For many golf fans, it’s The Masters. For tennis fans, it’s Wimbledon.
The most important tennis tournament in the world begins on Monday, as the sport’s best descend upon the All England Club for the 2015 edition of The Championships at Wimbledon. BETDAQ will have markets for every match, of course, and we’re offering an industry-best 1% COMMISSION ON ALL FIRST AND SECOND-ROUND MATCHES, so there’s simply no better place for your early-round action.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are the prohibitive favorites this year despite both sitting out the grass court “lead-up” tournaments; Djokovic can currently be backed at 2.28 in the outright Win Market, while Williams is being offered at 2.66. Neither player is invincible, though: Djokovic has lost 6 of his last 9 Grand Slam finals, while Williams has “only” two Wimbledon titles in the last 11 years and hasn’t won since 2012. That being said, Williams is just a few weeks removed from winning a Grand Slam on her worst surface when she wasn’t 100% healthy, and Djokovic has advanced to the semifinals or deeper in 19 of his last 20 Grand Slams and in each of his last five Wimbledons. These two are favorites for a reason.
MEN’S DRAW
In men’s tennis these days, there’s the Big Four and everybody else. That’s especially true at Wimbledon, where you have to go all the way back to Lleyton Hewitt’s victory in 2002 to find a champion not named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray. I have a sneaking feeling that we haven’t seen the end of that streak, though men like Kei Nishikori and defending French Open champ Stan Wawrinka could certainly make things interesting this year. For what it’s worth, Rafa Nadal is seeded 10th and can be backed at a whopping 26.0 at BETDAQ, so considering him one of the favorites this time around is probably a bit of a stretch.
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Novak Djokovic (2.28)- While Andy Murray (3.9) is a popular pick right now after his win at Queens Club last week, my money’s on Djokovic, who is sure to be a man on a mission after his devastating loss to Wawrinka in the French Open final. Plus, the gap between Djokovic and Murray just seems to be widening, as the Serb has won all four times they’ve met this year and now owns a 19-8 career record in the rivalry. As far as the other contenders go, Federer is always a threat (even at 33), Wawrinka just showed the world what he can do at the French but has never been the type to follow a success with another success, and a dark horse like Kevin Anderson could certainly emerge, but none of it is enough to take me off of the Djoker. He’s the best in the world, he’s won this tournament twice in the past four years, and another title is the only thing that can wash away the bad taste of the Wawrinka loss, so motivation will not be an issue. Hop aboard and enjoy the ride…
Tomas Berdych (49.0)- If you’re looking for an outside-the-box name with juicy odds, you could do a lot worse than Tomas Berdych, a finalist here in 2010 who has been playing some great tennis this year, advancing to the semifinals or deeper in 7 of his 11 tournaments. Berdych is seeded 6th and he drew Jeremy Chardy in the first round, a quality player, so the road won’t be easy, but at nearly 50/1 I think the Czech is worth a bet.
WOMEN’S DRAW
On the women’s side of things, it really appears to be a matter of Serena vs. The Field. I guess you could make a case for defending champ Petra Kvitova, who is the player saddled with the next-shortest odds (5.3), but Kvitova was forced to withdraw from the Aegon International last week due to a viral illness, so it’s anybody’s guess how she’ll be feeling over the next few days. Plus, she just gave an interview to Tennis magazine in which she expressed her belief that Serena will win all four Slams this year, making it perfectly clear to anyone with ears what kind of chances she would give herself against Ms. Williams. So how am I supposed to throw any money at her after that?
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Maria Sharapova (9.4)- I know, I know, it’s Sharapova at Wimbledon, where she traditionally flames out early, failing to reach the quarterfinals in each of the past three years. I have a feeling this time around will be different, though. For one, she’s been playing some great tennis this year, winning titles in Rome and Brisbane and advancing to the semis or better in three additional tournaments. She looked very strong in the early rounds in Paris before she was derailed by an illness, and we haven’t seen her on the court since then so she should be rested and ready. And remember: she once demolished Serena 6-1, 6-4 on Centre Court here. It would be an upset if she were to do it again, no doubt, but at the current price I’m willing to take my chances.
Angelique Kerber (24.0)- If you’re looking for a dark horse with fat odds, you may want to think about 24-year old German Angelique Kerber, who just won the Aegon International last week and is seeded 10th. She has now won three tournaments this year, getting the job done in Stuttgart and Charleston in addition to her victory last week, and she’s had success at Wimbledon in the past, advancing to the semis here in 2012 and the quarterfinals last year. She’s comfortable on grass, she’s playing her best tennis, and she should be full of confidence… sounds like a pretty good option at 24.0, don’t you think?
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