Wimbledon Preview Mens

Rafa to Reign Again?

It is June, the rain is in the air, it is a clear sign that it is Wimbledon time again. The tournament gets underway Monday and Andy Murray will once again carry the hopes of the nation (well some of them).

The Scot is 14/1 (Bwin) to land the tournament this year after a disappointing time of things these last few months as he has struggled with injuries and form. The draw has not been kind to him either, after a winnable first game against Nikolay Davydenko Murray will then face a stream of big servers. Ivo Karlovic is up next in round two and Kevin Anderson is a likely round three opponent. Round four could see him up against Queen’s Champion Marin Cilic. Cilic looks a generous 16/1 (general) to win the third quarter. Should Murray prevail he will face a probable quarter-final against French Open conqueror David Ferrer before he meets Rafa Nadal in the semi-final.

The defending champion Novak Djokovic is the favourite for the tournament, the Serbian is 13/8 (general) to reclaim his title. Djokovic has a very winnable quarter with only Tomas Berdych in the quarter-final looking a tricky encounter. If you think Berydch can shock Djokovic then you can get 6/1 (Skybet/BetVictor) that the Czech player lands the quarter.

The second favourite is Rafa Nadal, who recently landed the French Open. The Spaniard met the Serb in the Wimbledon final last year, in fact those two have met in the last four grand slam finals, and it is 17/10 (paddy Power) that those two will meet in the final here. Nadal is better on clay than grass, but is no mug on this surface and looks the value bet here 9/4 general). The Spaniard has made the final on his last five visits here and looked much the sharper of the two when he met the Serbian in the French Open. If you think either of the two big guns will misfire at Wimbledon then you can get 5/1 (Stan James) it will be a Federer/Nadal final or 9/1 (paddy Power) a Djokovic/Murray final.

Roger Federer is the third favourite and the Swiss ace is seeking a seventh Wimbledon crown and could not have picked for himself an easier route to the semi-finals. Federer is 2/7 (general) to win his quarter and should come through with ease with only John Isner and Janko Tipsarevic likely to provide competition. The Fed-Express is likely to have to meet Djokovic in the semis though and the Serbian has beaten him in three of the last four grand slam semi-finals.

If the winner does not come from the big four it will be a huge shock, with bookmakers offering just quotes about nine players that come in at 100/1 or under. Tomas Berdych is next in the market at 33/1 (general), followed by Jo Wilfried Tsonga at 40/1 (sportingbet), Milos Raonic is 50/1 (sportingbet). Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro, who perhaps has the best chance of taking it to the big four if fit, will appeal to some at 50/1 (boylesports/Sporting Bet/paddy Power). The player though has a terrible history with injuries and his body may struggle to cope with the demanding two week schedule. Big serving John Isner completes the list and comes in at 100/1 (Bwin).

Grab the pimms, strawberries and cream and prepare yourself for two weeks of top class tennis action.

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24/06/2012     © Frixo 2024