TENNIS BETTING: Live On Brit Eurosport: 09.30: The French Open from Roland Garros is the premiere clay court event and the 2nd Major of the year. Can Nadal erase last years disappointment?
The clay court season comes to a head this week at Roland Garros for the 109th French Open where Rafael Nadal will be looking to get his hands on Coupe des Mousquetaires and the £1.2 million prize.
Nadal won the French Open from 2005 to 2008 but his dominance ended last year when Robin Soderling dumped him out in the 4th round. Soderling went on to the final and was duly dispatched by Roger Federer.
Federer is 11/2 with Betdaq to defend his trophy and is the number 1 seed, at the top of the draw. Federer will face no problems against Peter Luczak in round 1 but must look out for (perhaps) Feliciano Lopez in Round 3 and Cilic or Soderling in later rounds.
Rafa Nadal, at the other side of the draw, is 2/5 with Paddy Power to reclaim his title. The odds are very short but the Spaniard has been imperious on the clay this season, snapping up the Italian Open, the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Masters with consummate ease. It would be safe to assume that if you were willing back him outright then perhaps you should just back him in every round instead, placing all the returns on the next match odds, a much more profitable venture.
Andy Murray has been handed a tough draw against Richard Gasquet, ranked 68th, in the 1st round. It’s an awful draw for the Scotsman, Gasquet is a tremendously talented player, and Murray can be backed at 33/1 with Sportingbet. Murray managed to turn some appalling form into a quarter-final appearance at the Madrid Masters (which he lost) but it really isn’t enough to take him far. Should he get to round 2 he faces the tricky prospect of Juan Chela, himself something of a clay specialist.
In the women’s event, Justine Henin is favourite at 5/2 with Stan James. The Belgian won the event 4 times in 5 years prior to her surprise retirement and has not competed in the French Open since she won it in 2007. She has indicated that she is back to concentrate on Wimbledon but it is hard to believe such a professional sports person would dismiss the French Open out of hand and she will be in Paris to perform at the top of her game.
A Williams sister has not won the event since Serena in 2002 and Serena is 6/1 with Blue Square, Venus 12/1 with Coral. Defending champion Kuznetsova is 25/1 with Bodog as Caroline Wozniacki looks doubtful due to injury.
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