Tennis Betting Analysis from PinnacleSports
4th May 2007, 18:39
Global warming might mean that the seasons aren’t quite what they were, but you know that summer has arrived when its time to pull the tennis whites out the wardrobe. As the soccer season peters out, the sports spotlight falls on Tennis, with the French Open and Wimbledon the highlights of an action-packed couple of months. Tennis provides a different and challenging medium for sports bettors who should take advantage of the Tennis odds by www.PinnacleSports.com offering c.102% betting on match-ups for all major tournaments.
The summer tennis schedule revolves around two very different playing surfaces – clay and grass. The dusty brown stuff dominates from early April with key European tournaments in Germany, Italy and Portugal building up to the focus of the clay season, the French Open Grand Slam event at Roland Garros in Paris starting May 28th. The current undisputed King of Clay is Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who is undefeated in an amazing 72 straight matches on his favourite surface.
As fearsome as Nadal is on clay, Roger Federer is peerless on grass. The Federer-Express has won 48 consecutive lawn tennis matches, including monopolising the centre-court at Wimbledon where the Swiss master has won each of the last four years. The event at SW19 is the most prestigious in the tennis calendar, dating back to 1877, none of the other three Grand Slam events can match its heritage. The Wimbledon complex is currently under redevelopment which is due to finish in 2009, and the strangle-hold Federer has on grass-court tennis is so strong that you would receive skinny odds against him remaining unbeaten until the new Centre Court is unveiled in just over two years time.
A recent exhibition game in Mallorca between the specialists of each surface provided a unique new perspective on their rivalry. Federer and Nadal faced each other on a specially made clay-grass surface, with the court split between the two, and it was the Spaniard who eventually triumphed in an epic third set tie-break. Having risen to a position of supremacy on their chosen surface, the challenge for Nadal and Federer is to achieve that standard on both clay and grass, while keeping at bay all pretenders to their thrones.
Women’s French Open
World no.1 and undisputed clay-court Queen, Justine Henin will be a popular choice for the French Open at Roland Garros starting May 28th. The hard-hitting Belgian has won in Paris on three of the last four years, illustrating that clay is by far her preferred playing surface. Her build-up began toward the end of April playing her first clay-court event at the Warsaw Cup, and should continue via tournaments in Berlin and Rome, before heading to the French capital for the defence of her title.
The only real question mark hanging over Henin is whether she has recovered from the turmoil in her personal life which caused her to pull out of January’s Australian Open. Though it wasn’t made clear at the time, the break-down of her marriage and subsequent divorce, were the reason why Henin felt unable to compete. Since then her name has changed dropping ‘Hardenne’ from her surname, but what tennis bettors must ask themselves is whether the intensity of her game and her renowned mental strength remain the same.
Serena Williams capitalised on Henin’s absence and surprised many by winning the Australian Open in Melbourne, best-priced at 19.59 with www.PinnacleSports.com but will be eager to prove that she has the desire to regain no.1 spot on the rankings from the Belgian, by maintaining that winning form. After injury, personal problems and an experiment with acting, the younger of the Williams’ sisters has clearly rediscovered her enthusiasm for the game, and that should be a concern for the rest of women’s circuit. At her best very few players can live with Serena’s power, as was shown when she blew away Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2, in the Australian Open final. Williams proved that wasn’t a freak result, beating the Russian 6-1,6-1 when the pair met in Miami later in the year, leading Sharapova to recognise that she needed to raise her game to stand any chance of reversing the form in the three remaining Grand Slams.
How Many Slams Will Federer Win in 2007?
Roger Federer already has one Grand Slam event tucked under his belt after beating Fernando Gonzalez in the Australian Open final. The burning question now is whether he can sufficiently adapt his game for clay to replicate the success at Roland Garros at the end of May. Success at the French Open is the biggest stumbling block to Federer completing the holy grail of tennis – the Grand Slam. Only two men have ever won the four major events in one calendar year, Don Budge in 1938, then the great Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969. This challenge is what is keeps Federer striving to improve his game, having achieved every other plaudit in the men’s game.
If Federer is to win in Paris the likelihood is that he will have to overcome his nemesis on clay, reigning French Open Champions, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won the event in both 2005 and 2006, defeating Federer in last year’s final, the first time the Swiss Master has made the final. Clearly Federer is improving his game on clay, but Nadal is only 20 years old, so his game should be expected to get even better.
How Many Grand Slam Singles Title Will Roger Federer Win in 2007?
- One – 11.67
- Two – 3.21
- Three – 2.20
- Grand Slam – 5.04