Nadal Begins his Bid for the Madrid Masters Title

King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is gearing up for his opening round match at the Mutua Madrilena Masters today. Nadal, seeded third and with a bye into the second round, will take on Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. after he booked the date following a win over Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4 yesterday.

If you are after wondering what Dolgopolov’s chances are against Spain’s prodigal son, Nadal, you need only to take a gander at the market to get an idea. 

Nadal is trading at an untouchable 1/66 odds to win outright. That price is as sure endorsement as it can get in the market.

There is little profit to be made backing Nadal on the outright win market with such odds but recommending the bet is a perfect 10-0 mark on clay this season, which includes two titles – Monte Carlo and Rome. And an overall 26-4 mark on the term and a decided positive trend.

Dolgopolov Jr. is definitely an underdog in this match but not as hallucinatory as you might expect. He is offered at 14/1 to win outright, which all things considered is rather understated.

That he isn’t priced out of the market doesn’t mean he has a perceivable shot against Nadal though. Make no mistake; he has as much hope in this match as I do of winning a Pulitzer Prize for this snippet – literary work of handicapping genius though it might be.

This match should prove to be a breeze for the Spaniard, just another step on his way to the finals.