Tennis season is in full swing and after a French Open tournament full of upsets as well as comebacks for the “top” players, we move on to the 2017 Wimbledon Championships with even more relish for potential profits.
You don’t need to be avid followers the ATP and WTA tours to know that Wimbledon is one of the most important tournaments in the tennis calendar. As such, it is perhaps the most coveted Grand Slam and many players from the Men’s and Women’s sides of the draw focus their training for this two weeks of tennis in London more than other major championships.
The returning Men’s champion is Britain’s Andy Murray and he is odds on favourite to defend his title. However, wavering fortunes for the Scot in 2017 along with dips and rises in the forms of his closest competitors makes for a close run-in with the potential for a young upstart to steal the show. On the women’s side of the draw, things are as tough to call as ever with the absence of the two main contenders – Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
So, who should you look out for when you place a bet on this tennis tournament? And what kind of things should inform your betting strategy for Wimbledon 2017?
The Green Green Grass
The Championships at Wimbledon is the highlight of the Tennis calendar and one of the most anticipated events of world sport. There are many things that make the tournament stand apart from the other grand slams, from the iconic white dress-code to the fact that Centre Court is often attended by A-list celebrities. But, by far the most defining thing about the competition is that it is the only Grand Slam that is played on grass courts.
Now, if you are keen to make money from tennis betting, then it is very important to know the differences between the types of courts; not to mention which players are strong and weak on different surfaces. Here are the need to know things about grass court tennis:
– Fast Surface: the grass courts of Wimbledon are the fastest in the Grand Slam circuit due to the fact that the surface tends to be slippery, causing the ball to zip through on the bounce instead of sitting up nicely for players to wind up their next shot. As such, players who are fast and powerful have the upper hand.
– Unpredictable bounce: while the majority of balls bounce low as they skid off the grass, there is always a chance for the ball to hit a knot of grass or a small divot – especially as the tournament progresses into the later stages (you’ll notice how bad the grass on centre court looks in the final as compared to the opening match). This means that there tends to be more unforced errors.
– Favours big servers: rallies at Wimbledon don’t last as long as those at other Grand Slam competitions so there is even more emphasis on the serve. A big serve cracked down the line could put a player on the offensive instantly.
– Favours strong shot-makers: on top of a huge service game, successful players at Wimbledon tend to have a bit of creativity – especially those who are comfortable coming close to the net. Since the rallies are so short, there is more currency in taking the risk on a crafty drop shot or a slice volley every now and again.
While these general rules can be used to inform your betting on Wimbledon 2017, it is important to remember that the top tennis players in the world are ranked so highly due to their consistency across all surfaces. So, even though Rafael Nadal is considered a clay court master, it would be unwise to assume he is a flop on the grass. Instead, it’s worth using knowledge of the surface to spot potential winners from further down the rankings, like how Dominic Thiem managed to make it to the semi-finals of the 2017 French Open.
The Odds
The odds are shaping up very nicely for this year’s Wimbledon tournament with some very interesting names being tipped for the men’s title. Of course, the “Big Four” – Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Radael Nadal – are all up there as the main contenders, but there are some up and coming youngsters threatening to disturb the status quo. At least in the eyes of the bookies. Let’s have a closer look:
Big Four: Andy Murray 11/4, Roger Federer 3/1, Novak Djokovic 11/2, Rafael Nadal 7/1
Who would have thought a few years ago that these four tennis rivals would still be so closely bunched. Indeed, Nadal has had his injury problems and some shock exits from Grand Slams in the past years but he’s riding the crest of a wave after winning his 10th French Open. Djokovic, on the other hand, seems to be sliding into a slump as a bad year was made worse after being knocked out of Roland Garros by the youngster Dominic Thiem. Federer didn’t compete at the French Open, opting to focus on the grass court season so we would expect the classy Swiss player to be as fit as a fiddle, despite his 35 years. Plus, there could be an element of legacy at stake with Nadal’s resurgence to win his 15th Grand Slam threatening to topple Federer’s record of 18 Grand Slams in men’s tennis.
So what about Andy Murray? The world number 1 hasn’t had the best of seasons in 2017, exiting the Australian Open to the lowly ranked Mischa Zverev before losing a five-set epic to Stan Wawrinka in the Semis of the French Open. However, there is always the suspicion that Murray’s main focus of the tour is on the fortnight long competition at SW19 – can the home advantage spur him on to a third Wimbledon title?
Young Outsiders: Milos Raonic 14/1, Nick Kyrgios 18/1, Alexander Zverev 25/1, Grigor Dimitrov 33/1
It’s incredible that the greats of modern men’s tennis remain great, but something has to give sooner or later. And we have seen a bit of that in recent times with the success of 23-year old Dominic Thiem on the clay, who has now beaten Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer at least once. If you’re looking for any young upstarts to succeed on the grass courts of Wimbledon, then you’d be best to look at Milos Roanic (who lost to Andy Murray in last year’s Wimbledon final). There is also the fiery character that is Nick Kyrgios, a 22-year old Australian who has also beaten the Big Four.
At just 20 years old Alexander Zverev Jr who is currently ranker number 10 in the world and who beat Roger Federer on Grass last year. Grigor Dimitrov is a bit of a long-shot but the Bulgarian is a former winner on the grass courts of Queens and he has one of the most flexible styles of play on the tour which always lends well to playing on the grass surface.
The Women’s Draw: Karolina Pliskova 7/1, Petra Kvitova 9/1, Johanna Konta 10/1, Garbine Muguruza 10/1, Angelique Kerber 14/1, Victoria Azarenka 14/1, Jelena Ostapenko 16/1, Venus Williams 16/1, Madison Keys 18/1, Simona Halep 20/1.
The bookie’s favourites to win the Women’s Wimbledon title has some major exemptions this year due to the fact that past champions Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will be absent from the tournament. In place of any firm favourite, the online bookmakers appear to be hedging their bets by offering 10 players with odds of 20/1 or better. In times like these it’s a good idea to see how what other bettors are doing and, according to oddschecker, almost a quarter of punters are backing Jelena Ostapenko to win this year’s Wimbledon after her win at the French Open.
