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Murray mania is gripping Britain, as Andy Murray heads into the Australian Open final against Roger Federer in a matter of hours. There is a gulf of experience between the two players, with Federer having 15 Grand Slam titles under his belt, and Murray seeking his first. A lot is being made of the mental battle which Murray has to deal with, and not beat himself up with the pressure of the big final, and all the expectations around him. He would become only the third player to beat Federer in a Grand Slam final. Murray needs to keep his cool head, if things do not go his way at the start, for if he doesn’t then that is the weakness which Federer could jump all over.

The Swiss World Number One will start as favourite, as he has proven time and time again that he has the big game mentally and skill to prevail. He is the champion of champions in tennis, and the one that everybody else is looking to take on and beat. But Murray is showing that he has the game to reach these big matches, the coveted finals of the Grand Slams, which are notoriously difficult. He has titles under his belt, just not one of the big ones. This is his best showing at the Australian Open, and he gets the chance to redress the balance against Federer, who beat Murray in the US Open final in 2008. That seems a long time ago now, when Murray was a much rawer talent than what he is now. He is commanding the court more, and showing those flashes of brilliance and creativity which can make good players, great.

He has time on his side, and a loss to Federer won’t be the end of the world for him. It won’t be the end of his season, as it should steel him ahead of the remaining three Grand Slams throughout the year. But let’s not talk of defeat. Murray is in the final because he deserves to be. Because he has the talent to be there. Britain awaits, and Britain expects. Yes he will need to be at his very best and take all the chances that come his way, and there is no reason to believe why he cannot do it. It may need the game of his life, as he puts it, but he has beaten Federer six times before, so therein lies the proof that he can achieve.

Australian Open Men’s Final
Roger Federer to win: 8/13 at BetFred
Andy Murray to win: 27/17 at Bwin

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Can Britain believe and dream that they will have a Grand Slam Tennis Champion on Sunday? Technically they could have two, because junior Laura Robson is in the final of her Australian Open draw. But the spotlight will be on Scot Andy Murray, who Britain can watch in the early hours of Sunday morning, as he goes in search of his first Grand Slam title. Murray is confident in his usual understated and quiet demeanour, whilst his opponent, World Number One Roger Federer has been putting the mental stress on Murray, but telling the press that all the pressure of the final will be on the Scot.

Federer is aware that his young opponent is seeking his first title, whereas the Swiss star has been everywhere and done it all. Federer has an incredible fifteen Grand Slam titles under his belt, having made 22 Grand Slam final appearances. For Murray, this is just his second appearance in a Grand Slam final, and who beat him in his first? Yes, Roger Federer at the US Open in 2008. But the immense difference in experience of title winning, should not overwhelm Murray, because Murray actually has the best of their Head to Head Record, having beaten Federer 6 times, and losing only 4.

Federer is brimming with confidence, which, could be misinterpreted quite easily as arrogance, putting the Head to Head record down to not being at his best in a few of their encounters. He has also been speaking of the wealth of experience he does have, and how that will give him an advantage over Murray in the final. Of course everything will come down to the match, the atmosphere and the players on the day. Both players are deservedly in the final, with both looking in majestic form. The only time Federer has looked really bothered, was in his Quarter Final match against Nikolay Davydenko, when he was crushed in the first set. His class won through though, finding new gears of skills that Davydenko couldn’t cope with.

For Murray, his biggest triumph came against World Number Two Rafael Nadal. Murray had the better of the Spaniard, being up two sets to nil, and then leading 3-0 in the third, at which point Nadal had to retire with an injury, which has been discovered should keep him out of action for a few weeks. It has been 74 years since Britain had a Grand Slam winner in the Men’s Tournament, which according to comedian Federer, was actually 150,000 years. Murray does have a lot of his young shoulders, but he is there to play in these types of matches. As said in an interview, he is on the Tour to play in the biggest matches against the best players, and to do all he can to win.

Murray is looking in great form, possibly the best of his career, and he has only dropped one set, which came in a slow start in his Semi Final match against Marin Cilic. Arguably Federer is the better player, he is World Number One for a reason, and that is because of his immense talent and proven track record. Watching him, he really is that good, and Murray will likely need to be at his best and beyond to take him down in the high pressure arena of the Australian Open Final. Only two other players, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro have gotten the better of Federer in a Grand Slam final. Murray is the next man to get his chance at the big time.

The Men’s Final Starts at 8.30 am GMT Sunday

Bet365 will be streaming the Men’s Final live on their website. This will be provided  free to funded account holders, so there’s still time to sign up and make the most of this excellent bookmaker. Not only will you get up to £100 in matched deposit bonus, you can even employ it on some great Live In-Play betting while watching the final.

With Andy Murray beating Marin Cilic to reach the second Grand Slam final of his career, he can unwind today and study his potential opponents. The second semi final of the Men’s Australian Open takes place today, with world number one Roger Federer playing surprise semi finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Frenchman Tsonga, the quiet man of tennis, overcame the World Number 3 Novak Djokovic in the Quarter Final, when many had expected easy passage for the higher seed. Djokovic had to leave the court at one point because he felt ill, and had been complaining of illness before, during and after the match. That’s not to take anything away from Tsonga, who battled back well to steal a victory.

It will now be time for the “Fed Express” to deliver again, with a place in the final at stake. The Swiss star had to overcome a blistering start by Nikolay Davydenko in their Quarter Final match, but turned on the style from being a set down to ease his way to a 3-1 win. This is Federer’s 23rh consecutive semi final appearance in Grand Slam competition. The early struggles in his Quarter Final match, where there was an inordinate amount of unforced errors from Federer, will have probably steeled the World Number One from any thoughts of cruising to the final. But with some fine basic groundwork, Federer slipped into gear, finding his rhythm and showing why is the World Number One. Being able to step it up when it matters most is the mark of a Champion. He goes into the semi final as strong favourite ahead of Tsonga, who is ranked 10th in the world.

Roger Federer to win: 1/5 at Blue Square
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win: 5/1 at Boylesports

Catch the semi final action on Bet365’s live streaming service. For funded account holders, all of the action from Melbourne has been free to watch on their excellent website.

Andy Murray did it. He is through to the Semi Finals of the Australian Open. Murray progressed when opponent and number two seed Rafael Nadal retired through injury, with Murray two sets up already and 3-0 ahead in the third. The Scot will now play Marin Cilic in the semi final, after the Croatian brushed past Andy Roddick. Now it is the turn of the other half of the draw, where World Number One Roger Federer is in action today. Catch all of the live action from Melbourne on Bet365’s live streaming service.

Federer plays one of the most in form players at the moment, Nikolay Davydenko. The Swiss superstar will naturally start as favourite, but the Russian has recently gotten the better of the meetings between them. Davydenko won the Qatar Open as a warm up to the Australian Open, beating Federer and Nadal along the way. That’s how good he is at the moment, and this could be a severe test for the World Number One. All the speculation about Federer ahead of the tournament, is whether or not becoming a new father would have affected him. Would that life style change have caused a distraction from his game? But there has been no signs of that as he has looked his majestic self at times during his progress. Don’t be so overwhelmed by the bookie prices on this one, Davydenko has every chance of pushing Federer to breaking point.

Roger Federer to win: 2/5 at Paddy Power
Nikolay Davydenko to win: 12/5 at Boylesports

The day’s other Quarter Final sees World Number 3, Novak Djokovic play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Djokovic has been on cruise control, whereas Tsonga has been making hard work of things. Granted the Frenchman has had a slightly tougher passage, but current standings and form should see Djokovic reach the semi final, as expected from the start, looking at his quarter of the Draw. The big question should simply be who he will meet in the Semi, Federer or Davydenko. That match will clearly the big highlight reel game of the day.

Novak Djokovic to win: 9/20 at Boylesports
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 21/10 at SportingBet

In the Women’s Draw, World Number One Serena Williams plays 7th seed Victoria Azarenka, who has somewhat understated through the competition, not drawing much attention to herself. The Belarussian’s progress has been steady, with her toughest win coming over World Number 9 Vera Zvonareva in the Quarter Finals. That had all the promise of a thrilling, evenly matched game, and it was so after two sets. Azarenka stepped up her game in the deciding third set though, crushing her opponent six games to nil. How much of a challenge she will be able to put up against Serena Williams is a different matter entirely. The older Williams sister looks completely on top of her powerful game.

Serena Williams to win: 3/10 at Paddy Power
Victoria Azarenka to win: 17/5 at Bwin

It has been expected that the two Williams sisters will be in the semi finals, and that looks to completely be on the cards. Serena Williams plays China’s Na Li in their semi final encounter, after Li put in a surprisingly powerful two set victory over 4th seed Caroline Wozniacki. Not many people will have seen that result coming from the 16th seed, and if she could beat Williams, then she would join fellow countrywomen Jie Zheng in the semi finals, which would be a massive step forward for Chinese tennis. Jie Zheng plays resilient Justine Henin. The expected result though, as backed up by the bookies prices, is that come the end of the day, the Williams sisters will both be preparing for a semi final sibling shootout.

Venus Williams to win: 8/15 at Boylesports
Na Li to win: 7/4 at Bet365

A big day in the Fourth Round of the Australian Open Tennis today, with World Number One Roger Federer taking on Lleyton Hewitt. Hewitt was the benefactor of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis retiring injured half way through the second set of their Third Round match, setting up the Australian for a Fourth Round showdown against the Swiss Superstar Federer. Federer hasn’t been too troubled through his three matches so far, dropping only the first set of his first round match against Igor Andreev. Since then he has been able to enjoy a fairly comfortable ride, as one would expect. Now he will face not only Hewitt, but the home Australian support in Melbourne, as he takes on the World Number 22.

With Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Marin Cilic already through to the Quarter Finals, in form Russian Nikolay Davydenko will also look to secure passage, setting up a potential clash against Federer in the Quarter Finals. Davydenko, who won the Brisbane Open as a warm up to the Australian Open, plays 9th seed Fernando Verdasco, who has had extra rest. Spaniard Verdasco should be fresh, as his third round opponent retired after just one set. This is one match which really could go the distance, as the two fierce competitors will likely take it down to the wire.

Novak Djokovic, the World Number 3, is hungry for the Grand Slam title, and has been firing on all cylinders so far at the Australian Open. He plays surprise fourth round opponent Lukasz Kubot, who is there thanks to Third Round opponent Mikhail Youzhny not showing up because of an injury to his wrist. Kubot, ranked 86th, shouldn’t pose to much of a threat to Djokovic. Should Djokovic progress, then he will play the winner of Jo Wilfried Tsonga (10) and Nicolas Almagro (20). This is arguably the weakest quarter of the draw, and why Djokovic should pretty much be a shoe-in to make the semi finals.

In the Women’s draw, Justine Henin continues along her comeback trail, after she beat fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in the Fourth Round. Henin has now landed herself a tough Quarter Final against Nadia Petrova who is ranked 19th. Petrova dug deep in her Fourth Round match to beat out third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, and will be brimming with confidence about her ability to take out unseeded Henin. China’s Jie Zheng, ranked 35th, is also in the quarter finals after a straight sets victory over 31st seed Alona Bondarenko. She will contest her Quarter Final match against the new “It Girl” of tennis, 58th seed Maria Kirilenko, who reached the Quarter Final after second seed Dinara Safina withdrew through injury. That was a major blow for Safina, who looked like a real threat to take the Australian Open title this year after failing in last year’s final. But now with Petrova being the only seed left in that half of the draw, we could be in for a surprise face in the final. Probably all the better if it happens to be Kirilenko.

In the other half of the draw, the Williams sisters play today, as they head along the same path which would set up a semi final meeting between the siblings. Both are looking in great form, and there is no reason why that scenario wouldn’t happen. Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki will have something to say about all that though, as she is also carrying some very good form, and the fourth seed should not be discounted. Wozniacki plays 16th seed Na Li in the Fourth Round. Perhaps the most interesting of the remaining Fourth Round matches is between Vera Zvonareva (9th) and Victoria Aaronson (7th). This should be very closely contested, probably with Azarenka carrying the slightly better form, but on the day, this one could be a thrilling drawn out affair.

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Men’s Fourth Round Matches
Nikolay Davydenko (2/5 at Boylesports)
Fernando Verdasco (12/5 at BetFred)

Novak Djokovic (1/25 at Coral)
Lukasz Kubot (14 at Boylesports)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (1/8 at Boylesports)
Nicolas Almagro (13/2 at SkyBet)

Roger Federer (1/10 at ExtraBet)
Lleyton Hewitt (8/1 at Stan James)

Women’s Fourth Round Matches
Venus Williams (1/4 at Expekt)
Francesca Schiavone (7/2 at Stan James)

Caroline Wozniacki (4/9 at BetFred)
Na Li (2/1 at Blue Square)

Serena Williams (1/7 at Boylesports)
Samantha Stosur (11/2 at SkyBet)

Victoria Azarenka (4/6 at Ladbrokes)
Vera Zvonareva (7/5 at Boyelsports)

The Australian Open is the big sporting highlight of the new week, with all the top contenders looking to get the perfect start to the Grand Slam series. Rafael Nadal is the current title holder, and at this time last year he was starting what looked as if it was going to be a dominant year for the Spaniard. Things did not pan out that way for him however, and his warm up for the first Grand Slam of the new year, hasn’t gone perfectly. One wonders just how far he has to go until he completes a comeback from his injury, and gets back to his full potential. With the 64 first round games starting tomorrow, he we take a look at the main challengers for the title, and weigh up their chances of lifting the Australian Open title (match prices below in brackets). Remember that the seeded players here will likely be playing mostly qualifiers in the first round, hence the extreme odds.

Don’t forget that you can catch the exciting action from Melbourne at the Australian Open with Bet365. Their excellent live streaming service is once again capturing one of the sporting highlights of the year. The service is free to funded account holders, and so there is still time if you want to get in on the first round action. Join up now and you can get up to £100 in a matched first deposit on a new account, with Bet365’s superbly generous welcoming offer. The advantage of watching live streaming on your computer, is that you can enjoy Live In-Play betting at the same time with Bet365, with no fuss. Everything is right there on screen, all in one place for you to enjoy. So cheer on Federer, Nadal, Murray, or whoever it is you are backing this year, and earn yourself some winnings while you are at it!

Roger Federer (1/33 William Hill) v Igor Andreev (16/1 SkyBet)
Federer can still be the man to lift the Australian Open, and he is keen to play down other talk. Federer became a father six months ago, and there has been talk that his new life style will affect his performances on the court. But Federer is ready for action on the big stage, and has been doing a lot of ground work in preparation for the Australian Open. This will be an important tournament for Federer after losing last year’s final to big rival Nadal. He has won the tournament three times before, but his last success came back in 2007. After winning the French Open and Wimbledon last year, and gaining back his World Number One spot, he should have the edge over Nadal one fancies, if the pair meet again.

Rafael Nadal (1/50 William Hill) v Peter Luczak (20/1 Totesport)
The defending title holder will only be able to meet his arch nemesis Federer in the final. They are in separate halves of the draw, being the top two seeds for the tournament. The Australian Open was his only Grand Slam triumph last year after winning two the year before. Last year was supposed to be his biggest year, but injury ravaged the second half of his season, and this has been the slow recuperation with which he has to deal with. He has all of the talent in the world to regain the Number One spot he worked so hard to achieve, it will just be a matter of whether or not he find his form, fitness and consistency quickly enough over the long tournament. The two biggest obstacles in the draw for him will be Radek Stepanek and Andy Murray.

Novak Djokovic (1/50 William Hill) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver (16/1 Blue Square)
The big Serbian will be a threat to all around him, and is growing in stature. Was fairly consistent throughout last season, reaching two quarter finals, one semi final and one third round exit out of his four Grand Slam appearances. He won the Australian Open in 2008 which was has so far been the pinnacle of his relatively short career. He is currently ranked three, so has been doing a lot right with his game and getting better all the time. He should have a fairly comfortable ride through the draw, as the next highest seed in his quarter is eighth seed Robin Soderling. He is in the same half of the draw as Federer though, and that looks like a very possible semi final match up.

Juan Martin Del Potro (1/25 William Hill) v Michael Russell (16/1 Victor Chandler)
The young Argentinean has been causing waves with the degree of his improvement over the last year. From making little impact at all in the Grand Slams in 2008, Del Potro claimed his first Grand Slam title by winning the 2009 US Open late last year. He was knocked out in the quarter finals of the Australian Open last year and also reached the semi finals of the French Open. The marked all round improvement in his game has been notable, and has climbed up into fourth seed spot in the world at the expense of Andy Murray. His warm up for the Australian Open has gone well, as he won the AAMI Classic on Wednesday with relative ease. That was his first competitive steps on court for 2010, and this could be a massive year for the rising star of the tennis world. Should make the quarter finals with no problems.

Andy Murray (1/33 William Hill) v Kevin Anderson (14/1 BetFred)
Starts 3am GMT on Monday, January 18th
Starting his campaign against a qualifier, should give him the opportunity to find his range. He is Britain’s great big hope of course, as the Scot looks to secure his first Grand Slam title. There is big hopes for him, certainly amongst fans back in the UK, and will need a big improvement over his fourth round exit last year. His Grand Slam appearances all fell a bit short last year, with the semi final exit at Wimbledon his best finishing position. For his Australian Open warm up this year, he decided to play in the Hopman Cup with team mate Laura Robson, a rising junior star. They made it to the final of that, but lost to the Spanish team (which wasn’t Nadal). He has been quite buoyant about his chances for this year, and is the failures which may be the things which can spur him on to better things. He will take a lot of betting on him, but will probably need to overcome Nadal in the semi’s if he is going to go all of the way.

Nikolay Davydenko (1/33 Paddy Power) v Dieter Kindlmann (16/1 Ladbrokes)
Russian Davydenko is the in form player at the moment. He beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Doha, on his way to winning the Qatar Open. Like Murray he has yet to win a Grand Slam, and this certainly looks to be his year. He has gotten his all round game together for sure. Missed the Australian Open last year, and his subsequent best finish was a Quarter Final place at Roland Garros. He is much better than he was at this stage last year. He is Federer’s quarter of the draw, but as was shown last week, that’s probably something he’s not so worried about anymore. He had gone a long time without beating the Swiss Number One, but has beaten him on the last two outings, turning the tide.

Andy Roddick (1/20 William Hill) v Thiemo de Bakker (14/1 Stan James)
Roddick got his new year under way well, with victory in the Brisbane International, where he beat defending Champion Radek Stepanek. That was always likely to be the final, and Roddick has given renewed hope in men’s US Tennis. It has been a while since an American lifted a Grand Slam title. In fact it was Roddick who was the last to do so when he won the US Open back in 2003. That was his only Grand Slam victory and has only made it to the semi finals of Grand Slam twice since then. Performed fairly well at last year’s Australian Open, where one of those semi final appearances were, but whether he really has the game to challenge any of the top four, five or even six seeds remains to be seen. Unlikely to win it, but should at least get to the quarter finals with no worries. Will probably run into Del Potro and on paper and form, that will be the end of his tournament.

Robin Soderling (1/6 Coral) v Marcel Granollers (9/2 at Ladbrokes)
Not one of the bigger household names, but is always there or there abouts in tournaments. Which may explain why he’s not one of the household names because he has barely scratched the surface of the Grand Slams. The Swede showed good improvement in his game last year, and was the beaten finals at the French Open. That was by far the best appearance by him at a tournament. Again, like Roddick, could easily make the quarter finals, but whether he has that extra gear to beat a couple of really top guys in the latter stages of a Grand Slam is doubtful.

Men’s Australian Open Outright Winner Odds
Roger Federer – 3/1 at Sporting Bet
Rafael Nadal – 4/1 at Totesport
Andy Murray – 13/2 at Paddy Power
Novak Djokovic – 17/2 at Bwin
Juan Martin Del Potro – 9/1 at Bwin
Nikolay Davydenko – 12/1 at Expekt
Andy Roddick – 29/1 at Expekt
Robin Soderling – 54/1 at Bwin

There has been one early season surprise in the Qatar Open, and that is the fact that Roger Federer has not made it to the final. He was taken out of the competition by Russian Nikolay Davydenko, which the Russian hopes will become something of a new trend. When the two met in ATP World Tour Finals at the end of last year, Davydenko beat Federer, and that was something against the grain, as the Swiss Superstar Federer had won the previous 12 meetings between the two players. Now the Russian has gained the upper hand in consecutive matches, and should fill him full of confidence for the season ahead. In a closely contested semi final match, Davydenko squeezed through 6-4, 6-4 in what could be the start of a wonderful year for him. That is certainly a great way to start the first tournament of the year, and now he has to play underdog again in the final.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal is the other finalist awaiting him in Doha, and the start of the new season is just as important to him. Despite being hailed as one of the best players in the world, he hasn’t managed to win a single title for over eight months, and that will be bothering him. To his defence, he was struggling with injury through the second half of the season, but still missed his chance to claim some silverware in competitions. With Federer out of the way in this tournament, Nadal is looking good, and this will stamp an air of authority on his season. He was looking at something near his best form in the semi final, as he beat fifth seed Viktor Toicki 2-0. 

Just as Davydenko has turned the tables on Federer a little bit, he has also won the previous two match ups between himself and the former World Number One Nadal. They have won eight a piece, so there is everything to play for in the final. Nadal is looking for a season of dominance, while Davydenko looks to close the gap by beating the top two tennis players to win the title.

Qatar Open Final Outright Winner
Rafael Nadal to win: 8/11 at Stan James
Nikokay Davydenko to win: 6/5 at BetFred

The new season of the ATP and WTA Tennis tours are underway, with players warming up ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian open, which starts on January 18th. Three hard court tournaments have started, the Brisbane International, the  Qatar Open and the Aircel Chennai Open, alongside some other tournaments, as players shake themselves back into gear after their break.

CHENNAI OPEN
The Chennai Open is India’s only ATP World Tour tournament, and is a tournament of 32 players.  The tournament itself has been running for 15 years now. Sweden’s Robin Soderling is the top seed for the tournament, and although he making his debut there he looks the strongest in the field. Marin Cilic, the current Chennai Open title holder, is back to try and retain his title though, and will be pushing hard all of the way. The Croatian opens his defence against Igor Kunitsyn. In one of the most interesting first round matches, two times winner Carlos Moya faces fourth seed Janko Tipsarevic.

Chennai Open Outright Winner
Robin Soderling – 13/8 at Ladbrokes
Marin Cilic – 7/4 at Victor Chandler
Stanislas Wawrinka – 6/1 at William Hill
Janko Tipsarevic – 12/1 at SkyBet
Dudi Sela – 33/1 at Victor Chandler

BRISBANE OPEN
It wouldn’t be a bad idea playing in a Brisbane tournament ahead of the Australian Open one would assume. At least it would give some time for acclimatisation. Anyway, some of the big names to look out for are Andy Roddick, Radek Stepanek and Gael Monfils in the Brisbane Open for 2010. The tournament is being held at a stunningly impressive tennis centre, and the centre court bears the name of Australian tennis legend Pat Rafter. When it comes to sporting excellence, it is hard to top the Australians. For the tournament, Andy Roddick will start as strong favourite, and the competition which runs from January 3 to the 10th.
The Women’s WTA Tour is starting as well at the Brisbane Open, with the heroic Kim Clijsters seeded number one for the tournament. Clijsters won the US Open after coming out retirement last year, and it will be interesting to chart her progress through the tour during 2010. Already Clijsters is showing good form for the new year, as she cruised through her first round match, 6-2, 61. Other familiar names such as Daniela Hantuchova, Aleksandra Wozniak, Ana Ivanovic and Nadia Petrova will be where the main threats to Clijsters will be coming from.  One other name on the scorecard is the one of famous Belgian Justine Henin. Like Clijsters, Henin is making her comeback after retiring, and as a Wild Card entrant, she face Nadia Petrova (seeded number 2) in the first round.

Brisbane International Open ATP Tour Men’s Outright Winner
Andy Roddick – 5/2 at BetFred
Radek Stepanek – 5/1 at SkyBet
Gael Monfils – 5/1 at Stan James
Tomas Berdych – 9/1 at Coral
Marco Baghdadis – 16/1 at Bet365

Brisbane International Open WTA Women’s Outright Winner
Kim Clijsters – 6/4 at Paddy Power
Justine Henin – 10/3 at Coral
Ana Ivanovo – 12/1 at Coral
Nadia Petrova – 14/1 at William Hill
Daniela Hantuchova – 16/1 at William Hill

Qatar Open
Held in Doha, the Qatar open is one of two ATP tournaments held in the middle east. This is where the two biggest names in the world of tennis are opening their 2010 campaigns. Swiss legend Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal are the big headline stars of tournament. Nikolay Davydenko is also in the mix, and he has been in the semi finals of the Qatar open three times. But it is of course World Number One Roger Federer, who everyone else will aiming for in 2010. He is the current ATP World Tour Champion and he has won twice in Qatar in 2005 and 2006. Nadal and Federer opened the tournament with a display on a magic flying carpet, which didn’t really look as cool as it sounds. Federer opens his account against Christope Rochus, while Nadal plays Simone Bolelli.

ATP Qatar Open Outright
Roger Federer – 6/5 at SkyBet
Rafael Nadal – 9/4 at Stan James
Nikolay Davydenko – 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Mikhail Youzhny – 25/1 at SkyBet
Ivo Karlovic – 40/1 at Bet365

Incidentally, who is the current holder of the Qatar Open title? Any guesses? It is Britain’s very own Andy Murray, who has won the tournament twice in a row. He is not back to defend the title though, as he is opting for the Hopman Cup as his preparations for the Australian Open. Murray, who has courted some opposition for his decision to pull out of Britain’s Davies Cup team for their next match in March, decided to go and play in the team event in Perth. The tournament also involves a mixed doubles match, in which Britain starts against Kazakhstan. Murray will be teaming up with Laura Robson (who was the World Number One Junior in March last year), and Murray defended his decision to enter this tournament, as it will give him at least three definite matches in a round robin tournament.

Betting Advice:
With the start of the new season upon us, it is actually a good time to get some, what may be deemed as bankers, in. These types of tournaments are overly blessed with talent, and the cream of the crop are spread out over different tournaments at the moment. The toughest call will be between Nadal and Federer at the Qatar open, but it seemed to be a good idea to back Federer on the hard court. Add to that Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick from the WTA in Brisbane, and Robin Soderling from Chennai, then you have yourself a fairly strong Yankee or Accumulator.

Looking for Some Andy Murray Specials? Here you go, over at Coral (who offer 10% cashback on accumulated losses for the month!) has an excellent selection.
To win the Australian Open 2010 – 9/2
To win the French Open 2010 – 12/1
To win Wimbledon 2010 – 4/1
To win the US Open 2010 – 7/2

Forget about Christmas shopping, putting up those shelves or visiting the relatives this Sunday, there is a feast of football and tennis action taking place, with the betting opportunities being endless!

On the football front, they don’t come any bigger than Barcelona v Real Madrid, with the bookmakers going 10/11 (Stan James) that Pep Guardiola’s team regain top spot in the Primera Liga. However, some of the more recent El Clasico matches have shown that the form book goes out of the window, and that these are the ideal sort of matches for In-Play betting. Bet365 will be offering over 50 live markets for the clash of the Spanish giants through a dynamic In-Play console which is created by their own technology. With Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka all likely to feature, this could be an explosive encounter.

Meanwhile, the English Premier League has some humdingers of its own, and we’re not just talking about Wolves v Birmingham at midday. After the Midlands derby, we have the prospect of a Merseyside derby and then a very hot London derby in the form of Arsenal v Chelsea. Interestingly, Boylesports have created a promotion called ‘ A Perfect Match’ where bets on either derby are refunded if the games finish by the same scoreline. We like the idea of both matches finishing 1-0 to both away teams.

In addition, Paddy Power have created a money-back special for the game at the Emirates. Didier Drogba has regularly been a thorn in Arsenal’s side over the past few seasons and the Irish bookmaker will refund losing 1st / last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets if the Ivorian scores the last goal of the game. Something to keep every punter interested throughout the course of the match.

Naturally, there will be a stack of pre-match betting opportunities for the three Premier League matches on Sunday, with William Hill offering a breathtaking 98 markets for the games. For the Everton v Liverpool game, the scorer market incorporates first goal, last goal, anytime, to score two and hat-trick. However, it’s with their Goal Markets that Hills really go to town, offering 65 markets. These includes odds on Race to 2 Goals, Goal in Last 10 Minutes and the intriguing Timecast bet. Sometimes it’s worth digging around for extra value.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget the climax of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, where we might well witness Andy Murray playing Roger Federer in the final. Bookmakers such as bet365 and Ladbrokes will be streaming this match on Sunday, as they have with every other match that’s comprised the tournament. You can bet on markets like match winner, along with who will take the next set, game and even point!

Just where will your money be going on Sunday?

The Final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tennis event has kicked off in Paris, France this week. This is important as it is the final showdown, the last tournament for the men on the ATP tennis tour. All of the big names are there for this regular season-ender, from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Dayvdenko, defending champion J-Wilfred Tsonga and of course, Britain’s very own cheery soul, Andy Murray.

Murray, returning from an injury, won his comeback tour in Valencia last week, which meant that he notched up his 6th ATP title of the season. He will look to add this tournament, the BNP Paribas Masters, to his trophy cabinet, by winning the event at the Palais Omnisports in Bercy. More than just the title is up for grabs though for some of the participants, for it is a chance for players to grab a spot for qualification to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This is hard indoor court, and the final showcase for players to end the ATP season on a high before those Finals, and there are 1000 ranking points up for stake, something which could see any two of seven players take the final two Finals qualifying spots.

Roger Federer will be one of the favourites to take the Paris title, but he lost the Swiss Indoor title on the weekend, when he was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic. That will have been a little bit of a kick in the pants for the tennis ace, losing in his own backyard. That was however the first appearance in a tournament since he lost in the US Open Final to Jaun Martin del Porto. Federer has never won this tournament despite seven attempts at it, his best finish has been quarter final appearances, including one in 2003 when he lost to Tiger Tim Henman. Henman went on to win that tournament, and fellow psuedo-Brit Greg Rudeski also won the tournament, so Andy Murray has some tradition to keep up.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat David Nalbandian in last year’s Paris final, and will have his hands full if he is going to repeat that feat. The prize money adds up to a tidy sum of € 2,750,000, and there have been a lot of byes through the first round, including Federer, Murray, Del Porto, Tsonga and Nadal. Incidentally, Del Porto, ranked 5th, is the highest ranked opposition that Andy Murray will face in his quarter of the draw, but there is the possibility of running into Roger Federer in the semi finals for Britain’s best.

Andy Murray’s best finish in the tournament has also been quarter final appearances, his most recent loss being last year to David Nalbandian, who was at the time, the defending champion. Six of the eight qualifying places for the ATP Finals in London, have been filled, and they read like this:
1) Roger Federer
2) Rafael Nadal
3) Novak Djokovic
4) Andy Murray
5) Juan Martin Del Porto
6) Andy Roddick

There are seven more players who are all in with a chance of grabbing the last two spots, with Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco in pole position, in seventh and eighth place respectively. The other players on the outskirts, including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, either need to at least make the Paris Final, or win it to be in with a chance of sneaking into the ATP Finals.

This all adds up to an exciting tournament, a final flourish before heading to London for the ATP Finals. The Bookies have Roger Federer as favourite, for his is after all, Roger Federer, with Andy Murray second favourite for the Paris title. Murray faces James Blake in the second round on Wednesday.

BNP Paribas Masters Outright Winner
Roger Federer: 5/2 at William Hill
Andy Murray: 9/2 at Coral
Novak Djokovic: 5/1 at William Hill
Rafael Nadal: 7/1 at Stan James
Juan Martin Del Porto: 12/1 at William Hill