolfsburg however want Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Max Kruse whose advisor told Tuesday's Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung that a decision on his future club will be made this week. Reportedly also sought by England's Tottenham Hotspur, Kruse has a Gladbach contract until 2017 but that is said to include a buyout clause allowing him to leave in summer for 12 million euros (13.4 million dollars).

Pacquiao shoulder injury confirmed, surgery needed

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Manny Pacquiao after being defeated by Floyd Mayweather  Manny Pacquiao is to undergo shoulder surgery just days after losing to Floyd Mayweather in the richest fight in boxing history. "We have an MRI scan that confirms he has a rotator cuff tear. He has a significant tear," surgeon Neal ElAttrache told ESPN.com late Monday. After losing a unanimous decision to Mayweather in Las Vegas at the weekend, Pacquiao revealed he had fought despite a shoulder injury though he refused to blame the problem for his defeat. The Nevada State Athletic Commission refused Pacquiao permission to take an anti-inflammatory shot before the fight, saying he had not declared the injury in advance. This is disputed by the Pacquiao camp which maintains everything was done correctly. However, with Pacquiao now facing up to a year on the sidelines, his chances of a rematch with Mayweather have now vanished. Mayweather, still unbeaten after 48 professional fights, has said he intends to take on one more bout in September before retiring.