The sporting week ahead (12/06/11)

Today

England's senior footballers may be too tired to do anything bar log on to Twitter but Stuart Pearce's Under-21s have yet to be granted their summer holidays. Today sees the first match in their European Championship campaign in Denmark. But with Spain the opponents, don't expect too much chest-thumping. Elsewhere, the Canadian Grand Prix is one of the better circuits for overtaking, so it might be a lively affair rather than a dull procession.

Tomorrow

And so to tennis. Not so long ago the annual ladies' Wimbledon warm-up at Eastbourne seemed out for the count but this is the one area of British tennis that has really perked up. This year promises to be the best yet, with the Williams sisters back in town. Serena will get most of the cameras clicking in her first appearance since winning Wimbledon last year.

Tuesday

As if Clare Balding's fawning over The Queen at last week's Derby wasn't enough, she now has the chance to put out the bunting for Royal Ascot. Balding may be an excellent commentator, but is being a royal flunkey really part of the brief?

Wednesday

Sergeant Pearce will be prowling the dugout in Denmark again today, this time for the game against Ukraine.

Thursday

Last year it was G-Mac; could this be the moment for Wee Mac? Rory McIlroy will certainly be hoping to emulate his fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell in winning the US Open, which starts in Maryland. No Tiger means the Brits will be definitely on the prowl. Meanwhile, the size of the crowd could be the main point of interest when the Third Test against Sri Lanka starts at the Rose Bowl.

Friday

Just in case you thought the Premier League had gone away for a few weeks at least, next season's fixtures are released today. How about Swansea versus Wigan to really get the juices flowing?

Saturday

The organisers at Eastbourne will be hoping for an all-Williams finale, but don't be surprised if it's a couple of Russians with long legs and even longer syllables who make it through. Serena likes a proper stage and they don't come much bigger than Wimbledon next week.