It genuinely only seems like five minutes ago I was overindulging on Christmas Day whilst trying to recollect what my highlights and lowlights were from 2012 on the ATP Tour. My overwhelming favourite moment was the near-five hour marathon semi-final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic that comprised 345 glorious points and 290 minutes of both tension and talent. Djokovic came out on top on that occasion and I wouldn’t bet against the world’s best repeating this feat in 2012. More on that later…
Whilst the British Isles will be on a longer than necessary recovery mission on Monday due to the predicted snowfall, the most gifted tennis players on the planet will descend on Melbourne, Australia for the year’s first grand slam, where temperatures are forecast to hit 38 degrees Celsius come-Thursday. Jealous? No, me neither(!)
Tennis fans in the northern hemisphere will for two weeks become nocturnal creatures with play typically getting underway around midnight for British viewers and my first tip this week is to ensure you have sufficient caffeine-related products to get you through. The next fortnight won’t be for the faint-hearted but rest assured it’ll be worth it.
The proficient organisation of the Australian Open as an event is usually only outshone by the standard of tennis on show and I don’t expect 2013 to be any different. Defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic is available to back at 2.1 with BETDAQ and it isn’t difficult to understand why. Champion in 2008, 2011, and again in 2012, Melbourne is the place where Djokovic has been most prolific when it comes to grand slams and it will take a monumental effort to dethrone the three-time winner. Indeed since Wimbledon 2010, Djokovic has made the last four at each and every one of the four biggest events in the calendar which further highlights the level of consistency he has demonstrated over the last dozen or so slams. I think it’s fair to say the draw this year has been kind enough to Djokovic. The three (fit) players who are probably able to outlast the Serbian over five long sets in Murray, Federer, and Del Potro are nowhere to be seen in the top half of the draw, meaning Djokovic wouldn’t have to defeat any of the trio until the final. It would be foolish to think that Novak merely has a bye through his first six matches because his matches will still take some winning. His likely route through could consist of Paul-Henri Mathieu, Ryan Harrison, Radek Stepanek, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, and David Ferrer. Berdych looks to be the main danger to me and whilst it is fair to say he’s probably underachieved thus far given the ability the Czech player has been blessed with, he’s more than capable of mixing it with the best. I’d fancy Djokovic to shade that personally and subsequently grind out a win against Spain’s Ferrer.
So who will be the last man standing from the bottom half of the draw? It’s tough to see beyond Murray, Federer, or Del Potro coming through to face off against Djokovic two weeks today. A lot tougher however is to pin my colours to just one of this threesome but if pushed, I’d have to side with Murray. Unoriginal perhaps as he’s the tournament second favourite and available to back at 4.7 with BETDAQ. What shades it for me is his Brisbane title he secured the week before last and I’d be more encouraged by Murray having had some tournament time, whereas both Federer and Del Potro have chosen to prepare on the practice court alone. Perhaps this is not the be all and end all but is a definite positive in my view. Similar to Djokovic, Murray enjoys it here. Twice a finalist and once a semi-finalist, Murray plays some of his best tennis down under and with the benefit of a first grand slam under his belt, one can only envisage Murray being a bigger contender in Australia than ever before. His semi-final defeat to Djokovic twelve months ago hinged on a couple of crucial points and were possibly points Murray hadn’t yet grasped how to win. Now couldn’t be more different. With his first slam bagged and an Olympic gold medal to boot, Murray will hold no fear this year. There’s a slight element of concern whenever I consider Murray as a betting proposition because unlike Djokovic currently, Federer when at his peak, and a fit Rafael Nadal, the Scot always seems susceptible to a shock defeat from time to time. I hope that doesn’t occur this year and we get to see an epic last four match that involves two of Murray, Del Potro, and Federer.
The competitive nature of that bottom half only further enhances Djokovic’s championship credentials in my opinion. On the basis that Novak comes through relatively unscathed, you’d have to think whoever meets him in the final will be battered and bruised from a tough run through and serves only to play into Djokovic’s hands. I wouldn’t even be overly concerned if Djokovic was pushed to the limit before reaching the final. Not only did he defeat Murray here last year in just under five hours, he came out two days later and saw off Rafael Nadal in the best part of SIX hours. Suffice to say an early exit for Djokovic would be disastrous for the column but on all known form, that simply shouldn’t happen. The 2.1 looks short enough but under the circumstances, looks the bet this fortnight.
Selection: Novak Djokovic @ 2.1
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
