Novak Djokovic

 

For nine whole months, from August right the way through to May, football dominated the back pages of every national newspaper. Now tennis takes centre stage, for two weeks at least, as The All England Lawn Tennis Club hosts the 125th Wimbledon Championships from June 20 right through to July 3, a date when many restless natives hope a British competitor will be crowned champion for the first time since Fred Perry’s 1936 triumph.

The hopes of an entire nation will once again rest solely on the shoulders of World Number 4 Andy Murray, whom arrives at The Championships in fine form having reached the semi-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros earlier in the month, while shortly after he was victorious at the AEGON Championships – an event held at Queen’s Club on grass – for a second time, beating a strong field that contained World Number 1 Rafael Nadal.

Speaking of the Spaniard, who, as was to be expected, has been confirmed as the number one seed and will head into the oldest and most prestigious of the four Grand Slams ranked number one in the world, Nadal will be defending the title he won a year ago against an ultra competitive field that includes six-time winner Roger Federer, 2011 Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and, of course, Wimbledon favourite – with the home fans that is – Andy Murray.

 

The Draw

Andy Murray‘s hopes of ending his barren streak in Grand Slams was dealt a blow when he was drawn in an extremely difficult quarter, as well as the same half as World Number 1 and defending Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, whom he lost to in straight sets recently in the semi-finals of the French Open. The Scot also faces several potentially awkward encounters before he books a mouthwatering last-four date with the Spaniard, with Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet, Stanislas Wawrinka and two-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick all in his quarter.

Nadal will be relatively pleased with how the draw panned out. He will begin the defence of his title against American Michael Russell, but could face a couple of tricky opponents before catching sight of a possible semi-final clash with Britain’s Andy Murray. Juan Martin Del Potro is his likely opponent in the Fourth Round, while there could be a possible repeat of last year’s final on the cards in the quarter-finals with Tomas Berdych.

No one will be more elated with the draw than six-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer, who should stroll into the semi-finals. His only potential banana skin comes in the form of France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whom he could meet in the last-eight. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut famously played out the longest match in Grand Slam history twelve months ago and will battle it out once again, this time in the opening round, with the pair in the same quarter as Federer.

World Number 2, Novak Djokovic, will kick-start his Wimbledon campaign against France’s Jeremy Chardy and could meet big-serving South African Kevin Anderson in the second round. In the fourth round, however, Britain’s James Ward could await provided the 24-year-old overcomes Michael Llodra in the First Round, probably Brazil’s Richard Mello in the second, before a likely and tough Third Round clash with Serbian Viktor Troicki or Spain’s Tommy Robredo.

Full Wimbledon Men’s Draw (Wimbledon’s official website)

 

Betting

Just one shy of equalling Pete Sampras’ feat of seven Wimbledon titles, World Number 3, Roger Federer (13/5 BetFred), IS NOT the bookies favourite. And there are no prizes for guessing who is, and it isn’t an on-song Serbian by the name of Novak Djokovic (10/3 PaddyPower), whom has only lost one match in 2011 thus far.

Rafael Nadal (9/4 PaddyPower) edges favouritism with most firms as the Spaniard seeks to add to his ten Grand Slams by securing his third Wimbledon title, defending his 2010 crown in the process. But his quarter-final exit at the AEGON Championships at the hands of Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsgona (90/1 Betfair) – a dangerous opponent for anyone when on form – has casts doubts over his ability to go the distance for a second consecutive year. His usually unrivalled stamina and fitness levels have also been brought into question after several sluggish displays at Queen’s Club less than two weeks prior to Wimbledon, an absurd statement when you consider how superhuman he is in the long, endurance-sapping rallies, and how it is almost unheard of to see Rafa downed in the five-set format.

The man of the moment as far as 2011 is concerned has been World Number 2 Novak Djokovic, whom could dislodge Nadal from the summit of the ATP Rankings should he out-perform the irresistible Spaniard from Majorca. Djokovic has never reached a Wimbledon final previously, but he’s a two-time Australian Open champion and is enjoying the best spell of his career at present.

Lastly, there is Great Britain’s one hope – and I do mean ONE HOPE, Andy Murray (6/1 WilliamHill). The Scot is still to get his hands on one of those four coveted Grand Slams – he has tasted defeat in two Australian Open finals and one US Open, all in straight sets – but could 2011 be his year? Yep, expect more clichés just like that over the next fortnight as Murray fever consumes us all – resistance will prove futile.

So what about the rest of the pack? There are some definite banana skins out there, while some are even capable of going all the way, in my opinion at least. Juan Martin Del Potro (60/1 Betfair) is a US Open champion, Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga (90/1 Betfair) an Australian Open winner, fifth seed Robin Soderling (70/1 Betfair) a French Open finalist, Andy Roddick (80/1 Betfair) a two-time Wimbledon runner-up, while Czech’s Tomas Berdych (80/1 Betfair) was last year’s beaten finalist. It’s a big ask for them all to overhaul a formidable group, the Big Four in tennis, but grass is an intriguing factor in that it isn’t everyone’s favourite surface and I have a sneaky suspicion we could be braced for a shock this year.

 

Big Four Profiles

Rafael Nadal

Age: 25
Nationality: Spanish
ATP Ranking: 1
Seed: 1
Wimbledon Best: Winner in 2008 & 2010
Potential Route to Final – (1R) Michael Russell; (2R) Ryan Sweeting; (3R) Milos Raonic; (4R) Juan Martin Del-Potro; (QF) Tomas Berdych; (SF) Andy Murray

Last year’s Wimbledon winner, recently crowned French Open champion for a record-equalling sixth time, and winner of ten Grand Slams – six shy of Roger Federer, many believe Nadal will take all the beating despite not being at his glistening best in 2011. Plus, he clearly has the beating of his Swiss arch rival, having won nine of the previous eleven encounters, though has tasted defeat to World Number 2 Novak Djokovic twice already this year.

Odds – 9/4 PaddyPower

Novak Djokovic

Age: 24
Nationality: Serbian
ATP Ranking: 2
Seed: 2
Wimbledon Best: Semi-Final in 2007 & 2010
Potential Route to Final - (1R) Jeremy Chardy; (2R) Kevin Anderson; (3R) James Blake; (4R) Viktor Troicki; (QF) Robin Soderling; (SF) Roger Federer

The Serbian ace has been prolific in 2011, with his only major defeat coming against six-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer in the semi-final of the French Open. However grass isn’t his favourite surface and although he has reached the last-four on two separate occasions, in 2007 & 2010, he has been susceptible to shock defeats, bowing out in just the Second Round back in 2008 to Marat Safin, while he succumbed to defeat at the quarter-final stage courtesy of Germany’s Tommy Haas the following year.

Odds – 10/3 PaddyPower

Roger Federer

Age: 29
Nationality: Swiss
ATP Ranking: 3
Seed: 3
Wimbledon Best: Winner in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2009 (6)
Potential Route to Final - (1R) Mikhail Kukushkin; (2R) Adrian Mannarino; (3R) David Nalbandian; (4R) Mikhail Youzhny; (QF) J0-Wilfried Tsonga; (SF) Novak Djokovic

The man needs little introduction, with so many of the firm belief that Roger Federer, whom has sixteen Grand Slams to his name, six of which are Wimbledon titles, is the greatest Tennis player to have ever lived – and it’s mighty difficult to argue with that. However, he does have one major flaw and that’s his woeful record against his arch nemesis, World Number 1 Rafael Nadal. Furthermore, Federer isn’t anywhere near as dominant on this surface as he once was, suffering many scares in recent visits to The All England Club including a quarter-final defeat to Czech’s Tomas Berdych twelve months ago.

Odds – 13/5 BetFred

Andy Murray

Age: 24
Nationality: British
ATP Ranking: 4
Seed: 4
Wimbledon Best: Semi-Final in 2009 & 2010
Potential Route to Final - (1R) Daniel Gimeno-Traver; (2R) Tobias Kamke; (3R) Marin Cilic; (4R) Richard Gasquet; (QF) Andy Roddick; (SF) Rafael Nadal

He’ll certainly have the full support of the entire nation, let alone the crowds at Wimbledon, and that’s a definite positive. However, Murray has never really threatened to break his Grand Slam duct at Wimbledon, with his game more suited to hard courts – his three Grand Slam final appearances were at the US Open and Australian Open. Plus, he has too often, frustratingly so, crumbled in the latter stages of tournaments. Hopefully, his recent capture of the AEGON Championship – coming from a set down to beat France’s Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga – will inspire the Scot as he aims to end both his and Great Britain’s Grand Slam hoodoo.

Odds – 6/1 WilliamHill

 

My Picks

Winner (Nap): Andy Murray @ 6/1 WilliamHill

After seeing the draw, it’s almost impossible to envisage Roger Federer not being thereabouts on what is arguably his best surface. At the odds, though, I’m really not interested. And the same applies to Rafael Nadal, who looked suspect and out of sorts at the AEGON Championships, and wasn’t entirely convincing at the French Open either, despite reigning supreme on the red stuff yet again.

Instead, preference is for home favourite Andy Murray. Yes, he has wilted under the immense media pressure and spotlight in previous Grand Slams, losing in straight sets in all three of his previous Grand Slam final appearances, but the sheer fact he’s getting into more and more finals is an encouraging sign – especially as I would strongly back Murray to win a Wimbledon final on what is basically his own turf, in front of what would be a partisan crowd.

There are only a select few better at returning, or sticking with the big-hitters of today, while his stamina levels have improved no-end. Moreover, mentally he should be in the zone following his capture of the AEGON Championship just seven days prior to Wimbledon.

Winner: Juan Martin Del Potro @ 60/1 Betfair

This is undoubtedly his weaker surface, but we’re talking about a world-class player here, a 2009 US Open Champion – beating Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals before overhauling Federer in the show-piece, becoming the only man in the process to have ever beaten both the Spaniard and Swiss ace at the same Grand Slam event.

Granted he has failed to even make it past the first two rounds in his two previous visits to The All England Club, and granted he is in the same quarter as Nadal, but he possess a powerful serve, an incredible array of shots and an explosive forehand. At just 22-years-of-age, there is still plenty of scope for improvement and there is little doubt in my mind that he could be the joker in the pack.

 

2011 Mens Wimbledon Betting (Outright)

Rafael Nadal – 9/4 PaddyPower
Roger Federer – 13/5 BetFred
Novak Djokovic – 10/3 PaddyPower
Andy Murray – 6/1 WilliamHill
Juan Martin Del-Porto – 60/1 Betfair
Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga – 90/1 Betfair
Robin Soderling – 70/1 Betfair
Andy Roddick – 80/1 Betfair
Tomas Berdych – 80/1 Betfair
100-1 Bar The Rest

 

Wimbledon 2009

 

 

It’s that time of the year once again where each and every Brit in the country looks in desperation for someone to pin all their hopes and expectations on and of course this year, Andy Murray will have the honour or shall we say burden. Tim Henman persistently failed to reach the heights everyone demanded when it came to Wimbledon but for the first time in many a year, Great Britain actually has a real chance of celebrating a home-grown winner.

The withdrawal of current Wimbledon champions Rafael Nadal will obviously help his cause although could be a double edged sword. The pressure on Murray to do well will now increase dramatically as Nadal was in Andy Murray’s side of the draw. There is of course a few potential banana skins left in his side, none more so then the Argentinian in Juan Martin Del Potro, but even he does look too threatening, especially on a surface which Murray should be more then comfortable on.

 

Enough with Andy Murray, mainly because his odds to win the whole thing are hardly jaw-dropping, but mainly so we can have a brief gander at some of the outsiders who may spring a shock in this years tournament. The women’s draw does look a lot more open then the Men’s although it’s hard to look past the William sisters who have dominated proceedings in recent years. Since 2000 there have been just two winners which weren’t either Serena of Venus William’s so it would be an understatement to say that this is their preferred surface and venue.

However, from an English point of view, we will pin our hopes on the 15 year-old – Laura Robson. We can’t see here winning Wimbledon as she is still developing but she certainly has bags of potential and we expect to her to learn a lot from this years wild card entry into the competition.

 

 

Matt’s Tournament Tips:

 

 

Winner – Andy Murray

 

Yes, i know i said his odds weren’t great but we managed to get on him at 6/1 pre-Nadal retirement. He has shortened massively and you’ll be fortunate to get around 3/1 for the Scot. Those odds aren’t huge by anyone’s standards but with the absence of Nadal, Murray really should sail through the early rounds and the final does appear to beckon. Providing he does get to the final itself, he would more then likely face Roger Federer. A player Murray has seen off in his last four meetings with the Swiss supremo so Murray has the credentials to make this tournament his own.

 

A possible flaw in the Murray express maybe the fact that us as a nation are expecting too much. Murray has the potential to win Wimbledon but never before i have seen so many expectant tennis fans. Murray is a feisty character to say the very least so he should hold his nerve.

 

Best Odds: 3.75 SportingBet

 

 

Winner – Novak Djokovic

 

I know we’ve already posted Andy Murray as a possible winner of Wimbledon but at odds of around 16/1, Novak Djokovic simply cannot be missed. The Serb has had a difficult few weeks or so, none more then his early exit at the French losing in straight sets to German Philip Kohlscreiber.

However, Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the better players on the tour and has reached as far as the Semi-Finals in 2007. He will have to overcome a rejuvenated Roger Federer along the way but his odds to win the entire competition is mouthwatering and we’ve sold the kitchen sink to get some action.

 

Novak has by far the easiest quarter in our honest opinion, with only Tommy Haas shaping up as any real threat. We fully expect a Djokovic – Federer Semi and that could make or break our Tennis pot.

 

Best Odds: 16/1 Betfair

 

 

1^st Quarter Winner – Nikolay Davydenko

 

We did mention above that the obvious threat to Murray’s bid to reach the final does appear, on paper, Juan Martin Del Potro. However, he is slightly unproven on Grass. With that said, so is my pick. Davydenko is one of my favourite players although he doesn’t fare too well on grass. The fourth round is the furtherest he has gone in any previous Wimbledon. A plus point for this selection is that there are very few danger players in his side of the draw apart from the big serving Andy Roddick. He will be the big obstacle Nikolay will need to overcome if he has any ambitions of progressing further then ever before in this prestigious tournament.

 

Best Odds: 25/1 BetFred

 

 

 

Women’s Winner – Elena Dementieva

 

The number 4 seed does look a spot of value here despite looking to posses a tough draw. She hasn’t had the best of seasons and was rather fortunate to have gotten to the third round at the French before eventually losing to Samantha Stosur, who evidentially went on to reach the Semi-Finals. Her warm up at the AEGON championships just before Wimbledon didn’t go to plan losing in just the second round to Virginie Razzano, a player she could meet early on. The 26 year old still has talent and we are willing to put a-side her poor year thus far and back the Russian to come good at tasty looking odds.

 

Best Odds: 33/1 SportingBet

 

 

 

 

2009 French Open – Roland Garros

 

 

With the football drawing to a close, i will start concentrating on the tennis over the coming weeks. The French Open at Roland Garros has already kick-off but the biggest tournaments of them all will once again bless our TV screens next month as Wimbledon takes centre stage at the All England Club. The British fans will be resting all their hopes and expectations onto the shoulders of a reformed Andy Murray as he returns to what is probably his favoured surface. Every tournament has a crowd favourite but i don’t think I’ve ever seen a nation come together then the British fans. The support Tim Henman had year in, year out was sensational. The scary thing as far as the tourists are concerned is that Andy Murray is in all honesty a whole lot better then Tin Henman ever was and we’re sure Murray Mountain will be full to the brim whenever the lad from Dunblaine is in action.

 

Andy Murray has had a terrific season thus far winning three singles titles. Doha, Rotterdam and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami have all been added to his C.V. And he will now be desperate to land the Wimbledon crown while he’s at his peak, which is safe to say he is right now. However, he maybe having his best six or so months in his career but he’s never been a big fan of the clay surface and we can’t see him making too many in-rodes in this tournament.

 

I will briefly give my view on who i think will be the biggest danger to Nadal’s French supremacy although i can’t see anyone halting the Nadal express at Roland Garros.

 

 

Rafael Nadal – 4/11 SportingBet to WIN OUTRIGHT

 

No matter how unattractive Nadal’s odds look, you simply can’t find a legitimate reason why this kid cannot win his sixth French Open title. Roger Federer did cast a few doubts over his capabilities by beating the clay court master at the Madrid Masters. However, a huge factor was Nadal’s three set slog with Serbian Novak Djokovic just a few hours before. He still put in a valiant effort despite losing 6-4, 6-4 but believe me when i say it, he will be back to his brilliant best this week and i expect him to sail through the early rounds.

 

Draw Details: Does have the easiest of draws. He won’t meet anyone decent until the Quarter-FInal’s where he will more then likely meet Russian Nikolay Davydenko. Although from a British perspective, he will meet Andy Murray in the Semi-Final’s were both to reach that far in the tournament.

 

Matt’s Prediction – WINNER

 

 

 

Andy Murray – 20/1 SkyBet to WIN OUTRIGHT

 

The bad news for Murray is Nadal is in the same draw as world number one Rafael Nadal. The good news is he won’t meet him until the Semi’s so there is a good chance that Murray could progress further then he has ever done at Roland Garros but I’m not too sure he will handle himself around the French clay courts. However, Murray does have a very easy draw in our opinion and we can’t really see any potential banana skins for the Scotsman. He was impressive inn his first round match with Juan Ignacio Chela winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. The pressure is on him to go far but at the price, we don’t see a lot of value.

 

Draw Details: Very easy draw. Easier of the top four actually. It would be a massive disappointment if he wasn’t to reach the Semi’s at least but will he handle the expectations?

 

Matt’s Prediction – Murray NOT TO WIN FIRST QUARTER (Basically not reach the Semi-Finals) LAY 6/5 BetFair

 

 

 

Gael Monfils – 450/1 Betfair to WIN OUTRIGHT

 

The Frenchman is my value pick of the entire tournament at a whooping 450/1. I’ve got minimum stakes on him with Betfair but for a potential huge return. At 193 cm tall and just 22 years of age, Monfils is an upcoming star but is known for his inconsistency. Has yet to win any titles this season although he is 10^th in the world and his price tag doesn’t do him much justice. He reached as far as the Semi-Final last year where he eventually lost to Roger Federer, a player he will play at the Quarter Final stage were he to get that far. He can literally beat anyone on his day although you would need to hope he puts his all into every match this week else he could come a cropper.

 

Draw Details: Very tough draw indeed. Will have to get the better of Roger Federer if he reaches the Quarter-Finals and even if he does that, he will then need to beat world number 4 Novak Djokovic who has been pretty sublime on clay this year.

 

Matt’s Prediction – Gael Monfils to WIN FOURTH QUARTER (Basically reach the Semi-Finals) 25/2 Betfair

 

 

 

Novak Djokovic – 8/1 SportingBet to WIN OUTRIGHT

 

The Serbian poses the biggest threat to Nadal’s stranglehold on the French crown. He has pushed the Spanish starlet on several occasions this year and none more so then at Madrid. It was a gruelling three sets which seen Djokovic suffer his 14^th defeat at the hands of the world number one. A huge mental blow is the fact that Djokovic has lost four times on clay to Nadal just this year so he will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat somewhat if he is to overhaul Nadal’s vastly superior head-to-head record. We think he will go mighty close though and should make the Semi-Final’s.

 

Draw Details: Very, very tough draw. Has several tough opponents his could meet. Tsonga, Baghdatis, and Jaun Del Porto could all push him mighty close but he has obvious class and should see them all off.

 

Matt’s Prediction - To REACH THE FINAL 6/4 Betfair

 

 

Monday’s fancies:

 

Roger Federer to WIN 3-0 V Alberto Martin – 1/5 PaddyPower

 

Paul Henri-Mathieu NOT TO WIN 3-0 V Laurent Recouderc – LAY 1.92 Betfair

 

Fabio Fognini to WIN V Igor Andreev – 6/4 Bet365