Wimbledon Men's Tennis Betting Preview

For one man to dominate a sport is perhaps a measure of true greatness. Michael Schumacher had this in Formula One for seven years until recently, and Tiger Woods has been through patches in his career where it seems rather pointless for anyone else to turn up to the golf Major Championships if they intend on winning. Well add to that category Roger Federer, at least where grass court tennis is concerned. The Swiss World Number One is arguably the greatest player in history, and there is nowhere he enjoys playing more than at Wimbledon. He now shares the record for consecutive wins on the surface with Bjorn Borg, dating back to 2002 and a total of 41 matches. And it is tough, if not impossible to make an argument against his prospects for a fourth successive title this time around. Only Bjorn Borg has won more in a row, with five. On hard courts he is almost as formidable, but the extra pace of the grass highlights his outrageous talents and he has rarely struggled in a match over the last three years, losing just four sets in total. Clay is regarded as a struggle, but he still ranks as clearly he second best exponent on that surface, behind the equally micro-sport dominant Rafael Nadal. This was clear in the French Open final where Nadal won, and maybe there could be question marks raised over the mental impact that defeat would have had on Federer. However, he is very familiar with dealing with Roland Garros disappointments and showed no signs of fatigue when launching straight into a grass court defence at Halle, and taking the title for the fourth successive year. Are there are any men out there who can be expected to challenge him? Andy Roddick has come closest in recent Wimbledon's, but the American has been outclassed in last two finals. The big server is also not in prime form having lost to James Blake in the semi final at Queens. We cannot see him taking the spoils and as 3rd seed, he would meet Federer in the semi final. Lleyton Hewitt won at Queens, and so will be full of confidence and is on the Wimbledon winner's board also, from back in 2002. This was actually the fourth time that he has won at Queens, and experience is one of the biggest factors in his favour. It took him back into the world's top ten for the first time since January and the seeding committee have put him in at number six seed. 12/1 is available, but we see more appealing value elsewhere. One man who will not meet Fed until the final, if at all, is his arch nemesis, Rafael Nadal. The Spanish world number two has not lost on clay for 60 matches, but it is obvious to point to a significant difference between the two surfaces. However, following his success at the French Open, the 20 year old travelled to Queens and illustrated that he has a game capable of competing on grass. He easily beat Mardy Fish and got past Fernando Verdasco, before racing through the first set against Hewitt in the quarter final. A shoulder injury meant that the second set was lost, and the match was forfeited at this stage, but it was easy to see how Nadal can prosper on grass. His limitless tenacity and energy are an asset on any surface, and his pinpoint groundstrokes are also hard to combat however fast the opponent can get into the net. It remains to be seen how he fares against a genuine world class serve and volleyer, but unlike some previous French Open Champions, he definitely has the desire to conquer the grass courts. He is quoted as saying, "I always say Wimbledon is special for me because in Wimbledon only one Spanish player won, Manuel Santana. I want to improve on grass. I like to play on grass, it is nice. I want to do an important tournament here." This will only be his third visit to SW19, and he has never previously got further than the third round. A notable scalp in the shape of Mario Ancic was taken in 2003 though, and it will be fascinating to see Nadal in action. 20/1 is available for anyone wishing to take a chance on a man who has a 6-1 winning record against Federer, including two wins on hard courts. At the same price, and in the same half of the draw is David Nalbandian, and the Argentine has a far superior record at Wimbledon. His three appearances have seen one final reached in 2002, one quarter final in 2005 and a Round of 16 defeat to an inspired Tim Henman in 2003. The number four seed has been one of the most consistent performers on all surfaces over the past few seasons, and few would begrudge him glory in a Grand Slam. The 24 year old is a superb competitor, and has reached the semi finals of both Grand Slams already played this year. In Melbourne he was two sets to love up before losing in sensational fashion to unheralded Marcos Baghdatis, and in Paris was level at one set all with Roger Federer before injury forced his withdrawal. With both Roddick and Federer in the top half of the draw , Nalbandian is a man who has the pedigree to be the last man standing from the bottom half. 20/1 pays out at half the odds if the final is reached, and we feel there is an excellent chance of this occurring. To win the final would be a monumental task but this price offers enough scope to get involved. There are some especially dangerous "floaters" this year, most notably the British trio of Tim Henman, Andy Murray and Greg Rusedski. None of them are ranked high enough, or have enough grass court form to merit a seeding and as such could land anywhere in the draw. It is not impossible that one of them could face a top seed in the first round. Of the three, Henman is the one with the best chance. He showed at Queens that his game is in decent shape, and also shrugged off the bogey of Dmitry Tursonov who had beaten him at three of the last four Grand Slams, including this one twelve months ago. Some questionable line calling restricted his progress at the semi finals, but there is a school of thought that some of the pressure will be off these days. This may be true, and we would be surprised if he didn't get a few menopausal hearts pounding by making it into the second week, but to see him in the final is asking a huge amount, especially with the uncertainty over his draw. The 31 Year old can be backed at 40/1 to go two steps better that his incredible four Wimbledon semi final losses. Murray and Rusedski are at 66/1 and 200/1 Respectively. Mario Ancic is a name being banded around in some quarters as a future Wimbledon Champion. The powerful Croatian is cut from the same block as compatriot Goran Ivanisevic who managed to claim an emotional title in 2001. The clay court season went surprisingly well, with a quarter final loss to Roger Federer at the French Open no disgrace, and another quarter and a semi at the Rome and Hamburg Masters respectively. There is no doubt that grass is the surface that ought to suit his game though. A natural born serve volleyer, he also has the accolade of being the last man to defeat Roger Federer on the surface, back in the first round in 2002. In 2004 many were shocked that Ancic beat Tim Henman in the quarter final, but he backed up that result with a fine semi final display, pushing Andy Roddick hard before going down in four sets. As a result he returned last year well fancied, but could not advance past the Round of 16, where Feliciano Lopez beat him in straight sets. 14/1 is available, and is tempting as an each way option with the number seven seed being in the bottom half of the draw. This selection completes our betting verdict.