If you think Nadal will win the Australian Open, bet now!

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Roger Federer’s price dropped from 3.45 to 2.16 after a convincing victory over Juan Martin del Potro so expect to see former favourite Rafael Nadal’s price of 2.74 plummet if he beats Gilles Simon tomorrow morning:

» Nadal is the only man yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament. In the last two years, the person who has gone the furthest without dropping a set (Federer in 2007, Djokovic in 2008) has been victorious.

» The world number one has improved every year at Melbourne Park. In 2004 he got to round three and in 2005 he got to round four. Then the Spaniard missed out through injury in 2006 before reaching the quarter-finals in 2007 and the semis last year.

» If it comes down to him and Federer, Nadal will be confident. He won all four meetings with the world number two last year and has a 10-4 record over him in finals.

Posted: January 27th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Nadal takes over as favourite after easing past Gonzalez

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Andy Murray may be gone but the Australian Open men’s betting is still really tight ahead of the quarter-finals. Rafael Nadal has leapfrogged Roger Federer after crushing 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez but his toughest tests are yet to come:

Nadal [2.48] has yet to reach the final of a hard court Grand Slam. The world number one has yet to drop a set but could be tested properly in his quarter-final with Gilles Simon, who beat the Spaniard in Madrid three months ago.

Federer [3.45] needed five sets to overcome Tomas Berdych in the fourth round but three years ago he did the same against Tommy Haas before winning tournament. There has however only been one four-time champion since 1962 and that was Andre Agassi.

Novak Djokovic [8.6] is fairly distant considering he is the reigning champion although not since Jim Courier in 1993 has a first-time winner retained his crown.

Six of the last seven losing finalists have been eliminated prior to the quarter-finals the following year but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [10.5] is eager to show that last year wasn’t a fluke. The last runner-up to make the final eight the following year was Marat Safin in 2005 and he went on to win it.

Watch Roddick/Djokovic and Del Potro/Federer live free of charge on Betfair just by opening an account. Click here to do that and claim a free £10 bet.

Posted: January 26th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Murray’s Masters Cup odds drop further after latest win

Scot now 7/4 in from 2/1 after securing his semi-final spot

Andy Murray’s odds on becoming the first debutant in a decade to win the Masters Cup dropped from 2/1 to 7/4 after an impressive straight sets victory over Gilles Simon, who beat Roger Federer in his opening match.

The win confirms Andy Murray’s place in the semi-finals ahead of his final group game against Federer, who is generally 5/2 after picking up his first win today. Murray can knock reigning champion Federer out though if he beats him on Friday.

Novak Djokovic remains a good bet at 10/3 with Ladbrokes, especially considering he too has already secured his place in the final four. Click here for all the latest odds.

Posted: November 12th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Andy Murray emerges as the new Masters Cup favourite

Federer defeat changes the landscape in Shanghai

Andy Murray is making his first appearance at the Masters Cup, a tournament comprising of the best eight players in the world this year (minus Nadal) and yet after an expected victory in his opening match against Andy Roddick, who has won just one tournament since March, the Scot is now favourite to claim the trophy.

It’s very rare for a debutant to lift the Masters Cup. Roger Federer took two attempts to triumph and Nadal has failed in his first two efforts while Novak Djokovic had a great season last year before losing all three of his Masters Cup matches in straight sets. Yet Federer’s loss against Gilles Simon saw Murray’s odds of becoming the first person to win the tournament on their first appearance since Alex Corretja a decade ago drop to just 2/1 with 888sport and Paddy Power.

Djokovic is looking strong though after becoming the only participant to win his opening match in straight sets and he could benefit from being drawn in a group with two Masters Cup virgins. The Serb can still be backed at 10/3 with 888sport.

Click here for all the latest odds.

Posted: November 11th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment