tennis

Victoria Azarenka v Na Li tennis betting is the great match we have to look forward too in the final of the WTA Sydney. It’s an early finish of course to this tournament (on a Friday) as the Australian Open gets underway next week. So this has been an important tennis tournament to follow in terms of looking ahead to next week at just what we have in store to come. Importantly in WTA Sydney betting, we lost Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter finals against Agnieszka Radwanska, but more importantly, the World Number One picked up a wrist injury ahead of Melbourne next week. We also saw Petra Kvitova, who would have taken over the world number one spot had she won this tournament, crash out in the semi finals against Na Li. So this Premier tier event in the women’s tennis betting has proven to be very interesting, but at least one of the pre-tournament favourites has made it all the way to the final.

Victoria Azarenka is a position to lay down an early marker for the season by taking this title, and it would confirm that she is back for serious business and gunning hard for her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Azarenka came on leaps and bounds last season, calming her fiery temperament and ramping up her concentration to become one of the best players on the circuit towards the end of last season. The confidence this would do her in her Grand Slam quest would do wonders, and she has to be pencilled in as one of the favourites to take the Australian Open title. She has been playing some very powerful tennis through the WTA Sydney and really hasn’t skipped a heartbeat. Her toughest opponent was the bubbly Marion Bartoli in the semi finals, but Azarenka still took that in straight sets. So she is looking very fit, strong and in the zone right now. There were questions about her consistency, especially in big games. She broke that habit a while a go and needs to reaffirm that she is a winner.

So standing between Azarenka and her first title of the season, is Na Li, who has set herself up for the defence of her title here. It didn’t look good at 6-1 3-1 down half way through the match for Na Li, but somehow, that characteristic doggedness kicked in and she just never gave up. It was a remarkable comeback for victory against Kvitova, and the Chinese star again looks to be heading to a bright start to the early new season. Na won the Sydney title last year against Kim Clijsters and will be jumping after triumphing over Kvitova in such remarkable circumstances. This is the first final Na Li has reached since she lifted the French Open title at Roland Garros last year and after a pretty lack lustre second half of the season following that victory, it is good to see her lively personality back in the spotlight of a final. The two players most recently met at the season closer of the WTA Championships in December, which Azarenka won, but it is Li who holds the head to head advantage, leading the Belarusian by 4-2. Na Li has a great deal of fight and power in her low ground strokes, but it really should be time for Azarenka to fulfil all of her potential and promise this year by becoming more ruthless and see this tournament out. Na Li had to work a lot harder in her semi final, so fitness by be an issue in the final, and with the height and power that Azarenka gets off her serve, as long as she can keep Li moving and get her out of her comfort zone, really think that Azarenka will be able to control this match, and therefore the Belarusian is favourite in Victoria Azarenka v Na Li tennis betting.

WTA Sydney Azarenka v Li Betting Odds
Azarenka 4/6 at Boylesports, Na Li 13/10 at VCBet

Will be worth heading to online betting exchange BetFair for this one, as they are showing a live stream of the Azarenka v Li final from Sydney. Once again, BetFair have been treating their customers to a great deal of live tennis over the past couple of weeks and with them you can watch the final with their live tennis stream. This is a great way to enhance your live in play betting options, staying close to the action while you get your live bets down. Online betting exchange BetFair offer a risk free £25 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will refund the value of your first stake on a new account, if it loses, up to the maximum of £25. So a nice risk free way to get started, and there is also an option of earning up to £1000 in cash back on the first 30 days of your account. The more you bet, the bigger you bet, the more cash you will be in line to get back.

The WTA tennis betting this week is focused on Baku, Azerbaijan. This is based on the Caspian Sea and is an important marker in the season, as it is the start of the summer hard court season, which will culminate in the US Open. This is an interesting tournament to focus on, as we have not seen too many big stars out in the women’s game since Wimbledon. There is a big Russian influence at the event, led by Vera Zvonareva, but we have already lost Britain’s Elena Baltacha from the Baku Cup in the first round. Baltacha was seeded as 6th for the tournament, and was expecting her to get through, but she lost out to the Ukraine’s Mariya Kottseva. Would definitely want to be looking towards one of the powerful Russian players here for your WTA Baku Cup tennis betting, and Vera Zvonareva will be your top bet at 11/10 with Bet365 as outright favourite. That is actually not too bad value on her because the rest of the field is not to strong when you look at it. The draw looks pretty comfortable as well for Zvonareva as the highest seed she can meet at the quarter final stage is eighth seed Evgeniya Rodina (ranked 77th in the world). There is one other player worth looking at in your tennis betting here from the top half of the draw for the Baku Cup, and that is Ekaterina Makarova. Makarova 10/1 at Victor Chandler, can be a tricky player to face, as she is a left hander and should move through the tournament well. If you are basing things on ranking and who on paper should win, then you will be expecting to see Vera Zvonareva in the final of the Baku Cup.

Down in the bottom half, you are looking at a big Russian presence as well for your betting. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4/1 at Victor Chandler, is the number two seed in the tournament, and the Russian, who is ranked 13th in the world is always a great dark horse bet for tournaments. She has a lot of power to her game, and her big serves enables her to out gun a lot of her opponents. You would look at her and expect her to get through this half of the draw, with perhaps third seed Elena Vesnina (33rd in the world) the likeliest to challenge  her for a place in the final. Vesnina 15/2 at Victor Chandler has made it to five WTA Tour finals in her career, but has yet to win one, so she is always pretty motivated at events like this. That really is the extend of the main threats in the tournament. As for a WTA tennis betting tip, then would look towards Pavlyuchenkova. The thing about Vera Zvonareva, is that she is still chasing her best game at the moment. We have not seen the best of her for a long time, and even at the Grand Slams she has had her struggles against lower seeded opposition. She is a class act, she has the full game to win titles, but she just is not on top of her game. Zvonareva could really use this as a springboard forward before the WTA hits North America as a build up to the US Open, as she needs a boost of confidence and form. Therefore, because of the underdog threat of Pavlychenkova, as she is rapidly rising in the game, and heading towards the top ten at the moment we will go with the second favourite to take the glory here.

WTA Baku Winner Odds

Vera Zvonareva: 11/10 at Bet365
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: 4/1 at Victor Chandler
Elena Vesnina: 15/2 at Victor Chandler
Katerina Makarova: 10/1 at Stan James
Kateryna Bondarenko: 20/1 at Stan James

Andy Murray serves up his first tennis action on the ATP Tour, following his second consecutive defeat in the final of the Australian Open. Murray just never got his game going in the final against Djokovic, and from the enduring task which he had to try and hold onto to his first service game, you always feared the worst. But, there is nothing quite like getting over something disappointing, than by just getting straight back on the horse. Murray steps back into the limelight in Rotterdam. This ATP event was supposed to be graced by Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic as well, but the Serbian has withdrawn due to needing more rest on a shoulder problem. While he will be missed, the field at Rotterdam is still a very tough one, with the likes of Robin Soderling and Tomas Berdych in the mix. Perhaps Murray is heading back to a place where he has tasted success before, in order to give himself a boost of confidence again. He won the 2009 Rotterdam tournament, beating Rafael Nadal in the final, which is no mean feat. But, with the withdrawal of Djokovic, Murray will now start the tournament as outright favourite. He doesn’t start as top seed though, because that will fall on the shoulders of Sweden’s Robin Soderling, who is ranked one place higher than Murray in the ATP World Rankings at the moment.

What it does mean, is that the top two players here will be kept apart until the final. Andy Murray goes in the bottom half of the draw, and starts off with a pretty tough match against Marcos Baghdatis. The Cypriot is going to be no walkover for Murray, and it will serve as a pretty tough test for the Scotsman, in terms of confidence after his Grand Slam loss. But still, you would expect Murray to get past that challenge, and he actually wouldn’t meet a seed until the quarter finals, where it would likely be 7th seed veteran Ivan Ljubicic. Really beyond that, the biggest threat looks to be Tomas Berdych, who is seeded fourth in the tournament, and Murray could meet him in the semi finals. Whichever way you look at it, Murray should get into the final here. He is the stand out talent, and it should happen. This is a world away from the grueling five set efforts of a Grand Slam, and Murray has all of the class, talent and skill needed to breeze through this. There have once again been questions over his stamina, both physically and mentally to be able to win that elusive Grand Slam, but at least Murray has recognized that he needs to work harder on a few aspect of his game. That is honest, and hopefully everything gets sorted out, and we will see Murray lift a Grand Slam this year.

After looking so comfortable throughout the early rounds in Melbourne, Murray gradually started looking less and less at ease on the court, and didn’t look totally confident when taking to the court for the final. His body language and the pep in his stride simply wasn’t there from the start. After making such a strong start to last season at the Australian Open, after losing that final, Murray’s form dipped and he had a pretty indifferent 2010 until the latter end of it. This Rotterdam tournament is simply set up perfectly for him. This is the big chance to get a great season under his belt. There will always be the focus on the Grand Slam’s of course, but while the main focus will be there, there is nothing like winning in order to build confidence and success. Murray really should win this tournament, and even if he meets Robin Soderling in the final, then you would still expect the work of the Scot to be too much. If anyone is going to beat Murray, then it will be Soderling, who has improved a lot, but as shown by his early exit at the Australian Open, is still fragile himself. Neither player have quite the rounded out, all round game of say Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, but from watching both, Murray is the better player. Better tactically, better defensively, but as always, he is a big momentum player. He needs to stay in that positive frame of mind to be able to win tournaments.

Soderling, who is the defending Champion in Rotterdam, will represent the best bet behind Murray here, and while you can see tricky matches ahead for him, like Murray, they are matches which a world number four should be winning. This is a hard court tournament, which is Murray’s favourite surface, and it is hard looking beyond those two mentioned players for a winner. However, the unexpected does happen, and beyond the two main men, you would have to look at the pairing of David Ferrer (who made Murray work hard for his semi final victory at the Australian Open) and Tomas Berdych, who is exciting and can cause major upsets. Those two are ranked 6th and 7th in the world respectively, and it would be no surprise to see them both in their quarter final berths. There is really no stand out form to watch out for, which looks likely to come from nowhere and take the ATP Rotterdam title. The only player which would really fall into a category like that would be World Number 11 Mikhail Youzhny. The Russian has been in the Rotterdam final three times in his career, winning it in 2007. He was last year’s runner up as well, losing out to Soderling. Seems to like the tournament, so that would make his a sensible outside bet. He’s up in Soderling’s half of the draw, and would meet him in the Quarter Finals.

All eyes though will be on Andy Murray, in his third appearance at Rotterdam. Can he shake off those Grand Slam blues and show that famed new mental toughness to bounce back? He is well worth a punt, because this season, he really has to get over himself and push on to that extra level. This is the kind of tournament which he needs to attack with gusto, so that he can get used to being a winner. As for the ABN Ambro World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, Outright Odds, Andy Murray starts the tournament at 11/4 favourite with Boylesports, while Soderling is just behind him in the odds at 7/2 with SkyBet. Both make reasonable punts really. Tomas Berdych is third favourite at 10/1 with Stan James, but he hasn’t got great history in Rotterdam at all. David Ferrer, Australian Open semi finalist, is hovering around 12/1 at Bet365, and Mikhail Youzhny, who has gone well here before, is right out at 28/1 at Victor Chandler.

Check out popular online bookmaker Bet365 for live streams of ATP and WTA tennis throughout the year. After bringing you all of the top action from Down Under in Melbourne at the Australian Open, the highly recommended bookmaker is well worth holding an account with. Just be a funded account holder and click on through to the live betting section of the website in order to enjoy great live sports streams from across a wide range of sports. Bet365 really are a great online bookmaker, who offers superb prices along with efficient betting features which ranks their service so highly. For new customers looking to open an account, a £100 free bet is not to be dismissed lightly! Bet365 will match the value of your first deposit as a free bet, up to the value of £100. That is a lot of free betting to do, and you can’t lose when you bet with free money!

The women’s fourth round tennis betting (all odds listed for outright tournament winner, not match betting) is really looking like the most attractive prospect of Day Seven at the Australian Open as well look ahead. There are some great matches coming up, and with the Women’s draw still wide open for anyone to win, it continues to intrigue and produce some fantastic matches. Topping the bill is world number one Caroline Wozniacki (11/2 at BetFair), who squares off against Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova (ranked 46th). The two players have never met before, but Wozniacki has not shown any sign of her progress slowing down. She is moving well and being naturally aggressive, and its hard to see where she gets some of her power from to be honest. Great talent, and great wit and she turned on the media at a press conference, answering questions before she’d been asked, and challenging the press to come up with more interesting challenges. This was all in response to criticism of her replies to questions being boring. Russian queen Maria Sharapova (16/1 at Boylesports) is in the fourth round, and she takes on Andrea Petkovic, and Sharapova has a great chance to move ahead here. She was challenged hard in the third round, losing her first set, but showed a lot of grit to battle back for the win. She is still looking like she is improving, but not quite enough to win the Grand Slam one would think. This really could have been Britain’s Anne Keothavong playing Sharapova in the fourth round, if only the Brit hadn’t blown things in the final set against Petkovic. Somehow German Petkovic got away by the skin of her teeth, and got a free pass through to the fourth round following that, as her third round opponent Venus Williams pulled out because of injury. Petkovic, ranked 33, can challenge on her day, but Sharapova is the better player of the two on paper. Sharapova beat Petkovic easily last year in Cincinnati, their only previous meeting.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (14/1 at BetFred), who caused a shock in knocking out Justine Henin, squares off against last year’s French Open winner Francesca Schiavone. Kuznetsova was not at the races at all last year, but actually looked in good nick against Henin. The Russian holds an 8-4 head to head advantage of Schiavone. Should be tight, and a tough one to call. Schiavone has probably got the slight edge, it depends which Kuznetsova turns up. Our girl and top tip Victoria Azaraneka (14/1 at Paddy Power) meets Na Li, in probably the best looking match of the day’s women’s action. The Belarusian has been in very good form so far through the tournament, and really has the potential to go and win this one. She will face her toughest test in Na Li, who is just rolling confidently along doing what she does best. The Chinese star reached the semi finals here last season, and won’t be a pushover. Azarenka has incredible reach and power in her shots and if she is high on confidence, then she will take this one. Na Li will need to get after Azarenka early in the match to try and throw her off her game, and Na Li holds a 2-1 head to head advantage over Azarenka, but Azarenka won when they met in Montreal last  year. This is 9th (Azarenka) v 11th (Na) match, and should be fiercely contested. Would lean towards the power of Azarenka pulling this one off. You can tell by her body language that she is fired up.

As for the men’s draw, Roger Federer (9/5 at SportingBet) will look to set the pace again, as he takes on Tommy Robredo. Federer, after being pushed to five sets in the second round, cruised back into top form in the third round to set up this clash. The Fed Express should win this one and carry on his charge towards the title. Federer still makes a worthy punt for your money, as you get the feeling that if anyone is going to stop the Rafa Slam from happening, it has to be him. It would be just so fitting. Novak Djokovic (8/1 at Boylesports), the only other previous Australian Open winner in the tournament besides Federer and Nadal is still rolling along in his challenge. He is one of the most consistent players on the ATP and you could pretty much pick him up from the start and drop him into the quarter final stage. He is incredibly hard working a diligent, this is a big year for him and really would be great to see him push Nadal and Federer. Other matches on the go will be Stanislas Wawrinka v Andy Roddick. Roddick had to survive a scare in his third round match, and needed to battle hard to book his place in the fourth round. Good enough to progress here. Tomas Berdych, who can be really exciting on his day, squares off against Fernando Verdasco, who is just as thrilling. Verdasco is always good for entertainment value, and has already shown that this year, when he left it late to get through one of his early matches. A winner here, really tough call, would go with Berdych on the day.

Don’t forget that online bookmaker Bet365 are showing live streams of the action from Down Under. Just head to Bet365, who are highly recommended, and open an account with them. When you do, you can receive a £100 free bet to enjoy, and gain access to those all important live tennis streams from the Australian Open, along with their new and improved live betting console. A £10 subscription is needed for access to all of the live streams just for the Australian Open (all other sports are free), but you do get a £10 bet voucher back to use on your tennis betting, so it is good value and well worth it.

If you are following the progress of Andy Murray at the Australian Open tennis, then you may want to be aware of a great tennis promotion from SportingBet. The highly popular online bookmaker, are running a Last Set Decider offer for the hot tennis action from Melbourne. This is a straight forward offer, and as with all of SportingBet’s great promotions, there is some nice insurance on your bets to be taken. What this offer gives the punter, is some security by offering refunds of lost stakes, if any player you back in an individual match ends up losing the fixture in the deciding set. The men’s draw Down Under is of course, dominated by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Nadal currently holds three of the four Grand Slams, and if he wins the Australian Open, he will have the prestige of holding all four in a remarkable feat of tennis. The Rafa Slam is on, and the world number one is looking strong. Roger Federer is still in the hunt though, along with Britain’s Andy Murray, who is so far showing quite a ruthless edge. Will former Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic be able to get his hands on the title for the second time? Will Swede Robin Soderling cause an upset and beat them all? While the seeds have been fairly untroubled through the early rounds, the competition is stiffening up, and the matches will get a lot closer.

Federer though has been pushed to five sets already. Aussie hero Leyton Hewitt crashed out in a five set epic, and Andy Roddick was also pushed to the wire. So these deciding sets crop up more often than you think, and it is heartbreaking to think of your backed player losing out in a deciding set. This is where the SportingBet Last Set Decider serves up an ace for your tennis betting at the Australian Open. If you are not a SportingBet customer, then you will receive a match first bet welcome offer from the popular bookie when you do open an account, up to the value of a £50 free bet. This is all great, and a fantastic opportunity to start your sports betting one of the best bookies for sports promotions. The action is coming thick and fast from Melbourne, and the competition is heading to the second week, the real business end of the tournament. So, take any Match Price on any player in an individual Australian Open match, and your bet will be covered if that player then loses in the deciding set of the match.

The RafaSlam is looking more and more likely to happen, it has to be said. If he can win the Australian Open, then he will be the first man to hold all four Grand Slam titles at one, since Rod Laver back in the 40’s. He has looked totally dominant through the early rounds, as expected really, and is just racing through the sets without breaking a sweat (not literally, due to the Melbourne heat). He is just oozing class and confidence at the moment, and with him having seen Roger Federer struggle through a five set match in the second round, the Spaniard really has the Slam at his mercy. Day six will see him try and book his place in the fourth round, as he takes on exciting youngster Bernard Tomic from Australia. Tomic is ranked 199th in the world and hasn’t turned pro yet. Has played a few Grand Slam before, but this is the further he has gotten in any of them. Not expected to have much of a chance against Nadal, but that hasn’t stopped Tomic fancying his own chances. He is determined that he will have a good crack at Nadal, the world number one. Tomic hasn’t dropped a set yet actually, including a win over 31st seed Feliciano Lopez in the second round. It looks like another breeze for Nadal, and that’s about it. Swede and fourth seed in the men’s draw Robin Soderling steps back into action as well, as he takes on Jan Hernych in his quarter of the draw. Realistically this is the best chance at winning a Grand Slam that Soderling has been in. Unlikely to happen, as he’d need to beat Murray and Nadal in his half most likley. After a much improved year last year, is looking solid enough to progress a bit further though. Not that the challenges have been too stiff, but there is still the question mark over whether or not he can really beat Federer and Nadal to a Grand Slam. Should be in the fourth round without much fuss.

Andy Murray steps onto the court again as well, as he faces Guillermo Garcia Lopez (ranked 32) in his third round match. Murray easily saw off the challenge of young Illya Marchenko in the second round, with Murray’s serve looking strong to carry him through the tournament. He is looking defensively sound (which really is one of his biggest strengths), relaxed and confident, but we have seen that before from Murray early in tournaments and then things have gone a bit awry. In order to win the Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the draw will make him have to go through Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (most likely) in order to do it. Garcia Lopez is really the kind of opponent that Murray should be beating with ease as well if he is going to win his first slam. With Marcos Baghdatis ending the come back of Juan Martin Del Potro, Murray would play the winner of him and Jurgen Melzer in the fourth round. Melzer is a dangerous floater in Murray’s quarter, the Austrian is ranked 11th and could be a tricky opponent. Awaiting Murray after that could be 4th seed Robin Soderling, so Murray really has his work cut out for him. Murray is second on court at the Rod Laver Arena, when Vera Zvonareva has finished her match. One more match to look out for, and it could be a bruising, hard hitting affair between the big John Isner  (20th) and Marin Cilic (15th). Just has the makings of a good, entertaining match.

Still not much value in taking Nadal or Murray in match betting obviously. You will be better served dipping into live betting services to try and get some good value out of the match. Unibet are showing live streams from Melbourne, and coupled with their brilliant live in play betting service, you get the best of both worlds there. So, if you want to follow Murray in action, and bet on his progress throughout the match, then head to Unibet, one of the most highly recommended online bookmakers available. There is also a £20 no risk first bet to be taken as a welcome offer as a new account holder there.

Latest Outright Betting

Rafael Nadal: 13/8 at 888Sport (first time he’s really taken an advantage as favourite in the betting)
Roger Federer: 9/5 at SportingBet
Novak Djokovic: 8/1 at Blue Square
Andy Murray: 8/1 at BetFair

Want to know where to watch your Australian Open live streams? Well, online bookmaker Bet365 have great coverage from Melbourne, and they are worth opening an account with to get access to the action from Down Under. They are one of the top providers of live sports streams, all of which are official and reliable, so you no longer have to scour the internet trying to find connections that you hope will work, and hope are being commented on in English. Having access to the tennis live streams right at your fingertips on the computer, allows you to get deeper into the games themselves, especially when looking at doing your tennis betting. When you have live streams right in from of you, then you can pair it up brilliantly with live in play betting. This allows you to bet on different aspects of the game, which you could not do so before. For example, a favourite in a match may be a set down against the odds, so who do you back as the action in happening? Because the prices fluctuate between points, games and sets, it is great to keep up with play and odds and try and spot yourself a bargain. Being able to watch a live tennis stream should enable you to judge the flow of a match, and therefore dip into the markets at the Australian Open matches to get some good value out of them. Bet365 also welcome new account holders with a £100 free bet!

Good, reliable live tennis streams can be hard to find, but you can get them served up to you at Bet365. The highly recommended online bookmaker will give you a £10 betting voucher to use on your wagers at the Australian Open Grand slam, and that will come after the £10 subscription needed to access the live streams. Regularly the live streams at Bet365 are all free, this being a Major tournament, things are a little different, but with the free bet voucher, it all works out the same. The Bet365 live sports streaming service is one of the best around, and should be looked at. The stars are progressing through to the second week of the Australian Open Grand Slam, and the matches are getting tougher and tougher. Who will prevail? Federer has been pushed hard already? Nadal is looking unbeatable, and the RafaSlam is still on. But can Andy Murray get past both of them, to bring a Grand Slam title to UK Tennis? Imagine the Murray-mania then! Over in the women’s section, Kim Clijsters looks strong favourite, but world number one Caroline Wozniacki is proving a point with rapid progress through the tournament, as she looks for her first career Slam. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, remains one of the best dark horse bets of the tournament. Check all this out at Bet365 for top market prices, as well as those lives streams. Bet, watch and enjoy all in one place, and that place comes highly recommended.

Bet365 are streaming Andy Murray’s second round Australian Open match against Illya Marchenko live on their website. The live tennis streams from Down Under keep coming with the Bookmaker’s excellent service. This is a chance to catch Murray in action, as he goes for Grand Slam glory, and not only can you watch at Bet365, but it is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of their new look live in play service, which has been revamped and is highly recommended. It is a one stop shop for your Australian Open tennis betting needs really, and they are one of the top online bookies around. You’ll need to have an account at Bet365 though and subscribe, but when you open one, you can get yourself up to £100 in free bets in a most generous welcome offer. A £10 bet voucher will be served up when you decide to watch the live streams from the Australian Open, to be used on betting at the Grand Slam. Will it be Andy Murray’s year to win a Grand Slam? Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer may lay in wait, but for now, Murray can get into the groove with a strong victory over Marchenko.

There is little doubt that Britain’s Andy Murray will start as one of the favourites for the Australian Open Grand Slam which starts on Monday. However, the Brit will face some stiff competition in the form of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Just as in last year’s draw, Murray will run into Rafael Nadal in his half of the draw, which likely means that if he is going to win his first career Grand Slam, then he will have to go through both Nadal and Federer in order to do it. While that sounds like a daunting task, Murray has done pretty well against both of them, especially last season where he beat them both in the same competition once. Murray lost in last year’s final of the Australian Open to Roger Federer, but Rafael Nadal will be the one to beat. The Spaniard is looking to hold all four Grand Slam titles in his position at one time, and he surely will take some stopping. The thing about your tennis betting on this one, is looking towards the top players to perform on the big occasions. The Grand Slams have been dominated by Nadal and Federer and there doesn’t appear to be much chance of things changing at the moment. But, still, a lot of patriotic tennis betting will head towards Murray in the hopes that he can pull off something special. Murray has slipped down to fifth in the world rankings, with Robin Soderling taking fourth spot, and therefore fourth spot in the seedings at the Australian Open.

Murray hasn’t played any fiercely competitive warm up tournament like other players have, he participated in the Hopman Cup with young British star Laura Robson, and then had an exhibition match penciled in. However, this is what worked for him so well last year, and Murray himself admits that he is mentally tougher and more ready than ever to get the job done. Murray opens his campaign against Karol Beck, and there shouldn’t be any issues with that, as Beck is ranked 104 in the world. Along the way to a possible final, Murray could meet Robin Soderling in the quarter finals, and then Nadal in the semi’s, perhaps paving a way for a rematch against Federer in the final. Murray went through some rough times last season, especially after such a strong start to the season, he just never quite backed it all up, and the end of season showcase at the US Open was a particular disappointment. But he has been training hard all December, has a new coach to work with, and is looking relaxed and confident. The thing is, you just never know with Murray, as sometimes he looks as if he can beat the world, and other times he looks a mere shadow of himself. That mental toughness which  he has apparently adopted, could make all the difference this year, and the 23 year old, could win his first Grand Slam soon.

Will it be at the Australian Open? Well, his is third favorite in the running, and best priced at 8/1 as Outright winner at BetFred. Is he worth a punt? Of course, because he is one of the best ranked players in the world, and his run to the final last year was his best effort in Melbourne. His previous best finishes had come in reaching the fourth round. Murray holds a 12-5 match record at the Australian Open in the five attempts he has had at the Grand Slam. Murray’s strength lies in his incredible defensive work, and as well as being one of the best returners of the ball in the business, he is probably the better counter attacking player on the circuit, but sometimes you just want him to up the intensity, and sometimes that just doesn’t come. However, at the Australian Open, he realistically is an outside shot with the title expecting to go to either Nadal or Federer, so that puts him at a good price, and therefore he is worth a punt as a side bet on the tournament. Nadal has already slipped up this season, so who knows? This is the big time though, and Murray must show that new mental toughness.

You will have seen the tennis betting markets creeping on you at your online bookmaker, those offering odds on Andy Murray to win the Australian Open. The ATP Tour season has just broken ground for the new year, and so quickly after the short winter break, the players have to get back into top gear as the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the Year is right on their doorstep. In preparation, there are some good ATP Tour tournaments going on, but just like last year, Andy Murray passed them by in order to get some warm up action in at the Hopman Cup along with partner Laura Robson. But very soon it will be all off to Melbourne Park for the big tennis festival Down Under. Realistically you only have to look at four main challengers to win the men’s side of the Australian Open, and you can even narrow that down a little further when you take into consideration that between them, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won 21 out of the last twenty three Grand Slams in total. The draw has not been released as of yet for the Australian Open, but the top seeds are always kept apart anyway, so there is no danger of big clashes until the latter stages of the competition. There is a huge list of illustrious names in the record books as winner of the Australian Open, since its inauguration in 1969. Andrei Agassi, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Jimmy Connors. But the modern Grand Slams have been owned by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and the Australian Open, in particular by Federer. Who is going to run deep into the tournament this year? Which four players will we see in the semi finals? Maybe the Nadal v Federer final is the one that tennis fans, that the Grand Slam itself deserves to see. It is never a dull moment when they come together. Nadal holds a 14-8 head to head record over Federer. The last time they met in the final of a Grand Slam, was in 2009 at the Australian Open, when Nadal won in an epic five sets.

Here we present a guide to the 2011 Australian Open, as it will be worth getting some Antepost tennis betting down right now.

Rafael Nadal: 2/1 at Boylesports

This is the one Grand Slam that the super Spaniard did not win last year. That was because he had to retire through injury against Andy Murray in the quarter finals. Nadal has had his hands on the Australian Open title though, when he won it back in 2009 and Nadal holds a 25-5 match record at Melbourne Park. The world number one is currently out in Doha, playing in the same tournament as Roger Federer, and that one will be a good one to watch, so that you can study your betting. Ultimately your choice is either going to come down to Nadal or Federer for the title. The Doha tournament could be a good indicator of form, because they are expected to meet in the final, and that will be just over a week before the start of the Australian Open. Federer had the last laugh last season, beating Nadal in the World Tour Finals in London, but Nadal had the upper hand throughout the rest of the season really. His three Grand Slam titles will attest to that. On paper, he should be favourite. Really, how much better can this man get? There is talk of him walking away this season with all four Grand Slams. It could start here.

Roger Federer: 5/2 at Totesport

The defending Champion and the one likely to push Nadal all of the way for the title. These two really are so incredibly dominant in the sport, that everyone is expecting one of them to win this one. Hardly surprising really, as Federer has won the Australian Open four times in his long and illustrious career, and he sure has come a long way from being a losing qualifier back in 1999. Since 2004, Federer has not finished lower than the semi finals, so he always makes a good bet. He is a class act, and while his overall season last year was not as productive as it generally was expected to be, he still showed his signs of brilliance throughout. Perhaps there are signs that he is going to towards the end of his career, but the Fed Express certainly won’t hear talk of it. The man with 66 Tour Titles, 16 Grand Slams titles and a phenomenal 81% winning record in his singles career, is not going to go away very easily. Watch for his fitness in Doha. He is one of the most driven and dedicated and passionate sportsmen in the world. Pay close attention to how sharp he is looking right now. The Grand Slams are long and arduous affairs.

Andy Murray: 7/1 at Bwin

Here is Britain’s big hope again, starting another year being surrounded by speculations of whether or not he will finally win a Grand Slam. He came close at Melbourne Park last year, where he reached the final. He played some great tennis along the way, and really looked as if he was going to step up to the mark. However, he ran into Roger Federer in the final, who was in no mood to give anything away, and Murray simply didn’t have enough of an answer to Federer’s big, testing questions. Towards the end of last season, Murray looked to be getting back to his best, after a disaster at the US Open. He was carrying on through a large part of the season with no coach, and again at times he just looked disjointed and out of sorts with himself for no apparent reason. There is a very thin line between being good and being great, and it is finding that top level of performance week in, week out, that Murray needs to discover. That is the only way he is going to match Nadal and Federer. By his own right though, Murray is a very good player, and on his day he really looks unstoppable. Great footwork, one of the best returners of the ball in the business, and you can visibly tell when his confidence is high. Last year’s appearance at the Australian Open resulted in only his second Grand Slam final. Both times he lost to Roger Federer. That is the benchmark by which he has to set his standards. Looked a bit jet lagged at the Hopman Cup first round, was struggling with his breathing, but is there in Australia to acclimatise.

Novak Djokovic: 9/1 at Bwin

This is a great guy to way, full fire and determination, and seems to enjoy his tennis on the court. He is one of the best players in the world, and is currently warming up at the Hopman Cup with Serbian counterpart Ana Ivanovic (where they are favourites). Unlike Andy Murray, Djokovic has the distinction of being called a Grand Slam winner. He achieved the feat back at the 2008 Australian Open, so Melbourne Park has been a happy hunting ground for him. Only he, and Juan Martin Del Potro have managed to break up the Nadal and Federer dominance at the Grand Slams of tennis. Djokovic has reached the quarter finals of the last two Australian Opens, and reached the final of the US Open towards the end of last year. However, Djokovic has rarely been able to find a way past the elite of Nadal and Federer when it has mattered most. Neither in the Grand Slams, nor in the regular ATP Tour. He digs in well and gives all he can, you can see that, just as he did against Nadal in the US Open final, but his best just looks as if it is not good enough to topple the best. For example, Djokovic has won just six of the nineteen meetings against Federer in his career. The Serbian should be in the running at the quarter final stages, and is still a potential outside winner if something goes wrong with the top seeds.

Juan Martin Del Potro: 35/1 at Bwin

At some of the bookmakers, the Argentinean is priced down as low as 9/1 (at William Hill). This is because he comes into this Australian Open as a bit of an unknown quantity. So why is he being mentioned? Well, it is because he was the 2009 US Open champion, beating Roger Federer in the final. In the same year he finished runner up at the end of season finals and lost in the final of the ATP 1000 Masters Final in Montreal to Andy Murray. Del Potro, at the point of winning the US Open, looked to have the world at his feet, and that the ATP was not going to be all about Federer and Nadal. He looked that good, and was rightly been enthused about as a great talent, who had come on leaps and bounds. However, his 2010 season was wiped out due to injury and now the youngster is looking to get back on track. Was scheduled to play the US Open last year but withdrew as he felt that he wasn’t ready. Lost a couple of tournaments in the first round after that, and so it will be interesting to see if the same old talent is there.

Others:
Robin Soderling: 25/1 at Victor Chandler
Andy Roddick: 49/1 at Unibet
Tomas Berdych: 59/1 at Bwin