British bookies are breathing a huge sigh of relief, after avoiding a multi million payout thanks to Novak Djokovic’s facile defeat of Andy Murray.
Coral bookmakers alone say they had liabilities of more than a £million with every bet involving Murray taken into account before the Scots defeat in Sunday’s Australian Open final.
That includes bets to win in Australia, accumulator bets running onto Wimbledon and the remaining Grand Slam events, and Sports Personality of the year bets, where he had been backed down to odds-on 10-11 from 5-1. He is back out to 5-1 now with Coral.
Murray was a 6-1 chance with Coral at the start of the Australian Open and had been heavily backed as usual to win.
“Although we all want to see a Brit win a Grand Slam, we have to think of our financial position, so the defeat was the best result for us,” Coral spokesman Gary Burton told berescue.com, “and with three Grand Slams loses now, all in straight sets, you have to question Murray’s nerve on the big occassion, with the might roar of the early rounds turning to a mild meow!”
Murray is 6-1 to triumph at Wimbledon and back to 5-1 (from 10-11) to be crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year,
while Djokovic is into 7-1 (from 10-1) to follow up at Wimbledon and 50-1 (from 150-1) to complete the Grand Slam by adding the French and the US Opens too.
Bet with Coral. Bet £10 get a £20 free bet
