ATP Tennis Tour

Andy Murray will square off against Roger Federer in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The top eight players in the world, based on performances over the season, go head to head in the season finale which starts at the London 02 Arena on Sunday, November 21. The draw is split into two groups of four, with the top two players going through to the semi finals, and Murray has landed himself in a group, Group B, with Roger Federer, David Ferrer and Robin Soderling. This actually isn’t too bad of a group at all, which is played in a round robin format, for Murray. Murray has gotten the better of Federer a couple of times already this season, most recently in Shanghai, where the Scot beat Federer in the final of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. After slipping down one place in the World Rankings, as Swede Robin Soderling won in Paris on the weekend to leapfrog Murray into second place, Britain’s big tennis hope will be comfortable in front of the home crowd. Last year the 02 Arena housed a fantastic atmosphere for this event, and Murray has to be happy with the draw.

In the other group, world number one Rafael Nadal faces world number three Novak Djokovic, along with Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick. With just two places up for grabs, you have to fancy Nadal and Djokovic to get out of that. So Murray, with a kind draw, will be pretty hopeful of making the semi finals this year after missing out last year, even though he won two out of his three group matches. The big game will come against Federer of course, but with Soderling hitting form last week to win his first ever Masters 1000 title, it is not going to be an easy ride for Murray. It shouldn’t be, as these are the best performing tennis players of the year. While Murray hasn’t quite been his best over the past couple of weeks, he does, and should stand a good chance in London. He is still without a coach, as he is looking for the right one, and biding his time. It has been a year which the promise of fulfilment hasn’t quite been lived up to by Murray, but he has come close in flashes of brilliance. This would be a perfect way to round out the year.

In some useful betting stats, here are Andy Murray’s head to head against his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals group rivals.
Andy Murray 8, Roger Federer 5
Andy Murray 2, Robin Soderling 2
Andy Murray 1, David Ferrer 3

With Robin Soderling picking up a victory in Paris, his odds have been shifted and cut for the Barclays TP World Tour Finals. While that has happened, he is still considered an outsider, and that is because Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are in the tournament, and it is not going to change. Of the players contesting this year, Federer has won the title four times in his career and Novak Djokovic once. If any of the others win, it will be a first for them, including Rafael Nadal.

ATP World Tour Finals Outright Odds

Roger Federer: 11/4 at Boylesports
Rafael Nadal: 10/3 at Victor Chandler
Novak Djokovic: 21/4 at Unibet
Andy Murray: 6/1 at Unibet
Robin Soderling: 10/1 at Victor Chandler
Tomas Berdych: 34/1 at Bwin
David Ferrer: 59/1 at Bwin

Some good tennis betting action happening in the ATP this week, as the final ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season gets underway in Paris. The BNP Paribas Masters, Paris runs from November 7th to the 14th and is the last stop on the ATP regular season tour. The Masters 1000 tournaments are second only in prestige and importance to the Grand Slams. These are the tournaments in which the top stars are obligated to attend, and that always means that you can expect some cracking line ups. Yes, Andy Murray is back in action, after failing last week in the early stages of the Valencia Open, where he went to try and defend his title. The excitement for the Paris Masters is the fact that this the last chance some players have to bake it to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. There are still three spots up for grabs, as players look to join Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling at the end of year event. The players in the hunt for the final places are Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny and Jurgen Melzer. Watch out for them, as they really need to raise their games this week. There is plenty to play for, as well as the honour of winning an ATP Masters 1000 itself.

Roger Federer goes as top seed in Paris, and that is because world number one Rafael Nadal is not taking part because of a shoulder injury. Earlier this year, Nadal stretched his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles to a record 18 titles, and that is one better than Federer. The Swiss star now has a chance to level things up right at the end of the season, and will of course make a strong bet to do it. Federer has now reached the last four finals of Masters 1000 tournaments, and if he makes it a fifth in Paris, then he will hold a record for that awesome feat. Roger Federer for 9/4 at Paddy Power makes a pretty sound bet, although he often hits a bit of a stumbling block in Paris, namely the quarter finals. Novak Djokovic won’t be wanting to give up his title in Paris too easily, after beating Gael Monfils there last year. For this final tournament of the regular ATP World Tour season, Djokovic goes into it with an 8-4 match record there, and has looked in great form all season. That’s what is great about Djokovic, his consistency, which is to be admired. Hasn’t turned that consistency into enough titles though really, but he’s usually right there in the final stages. Not as tricky a quarter as Federer has, but potential upsets could come from Berdych or Davydenko there. However, Djokovic is world class and should be in the semi’s at least. He is also priced 9/2 at Paddy Power.

Andy Murray, after his triumph over Federer in the final of the Shanghai Masters, will be looking for one more big title in his season. He has safely qualified for the Tour Finals in London, and he really looked at his very best in Shanghai. This is the kind of tournament you want to see him win more of. Murray is priced 8/1 at Stan James to win the Paris Masters, and hasn’t landed too bad a draw. You are always going to have to work harder in the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and he could run into Marin Cilic or Fernando Verdasco along the way to the semis. The semi finals would likely pit him against Roger Federer, but as shown this year, Murray can get the upper hand over the Swiss superstar. Swede Robin Soderling, who starts as fourth seed, is in a tough quarter, mostly because Andy Roddick and Mikhail Youzhny are both in there as well, and they are looking to secure places at the ATP World Tour Finals in London with good performances. Soderling is on the fringe of being a true great of the game, but you look at him and question whether he has that extra edge needed to break into the top four in the world game? The answer isn’t a convincing one yet, but he has had a great year, and has shown big steps in improvement. That having been said, even going as fourth seed he would be something of an outsider to win in Paris, and is priced 12/1 at Ladbrokes to win it. One real wildcard bet would be too look at Gael Monfils, who plays on his home turf in Paris. The Frenchman reached the finals here last year, and that was the first time that he reached the final of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals – it was largely down to the extra adrenalin that players get when playing at home. Worth an outside bet maybe? It’s unlikely he’ll do it (he sits in Andy Murray’s quarter of the draw) and that is why he priced at 20/1 with Paddy Power.

Overall tip would be to stick to Federer. Why? Because he usually gets the best of Novak Djokovic when they meet (having won four of the last six meetings0, and the Serb is running at second favourite. Andy Murray is worth a shot, as he is  a big game player and  you never know with him.

Britain’s Andy Murray is looking a good bet to reach the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, as he is out in China for the Shanghai Open. Murray, ranked number 4 in the world, looks a certain bet to take one of the five remaining open spots for the season finale in London. Murray wasn’t at his best last week in the China Open where he fell in the quarter finals to Ivan Ljubicic, but the Scot was battling against some sickness that was bothering him for most of the time during the tournament. So there again is a step up needed, an improvement needed to come from Murray. The Shanghai Open, one of the most highly praised facilities on the ATP Tour (and it does look extremely cool) is the scene where world’s top players are, as it it is Masters 1000 tournament, meaning that all the big guns have to show up. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all there as well, in a tough and challenging tournament. Here we take a look at Tennis Betting for the week, and see who looks the strongest bet for the Shanghai Open.

SportingBet are running a great Tennis betting promotion for the Shanghai Open. If you place five Live In Play bets on any single day of the touranment, then SportingBet will give you a free bet to the value of the average of your stakes, to place on the next day’s tennis action! With a free £25 bet awaiting new customers, this is a great tennis betting promotion to take advantage of.

Rafael Nadal: 13/5 at Boylesports

Any tournament that the incredible Spaniard is in, you have to look at him as a winner. He it that phenomenal, winning three of the four Grand Slam’s this year, and he was a finalist here last year. Nadal warmed up by winning in Tokyo recently, but his record in the Masters 1000 tournament’s isn’t actually as forthright as one may expect. After going on a run of three back to back tournaments win on Clay, Nadal has actually failed to win four of the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments this season. But it is a bit hard to knock a player who is constantly pushing the game forward, and is racking up title after title. But those four other Masters 1000 defeats, does give a lot of hope to the other top players in the tournament. The Masters 1000 tournaments are next in status and importance to only Grand Slams on the ATP Tour. Nadal has a nice draw, and he may well be set for a match against Nikolai Davydenko in the quarter finals, the player against which, he lost to in the final here last year (and who just defended his title in China). Expect a good run from the World Number One. It’s hard to back against him.

Novak Djokovic: 5/1 at Bet365

The Serb went to the semi finals here last year, leaving him with a 3-1 match record at the event. One thing that you can expect from Djokovic, is consistency and strength. After reaching the final of the US Open, where he lost to Nadal, Djokovic remains one of the strongest players on the ATP. He has made it to three finals this year, winning two and losing one, and there is a lot of expectancy for him to really start pushing on and getting more titles under his belt. He always makes a safe bet to reach the quarter finals of tournaments, and then you just never  know with him. He is on his strongest surface, the hard court here, where he has a 31-7 match record for the season. Doesn’t have the easiest quarter of the top four players at the Shanghai Open by any means, but he is the class act in the group. With Tommy Robredo, Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils and Andy Roddick in the same quarter, it looks as if he has more work to do than Nadal, but again, anything less than a quarter final place will be a surprise. He is in good form, and therefore makes the best bet behind Nadal to take the title.

Roger Federer: 4/1 at Boylesports

The Fed-Express has only won one Masters 1000 tournament this year, in something of a barren year for the great Swiss. He has seen his ranking fall to third in the world now with the rise and rise of Nadal, and the consistency of Djokovic beating him out. This is the first outing Federer has had since losing at the US Open in semi finals (to Djokovic). Federer only has two titles to his name on this ATP season, and that makes for some very surprising reading. He did struggle in the clay court portion of the season, but you expect him to remain strong on the hard court. At the US Open, he really showed some of that good old Federer magic, but Djokovic, as other players have this season, including Andy Murray, was able to wear him down and frustrate him. Federer is not as dominating as he was a couple of years ago, and that is because the challenge coming from the players around him has gotten so much stronger. This is not a knock on Federer, because you can expect to see him in the quarter finals of the Shanghai Open. His most likely opponent there would be Robin Soderling, exactly the type of opponent who could upset him in the latter stages of the tournament. No matter what form he is in, he always makes a good bet, and should be a decent price, almost as an outsider behind Nadal and Djokovic.

Andy Murray: 8/1 at BetFred

It looked like he was coming back into some really good form ahead of the US Open, and then fell in a disappointing exit there. Has just one title to his name on the ATP World Tour this year, and has a 36-14 record, and a 24-8 record on hard court this year. It has not been the smoothest of seasons for Murray, despite being a big threat in the Grand Slams this year. He will probably be looking for a strong finish to the season, and while he has had some real highlights this year, including beating Nadal and Federer in the same tournament (only the seventh player to do so), there just hasn’t been the high level of consistency. Can he now pull something special out of the bag as the ATP season starts drawing to a close? This is his first attempt at the Shanghai Open, as it is Federer’s. Has a tricky opener against Radek Stepanek, but Murray should be looking at the draw and fancying his chances. Mikhail Youzhny is the biggest threat there until the semi finals, where he would probably meet Nadal. Because of that, Murray has to be behind Nadal in the betting.

Andy Murray is back in ATP action and it will be interesting to see how he can pick himself up after the disappointment of missing out on another Grand Slam opportunity. Murray didn’t exactly sparkle on his quest to pick up his first Grand Slam ever, but at least he recognised after that he needs to work on his fitness in order to try and keep up with world number one Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard really is the benchmark by which all other players (yes, including Roger Federer) has to set their standards by. Murray, sadly, while coming close a couple of times this year in the Grand Slams, still has some way to go. That is not to say Murray is too far behind, as he has enjoyed victory over Nadal and Federer this year in the same tournament. Having watch Murray this year, there appears to just be another level of which he could step up too and he could be a world beater. He dumped his coach this year, deciding to go it solo for the US Open, and that is good for his future as it says he is ready to push on and do what is best for his career. He will be expected to make a splash in the ATP China Open this week, as he enters the tournament as number two seed, behind only Novak Djokovic. Here we take a look at the best Tennis betting tips for the ATP China Open.

You don’t see a lot of online bookmaker promotions really pushing Tennis unless a Grand Slam comes around, which is a bit of a shame. However, one of the best betting tips for these ATP Tournaments, really is to go and check out Betting Exchange BetFair. You will often find enhanced odds there, and be able to pick up odds on the tennis betting that you may not be able to get coverage for at a regular online bookmaker. This is the beauty of a betting exchange, you are betting directly against other punters and not the middle man bookmaker. Therefore you can request prices, and find one that suits you the best. BetFair offer a free £25 No Loss First Bet at the moment, for new customers who open account. So if your first bet loses, then BetFair will refund your lost stake up to the value of £25.

Andy Murray 11/4 at Stan James
No reason why not to put money down on the Scot. He should be in good nick and there is not too difficult a draw awaiting him. This is the first time that Murray has entered the China Open, and now there is some urgency as the ATP season heads to a close, to pick up enough points to secure a place at the end of season finale, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He has enough quality to win here, assuming he is fired up an in the right mood. There was something not right with his energy levels at the US Open, but he admirably made no excuses for his exit. Has Mikhail Youzhny, Robin Soderling and David Ferrer in his half of the draw, but realistically you would back Murray against any of them. Andy Murray has not performed very well in these Tour tournaments this year at all, but this is a good chance to build momentum with a bigger event, a Masters 1000, coming up next week.

Novak Djokovic 11/4 at Bet365
The young Serb who seems to be growing in stature all the time and is incredibly consistent, will be the biggest threat to Murray for the title. The two can only meet in the final, such is the draw, and that would be a great event. Djokovic is the number one seed, and he is the defending champions of the ATP China Open, after he beat Marin Cilic last year. This means that Djokovic has a 5-0 match record at the event, which is something you would look at when browsing over stats for your tennis betting. Awesome talent, often the bridesmaid behind Nadal and Federer at the big parties, but should show up well here again. Also wants points to reach the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, so he’ll be fired up.

Robin Soderling 9/1 at SkyBet
The Swede has shown qualities this season that has clearly displayed his improvement in the game. He has been embroiled in some of the best battles of the year against the big four (Nadal, Federer, Murray, Djokovic) and is a threat. He’s enjoying a good season, and if Nadal and the Fed-Express was in here, he would be much lower down the pecking order. Sits in Murray’s half of the draw, and he’s beaten the Scot this season, so he won’t be too bothered about that. Has that feel of an underdog, a second tier player to the genuine Grand Slam contender’s, but he shouldn’t be discounted because his progress just may depend on how well Murray performs. Has a 3-1 match record at the China Open, after losing in the semi finals last year.

Nikolay Davydenko 16/1 at Ladbrokes
The big Russian had a great start to the season, but then was knocked back by injury. Was a quarter finalist in this tournament last year and overall has a 5-3 match record at the event, having played twice here before and finishing as a quarter finalist on both occasions. That sounds about right again for him to be honest, and did not show up well on his last outing on the Tour. Think there is just going to be too much quality in his half of the draw to go further.

Tomas Berdych  14/1 at SkyBet
Like what the young guy has shown this year, and for occasional fans you will remember him from the final of Wimbledon. Or more to the point, the semi finals when he shocked Roger Federer. The Czech is appearing at the Beijing Open for the first time in his career, and while that may make him a bit of a wildcard, he’ll be worth a punt behind Djokovic to come out of the top half. The top half is arguably tougher, with Mardy Fish (40/1 at Bet365), Sam Querrey (50/1 at SkyBet), Marin Cilic (25/1 at Bet365), John Isner (28/1 at SkyBet) and Fernando Verdasco (25/1 at Ladbrokes) floating around in there. Djokovic is the stand out performer there, but if you keep an eye on this one over the next week, you could well see any of these making a charge for it. Overall, looking at the draw, Murray has landed something pretty decent and there is the sort of opponents in there which he should have no trouble against. He has to be hungry, he has to be brave and the bookies seem to fancy his chances.

Murray Defeats Federer in Final and gears up again for tough Cincinnati test

Time to pay some serious tennis attention to Britain’s Andy Murray, as he steps straight back into action this week, as he starts building some great momentum towards the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season. You can back Andy Murray in tennis betting at odds of 3/1 at Bet365 to win the US Open which starts at the end of August. Online bookmaker Bet365 is a great place to visit to follow live tennis betting action, as not only do they have a great Live In-Play betting service, but they also stream live tennis action through their excellent website. Bet365 is one of the top online bookmakers around, and one of the most trusted and respected to operate with. Open a new account with them and you will be able to earn yourself up to £200 in free bets as well. Murray’s price has been shortened, thanks to winning the last two tournaments which has entered. He first strolled back into the LA tournament, his first appearance after Wimbledon, and won that, but then backed that up with his fifth ATP World 1000 Masters Tournament in Toronto on the weekend, where he looked back somewhere near his very best. Why? Because he had to achieve victory the hard way, by beating World Number One Rafael Nadal in the semi finals, and then Roger Federer in the final itself. Murray, currently world number two, scored some significant victories there and it means he is peaking ready for the US Open. That was some title defence in Toronto, so what next for him at Cincinnati? Well, Murray holds a 30-11  match record this season, and he looks far more comfortable on the hard court than any other surface.

Well, for starters, he has a much easier draw than what he had in Toronto, that’s for sure. Murray is seeded fourth for the tournament and has landed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in his quarter of the draw. That is, there shouldn’t be any reason, other than a little fatigue perhaps, why he cannot reach the final. The semi final in his half of the draw, would likely pit him against Robin Soderling or the tougher prospect of Novak Djokovic who is playing well at the moment. But Murray should be full of confidence after beating Nadal and Federer in the same tournament for the first time in his career. Another strong run here would enforce consistency and belief in himself and should enable him to have one very good crack at the final Grand Slam of the season at the US Open Flushing Meadows on August 30th. But the immediate task at hand is to pit his wits again at the best in the world in this quality tournament and he is worth considering in tennis betting, as confidence makes a world of difference. Roger Federer is the defending title holder and as he is having a pretty dry season, he will be hungry to win something going into this next ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Federer won the Australian Open at the start of the year, and nothing else, which is something of a surprise. A good 19-6 record at the event, should see him in a strong run, but would run into Nadal in the semi finals.

Nadal has been one of the strongest players all season, certainly after dominating the clay court portion of the season, and winning back to back Grand Slams in the French Open and Wimbledon. He did look a little rusty at the start of last week’s tournament in Toronto, but he is the world number one and will be a threat. He carries a 50-6 match record into the tournament and you have to expect him to win more titles this season, and he should make for a good bet to at least make the semi finals. The man is sheer class, but needs to be a little sharper in his conviction and that is exactly what these tournaments are for ahead of the Grand Slam, the chance to hit peak form. Nadal has lost in the semi final in his two previous visits to Cincinnati, and remains the only ATP World 1000 Masters in which he hasn’t reached the final. Serbian Novak Djokovic who has ended up as runner up in the tournament in the past two seasons (first to Andy Murray and then Roger Federer). Can he go one better? He is a pretty solid and consistent performer and should do well again after reaching the semi finals in Toronto last week, where he lost out to Roger Federer. Definitely a threat, and should meet Murray in the semi finals if all things go to plan. Watch out for the USA’s Andy Roddick as well, who is having a good season. He is a past two times winner at the Cincinnati tournament and well worth an outside punt.

Tennis Betting Tip at Bet365: When you have the top four in the world in a tournament the likelihood is, the winner is going to come from one of them. Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray made up the semi finals in Toronto and no reason why it can’t happen again. They can all be each other, but expect Nadal to bounce back into top form. There is a Grand Slam coming.

ATP Western and Southern Masters Outright
Rafael Nadal: 7/2 at Stan James
Andy Murray: 7/2 at SportingBet
Roger Federer: 4/1 at Sporting Bet
Novak Djokovic: 13/2 at Stan James
Robin Soderling: 16/1 at BetFair

After Andy Murray failed to press home an advantage against Sam Querrey in the final at LA on Sunday, the ATP tour rolls on to its next stops. Murray takes a  back seat this week, and the players start priming themselves for the forthcoming final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, which takes place at the end of August. The next stop on the tour is the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington DC. This is one of just eleven ATP World Tour 500 tournaments in the season, and that means there are some big ranking points up for grabs, and in status is only behind the Grand Slams and the ATP World Tour 1000 events. With a busy season, not all of the top ten stars turn up at all of the events, naturally, but one of the season’s best performers Andy Roddick (7/2 at Boylesports) is back in action and will be looking to win his fourth title at the Washington DC event. Roddick will be number two seed for the tournament as he puts in his ninth appearance there. His last title came in 2007, but he did reach the final last year, but couldn’t add to his impressive collection then as he was taken down by Juan Martin del Porto. Roddick has a great 34-8 match record this year, and his busy early start to the new year helped him to land two titles this season. He hasn’t stood up to the test in the Grand Slams, but these are the sort of tournaments at which he thrives. He comes into the tournament on the back of a semi final appearance at Atlanta, Georgia recently where he lost to Mardy Fish.

Roddick will be well worth backing in your ATP Tennis betting this week, simply because he is so strong and has taken on a new lease of life this year. He will be happy to get back on the hard court, as that his where his strengths really are. Roddick has a 28-5 match record on hard court this year. Of course he will have some challengers at the tournament and in the betting, and if you like betting outside of the favourite (which is Roddick in this case) then you can take a look at some of the options here. A lot of eyes will be on Tomas Berdych (4/1 at SkyBet) to see what he come up with in his first appearance since Wimbledon, and he goes into the tournament as top seed. The young Czech was a surprise finalist at Wimbledon after beating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic along the way. He could not get the better of Rafael Nadal in the final though, losing in three straight sets, but it is to his credit that he got there. He went straight into Wimbledon with no preparation after the French Open at Roland Garros, where again he caused a surprise by reaching the semi finals where he lost to Robin Soderling. Well worth a look here, and he realistically should have plain sailing through to the quarter finals. He may very well bump into fifth seed John Isner there which will be a step up in quality, but he is good enough to win through. His best finish here was a semi final appearance back in 2005.

Third seed Fernando Verdasco (9/1 at Boylesports) is an interesting betting option for this tournament in Washington DC. It is his first appearance in the tournament, but certainly raises the quality of the chasing pack behind Roddick and Berdych. Verdasco has picked up one title on hard court this year, and the Spaniard has a 12-5 match record on the surface this year, and a 34-13 overall record for the season. Went through a real purple patch in the lead up to Roland Garros and Wimbledon (where he lost in the first round) and his last appearance was in Bastad, Sweden where he fell to Tommy Robredo in the quarter. Verdasco is one of those enigmatic players from whom a lot is expected, but just somehow fails to deliver the big games consistently. Has a world of potential and could win this tournament, and out of the top four seeds he has been handed the easiest draw. If he fails to make it to the quarter finals at least then it will be something of a surprise.

Marin Cilic (16/1 at Boylesports) makes up the top four seeds, and what was said about Verdasco above could also be applied to him. Cilic has the tennis world at his feet, and while he has had injuries, just hasn’t quite delivered when it counts. He has two titles to his name this season though, but you would expect a little more than a 31-12 overall match record for the season from him. Both of his two titles came right at the start of the new year, and then he looked as if he really was going to step up and be a domineering force, but it has not happened though. Cilic is happiest on the hard court where he does have a better record for 2010, where has holds a 21-5 match record. This makes him a dangerous floater in tennis betting for the tournament, and there is another one in the mix as well. John Isner (yes he of the marathon match at Wimbledon fame) really got his professional career going in Washington, the place where he reached his first ever ATP Final back in 2007. Isner (10/11 at Paddy Power) reached the semi finals last season at the tournament where he lost to Roddick. He can only meet Roddick in the final of this year’s tournament as they are in separate halves of the draw, but as mentioned above, he is in line to meet Tomas Berdych, which could be a great match.

Roddick will draw a lot of betting here and it is hard to go against his record. But as he will be strong favourite, don’t overlook the threat that Verdasco will pose in this tournament. If you want to really go with form, then you will take a look at Sam Querrey (18/1 at Ladbrokes), who beat Andy Murray in the final of the LA Open on Sunday. He goes as 6th seed for the tournament and is in Marin Cilic’s quarter of the draw, which is quite a tough one with Mardy Fish and Leyton Hewitt in there as well. Behind Roddick and Berdych, there is a good, close crop of players who are evenly matched, all with potential of winning. The two favourites though will be worth looking at from the start of the tournament, and from then on you will be able to study the progress of the others over the first couple of rounds.

Andy Murray accepts wildcard to Farmers Classic LA Open

Britain’s Andy Murray is back in action this week, the first time he has taken to the court since his Wimbledon semi final exit. Murray (Evens at BetFred) has accepted a wild card entry into the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, which came about when Novak Djokovic pulled out of the tournament. Murray has not picked up a tour title this year, and this could represent a very good chance for him to do so. While looking short of his best on the Tour in general this season, he has really shown up at two of the three Grand Slam’s so far. Murray reached the final of the Australian Open early in the year when he lost to Roger Federer, and then lost against Rafael in the semi finals at the All England Club. The next Grand Slam on the list is the US Open which is held in a few weeks towards the end of August.

After starting the season so well, Murray has really failed to get to grips the games in the Tour tournaments which he has entered. As he is searching for his first ever Grand Slam title, it has appeared that he is trying to peak in form and fitness for the big events. Andy Murray holds a 22-10 match record so far this season. The LA Open is on hard court when Murray has a 10-4 match record for the season, and has been the surface upon which he has gained the majority of his success. Twelve of his eleven career titles have been on the hard court. He makes a good bet at the Farmers Classic, as he is the top ranked player in Los Angeles by a long way. American Sam Querrey (7/2 at Boylesports), who is ranked 20th in the world is the number two seed for the tournament, and for world number four Murray, he really should be expected to go on through. The young Querrey would make a good bet behind Murray though, as he has won three titles on the ATP Tour this year, having made five finals. He holds a 29-15 match record for the season, and a 9-6 match record on the hard court, and is the defending champion at the Farmers Classic LA Open.

ATP Studenda Croatia Open
Interesting top four seeds going at it in Croatia. Number One seed for the tournament is Russian Nikolay Davydenko (9/4 at Stan James) who is back to defend his title. He hammered Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final last year, and the world number six is still looking to get back into the swing of his season after spending a few months out with an injury. He hasn’t made it past the last sixteen in the handful of tournaments he has played in since returning from injury, suggesting that he is still finding his feet. A good clay court player when on his game, and he has won 9 career titles on the sliding surface. Probably not quite back at his peak just yet. The home fans will be cheering for Ivan Ljubicic (8/1 at Ladbrokes), who surprised everyone by winning at Indian Wells this year. He is well below that kind of form at the moment though, and only worth backing if you think the home crowd will spur him on to better heights. Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero (9/2 at Ladbrokes) should be a threat, as he is something of a clay court specialists, head and shoulders his best surface. Out of his fourteen career tour titles, eleven of them has been on Clay, and he has a good 24-7 match record on the stuff this season. With two tour titles under his belt this season, he should be there in the final stages and makes for a strong tennis betting tip. World number 15 Jurgen Melzer (7/2 at Ladbrokes) reached the semi finals last year, and will be back and hoping to go at least one better. Probably the best of the genuine outside chances, but should not be as big of a threat as Ferrero.

Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad
Stunning scenery for this tournament in Switzerland, but native hero Roger Federer is not there. Toughest of the three tournaments to call this week on the ATP Tour, so let’s look at the seeds. Number one seed Mikhail Youhzny (9/2 at Ladbrokes) goes as number one, but he has never made it past the quarter final stages at the tournament. He has picked up one title on Tour this year, so the world number 14 has it in him. Not in any kind of sparkling form, and doesn’t represent the best bet in Gstaad. Tournament debutant Nicolas Almagro (5/2 at Bet365) does though, and if you like betting with form, then he beat Robin Soderling in the final at Bastad a couple of weeks ago. That kind of came out of the blue a little bit, but he should be carrying a little more confidence into the tournament than Youzhny. Last year’s winner Thomaz Bellucci (6/1 at BetFred) is back on the scene of his first ever ATP Tour title win. The Brazilian is one of the players who is certainly on the rise, and could be injected with a little extra confidence being back at the tournament which no doubt holds some fond memories for him. Past winners Victor Hanescu (33/1 at Ladbrokes) and Richard Gasquet (6/1 at Bet365) are back at the tournament, but look to be more of a stretch in the tennis betting.

Roddick strong favourite on home turf

Atlanta
American Andy Roddick will be favourite of the week at the ATP Tour tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club. The World Number 9 tops the seeds at the tournament over fellow American John Isner, who was the focus of that marathon match at Wimbledon recently. This is the first time since 2001 that a tournament has been held in Atlanta, and the winner of that last one was, yes, Andy Roddick, who has agreed to a wildcard entry into this one. This is a hard court tournament, the first on the circuit of North America for the year, as the players start their preparations for the US Open next month. Roddick is well worth getting behind with your tennis betting here, as he has a great 32-7 match record for the season, and has two titles to his name for 2010, including the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held in Miami. Roddick has a 26-4 match record on hard courts this year, which the best of all players on the ATP Tour for 2010. For Isner, he is looking for his first ATP Title on home soil, and it should not be too long coming for the American, who has finished as runner up in two ATP finals in the States during his career. Aussie Leyton Hewitt may be worth a look, but shouldn’t be good enough to trouble either of the top two seeds. Hewitt did win in Halle earlier in the year, and has won 11 titles on American soil during his career. One of the best outside bets is probably Mardy Fish from the States as well. He has a decent match record for the year of 23-11, which isn’t spectacular, but solid for tournaments like this. He is sixth seed in Atlanta and worth a bet.

Atlanta Tennis Championships Outright Odds
Andy Roddick: 13/8 at Coral
John Isner: 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Lleyton Hewitt: 5/1 at Paddy Power
Mardy Fish: 9/1 at SkyBet
James Blake: 28/1 at Boylesports
Janko Tipsarevic: 28/1 at Boylesports

Hamburg
There is a little more prestige on the ATP Tour at Hamburg this week, with the clay court International German Open being the ATP World Tour 500 tournament. A player can use their best four results from ATP 500 tournaments entered in the season towards their overall ranking (along with mandatory four Grand Slams and eight ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournaments appearances for the Top 30 players ranked at the end of the previous season). Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko should be a strong performer here, and he is the defending champion after beating Paul-Henri Mathieu in last season’s final. Roger Federer has always had a strong hand in this tournament, but is not appearing this year. Davydenko has a 15-6 match record at the tournament, was one of the best performers at the beginning of the year on the hard court. He has been out for a while though with a wrist fracture, so may not be fully match sharp, and while he will be looking to subtilize his action and fitness, hit long term absence is why there are a couple of other names with looking at. Spain’s David Ferrer is seeded number two for the tournament, and has a decent 13-7 record there, not too far behind Davydenko’s. He reached the semi finals here last season to, and players do repeatedly perform well at certain tournaments. Nicolas Almagro, seeded fifth and a quarter finalist last year, recently lifted the title in Bastad, Sweden and so should be in a good positive and confident mood. Tommy Robredo is in the mix as well, a former winner back in 2006. One final decent punt will be Austrian Jurgen Melzer who reached the semi finals at Roland Garros this season. He has been in pretty good shape of late, and  is ranked third for the International German Open. Still, Ferrer probably is one of the best bets, as he has a 31-7 match record on clay this year, picking up five titles along the way. Best betting options for this ATP Hamburg event, is to find yourself a betting exchange like BetFair. A betting exchange allows you to bet directly against other punters, so as long as you can match a bet, or get your own bet matched, then you will be in business. It is a great alternative to finding odds on tennis betting, and BetFair offer a £25 no loss free bet on new accounts.

WTA Week in Preview

Some small, yet decent WTA and ATP Tennis tournaments going on this week, with a spattering of top players taking part. Firstly we head to Prague for the ECM Prague Open, which is packed with home talent. Lucie Safarova is a great bet to look at, as the women get used to playing back on red clay at the moment. Safarova, who is a better clay court player than a grass one, reached the semi finals in Budapest last week, where she fell to Aravane Rezai. She is well worth a punt as she is carrying some pretty good form, and she should make relatively easy work of getting to the semi’s, and she is ranked number one for the tournament. The biggest danger though could come from the other half of the draw from Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru, who feel at the semi finals in Bastad to eventual winner Agnes Szavay, who played a brilliant tournament and is in good form. Szavay (world 25) could well run into Dulgheru (World 30) again in this Prague tournament at the Quarter Final stage. Outside of those three, the next most likely candidate to make a title run, is popular Argentinean Gisela Dulko. Dulgheru would probably edge the betting tip in this one, as she slightly edges form and composure.

Over in Palermo, you will basically have a two horse race to chose from, between the top two seeds for the tournament. Number One seed is World Number 12, Flavia Pennetta and second seed is World Number 21 Aravane Rezai. They are the clear top ranked players in the tournament, and they are kept apart in the draw until the final, which, if it comes down to those two, it really won’t be much of a surprise. Pennetta lost to Dulko at Bastad in the semi final’s last week in something of a surprise, but that marks how dangerous Dulko can be at these smaller tournaments. Aravane Rezai, who is a feisty French woman, and exciting on the court, beat Dulko in the final at Bastad, and so should be pumped up again for a good tournament. Seeing her win back to back tour titles though would be something a little out of the blue, so safer money should be in backing Pennetta. But don’t discount Rezai as she in one of the most in form players on top of her game at the moment. As a complete outsider, may be worth looking at Tsvetana Pironkova after she made an incredible surprise visit to the semi final’s at Wimbledon recently. She is ranked 4th for the Palermo tournament (in the same half of the draw as Rezai) but is ranked 35th in the World. Pennetta is a late entrant into the tournament as a wildcard, and is the defending champion there, so well worth a strong tennis bet. Pennetta has picked up a tour title this year and is a great player on all surfaces.

ATP Week in Preview

The Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany is a hotly contested clay court tournament this year. All four seeded players are through to the second round, and the stand out player at the event, is Nikolay Davydenko, the World Number 6th. The second seed at the tournament is Jurgen Melzer (11/2 at SkyBet) who is World Number 15. That is how much Davydenko is expected to win the tennis betting race in this one. Davydenko (9/4 at SkyBet) has the best history at the tournament of all the players competing this year, with a 9-5 record and two semi final appearances. Davydenko had a long break due to injury after starting off the year so very well, and will look to go one better than his quarter final run here last year. Clay is often the great divider of class, and one of the best bets that you can get behind in men’s tennis this week, will be Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero (6/1 at Ladbrokes) who is a bit of a clay court specialist, and has picked up two tour titles on the sliding stuff this year. Frenchman Gael Monfils (6/1 at William Hill) is in the mix, but he often fails to make a big impact, even though seeded highly.

Looking at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad, it looks as if the court is floating in the middle of the ocean, so picturesque is the scenery. Here Robin Soderling (5/4 at Ladbrokes) is back to defend his title. He will be backed heavily, as this is on his home turf, and winning here last year against Juan Monaco was one of the highlights of his career. Soderling is a good all round player, and usually makes a nuisance of himself in tournaments like this. He does struggle for consistency and endurance when it comes to latter stages of major tournaments where he meets more of the World’s top ten players, but Soderling has lifted his game a little this year. Biggest threat is from Fernando Verdasco (5/1 at Paddy Power), as he has won on clay this year, picking up the title in Barcelona, and one of the better form players on clay this season. He is a strong bet to get behind, and other one, if you don’t fancy the top seed Soderling, is David Ferrer (7/1 at SkyBet) who won here in 2007. He didn’t take part last year, but reached the semi finals here in 2008 and holds a 9-3 match record at the tournament, compare that to Soderling’s 15-7 match record at the event, and Ferrer should be threat. Another Spaniard in the mix could be outside bet Tommy Robredo (10/1 at Bet365) who seems to like the event, winning the tournament twice in 2006 and 2008. He will run into Verdasco though in the quarter finals.

Britain’s Andy Murray keeps on trucking through his attempt to win Wimbledon, as he moved into the semi finals with a four set win over 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The first two matches went to tie breakers, with the Frenchman winning the first, and then Murray getting the all important break at the end of the second set. Once Murray, seeded 4th for the tournament had evened up the match, there was no looking back for the Scot. The tiebreak in the second was all about the game’s best counter puncher taking advantage of a mistake by his opponent. It was the one opening in a very tight opening that Murray needed so that he could step on the gas to win 6-7 7-6 6-2 6-2. Murray’s endurance won out easily on the day, and the all out attack of Tsonga was soon dissipated as Murray stepped up a gear as he needed to. Murray, who hasn’t had the greatest season, moves into the semi final and is looking back near his best. It is the kind of form that took him all the way to the final of the Australian Open at the start of the year where he fell to Roger Federer. That has no chance of happening at the All England Club, as the Fed-Express crashed out in his Quarter Final match against Tomas Berdych. Berdych now moves on to play Novak Djokovic, who looks to be in the form of his life at the moment. No Federer waiting in the final should inspire Murray to drive on, and motivate him even further in his quest for his first ever Grand Slam title. What better place for him to win it than at Wimbledon?

But while Federer has gone, another master of the game stands in Murray’s way. Rafael Nadal is Murray’s opponent in the semi final, a repeat of the quarter final match at the Australian Open. Murray was up two sets in the match before Nadal had to retire hurt, but the Spaniard hold a strong 7-3 head to head record over the Scot, but Murray has won three of the last five meetings. It was the meetings between the two players in the early stages of Murray’s career which Nadal dominated, winning the first five meetings between them. Murray, to his credit, has started to balance the scales a little bit, with one of his finest performances being a straight sets Quarter Final victory over Nadal at Wimbledon in 2008. Murray lost to Andy Roddick in the semi finals, but every year he has played at Wimbledon, he has gone one step further. Is this the time to back Britain’s great tennis hope? There have been concerns over the strength of Nadal’s knee during Wimbledon, and it has been causing him problems. The Spaniard looked somewhat disinterested in his quarter final match against Robin Soderling, picking a fight with the Umpire along the way. Nadal has lost more sets at Wimbledon than he has ever done so in reaching the final of a Grand Slam in his career. He looked extremely disjointed against Soderling, although he won because Soderling himself looked out of steam in the second set, as he’s been nursing an injury himself. Nadal really should be there for the picking from Murray, and the Scot may not get a better run at the title for some years to come.

Andy Murray v Rafael Nadal Tale of the Tape

Wimbledon Quarter Final Match Odds
4th Seed Andy Murray to win: 22/15 at Bwin
2nd Seed Rafael Nadal to win: 8/13 at SkyBet

Wimbledon Quarter Final Match Odds
3rd Seed Novak Djokovic to win: 10/11 at SkyBet
12th Seed Tomas Berdych to win: Evens at Totesport

Wimbledon Outright Odds
Rafael Nadal – 11/8 at SportingBet
Andy Murray – 14/5 at Bwin
Novak Djokovic – 9/2 at Bet365
Tomas Berdych – 11/2 at Stan James