Review Of Tennis Players At The Australian Open

So in my quest to identify who the money plays are and who are not, I have arrived at the proverbial “Big Four” in the men’s game, one of the most popular tennis players – World #1 Roger Federer, #2 Rafael Nadal, #3 Novak Djokovic and #4 Juan Martin Del Potro. All four are Grand Slam champions of tennis, three of which split the four major titles last year amongst themselves. More likely than not, your next Aussie Open Tennis champion lies within this group.

Here is the lowdown on the top four frontrunners:

Tennis player: Roger Federer +250

BetU.S. opened trading on Roger Federer at +200 but he has since slipped to +250. The prevalent mood in the market is that Roger Federer tennis player will not win the Aussie Open Tennis this year. Hence, the market moving in a negative direction. This mood flies in the face of certain facts, important facts. Those are that Roger Federer tennis player has won a record 15 grand slam titles and he is enjoying an ongoing run of 22 consecutive semi-final appearances, which means he has reached the semis or better in the last 22 Grand Slams. That incredible, record streak spans over five years. Call me crazy but I cannot take him out of the equation just yet.

Sure, he floundered at the Barclay’s ATP World Tennis Tour Finals and at the Qatar Exxon Mobil tourney at the start of the season, both times against tennis player Nikolay Davydenko. In between, he even lost to Robin Soderling at the Abu Dhabi exhibition event.

But this is a Grand Slam – a stage on which he has vowed to focus and where he typically plays his best tennis. In a best of five sets, nobody save for tennis players: Nadal, Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro and Marat Safin has gotten the better of him in the last five years.

Federer is very much in the running, his pedigree alone speaks loudly. In terms of value, at +250 he is at the longest odds I have seen for some time. That alone should encourage bettors to chance on him. That said if I were honest, I am not convinced he is our next champion.

Tennis player: Rafael Nadal +350

BetUS went to market with a +450 price tag on Rafael Nadal in the fall of last season; he has since moved in a positive direction, his odds shaved down to +350. Curiously, he is the only tennis player in the top four to have moved in a positive direction in the market. Read into it, as you will. I will take this as a very good sign.

Rafael Nadal comes into the 2010 Aussie Open Tennis as the defending champion. Just like last season when pundits doubted he would win the coveted title, they doubt again, this time they question his ability to defend his title. This should come as no surprise to fans of the six-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal tennis player. You must be used to it by now.

Rafael Nadal got his season off to a great start by winning the Abu Dhabi Exhibition tennis event but he suffered a hiccup at the Qatar Exxon Mobil when he lost the title match to N.Davydenko, a match he was clearly in control of after winning the first set 6-0 and at 2-2 in the second set. The hiccup notwithstanding R.Nadal has proved to be a force on the Grand Slam tennis stage. In a best of five sets scenario, he is tough to beat. One has to give him the edge as the second odds-on favourite. Currently, according to the market, he is second favoured after Federer for the title.

Nadal is a tennis player pundits love to doubt and write off. Countless of times he has put paid on that notion. There will be a lot of pressure on him to defend his title. Aside from Federer, Nadal is the only other tennis player in the men’s game to successfully defend a Grand Slam title on more than one occasion. Think about it.

Tennis player: Juan Martin Del Potro +450

Juan Martin Del Potro remains unmoved in the market at +450 since Bet U.S. went to press. Del Potro masterminded the biggest win of his career at the US Open tennis last year when he beat Roger Federer in the final. There is no doubt that Del Potro is talented and will have an opportunity to win more major titles in the future. Right now, the question is can he win the tennis Aussie Open.

The main handicap against him, that makes this doubtful, is fitness. He has been struggling with a wrist injury since the US Open tennis. It is still not clear whether the injury is healed or not. Another lesser issue might come from dealing with his newfound fame and the pressures that come with it. He might need some time to adjust to expectations. Or maybe not.
If he is fit, and he can rip that lethal forehand of his without fear of injury, watch out.

To sum it up for you:

Del Potro: He has a lot going for him but I don’t see him winning the title in Melbourne. As Djokovic struggled after winning the Aussie Open tennis in 2008, I think Del Potro will too struggle this year to replicate his US Open tennis performance. Nevertheless, bettors could do no worse than backing the Tandil giant. He has defied the odds once already.

Tennis player: Novak Djokovic +550

Novak Djokovic was released at +500 odds in the fall. He has since moved marginally, in a negative direction, to +550. Djokovic is the big question mark in the draw. There is a certain nervous trepidation in the market where he is concerned. Given his calibre, I think he should be listed much shorter but going on his 2009 account on the major stage, I can see why he is so long. Understandably, he left many questions unanswered.

Because we have yet to see Djokovic tennis player in action this season, the doubts have become more prominent. Negating some of the questions is the fact that he had some standout moments last year and ahead of the Barclays ATP World Tennis Tour Finals, he was considered by some pundits as the tennis player to beat in 2010. He still might be.

Djokovic would like us to forget his last outing in Melbourne when he wilted under the scorching sun. Reports are that he has been training hard in the Melbourne heat and working with Todd Martin in that endeavour. I don’t think we will see him wilt this time around. But can he surprise everyone and clean up?

Djokovic has the potential to sneak up and surprise. He has had more than a year to adjust to expectations since winning his Aussie Open tennis title, more importantly, he has matured. I can’t say I am his greatest fan but I can not deny his talent. If Todd Martin steers Djokovic back to the same aggressive game plan that saw him win his maiden major title (dumping the awfully dull defensive game he has recently adopted), then heck, watch out for Nole.