Tennis bettors are faced with two onerous tasks as play begins in the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon: identifying a worthy challenger for favorite Roger Federer in the men’s draw and uncovering a winner among three dozen or so possible champions on the women’s side.
Federer is playing some of the best tennis at an advanced age of any court practitioner in history. According to online bookie 10Bet, the Swiss master is a 3.10 favorite to take an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title. He has found a way to up an already high level of play in 2017 by winning the Australian Open in the first major the year. He then skipped the French Open on clay to prepare for Wimbledon on grass, his best surface. Federer warmed up by winning his previous tournament at the Halle Open with very little effort extended – no sets lost and only two tiebreakers reached in five matches. If the only knock against Federer’s 2017 record is his 36-year old legs, there is very little mileage on them coming into the tournament.
【2017 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Tournament Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 1, 5:00 a.m. (GMT)
Latest Odds: Wimbledon Men (courtesy of bet365)
Top seed and defending champion Andy Murray is given the second best chance to stop Federer’s record 19th major title at odds of 6.00. Murray is still the world number one but his year has been befuddling from the beginning. He showed signs of returning to top form in the French Open and that performance coupled with a home country crowd behind him can give punters the courage to back Murray.
Rafael Nadal is coming off his record tenth French Open title and is posted at 5.00. Nadal’s 2017 comeback season and spectacular clay court run in the spring had the feel of the completion of a quest, however, and not a springboard to Wimbledon dominance. He has also been troubled by injuries since the championship in Roland Garros which could prevent the Spanish superstar from advancing beyond the fourth round for the first time since 2011.
The last of the game’s Big Four continues to be the biggest puzzle. Novak Djokovic has gone in the span of one year from unbeatable to a question mark in just about any match. He has taken on Andre Agassi as a coach, more for the mental approach than any specific strategy or game tweaking. If Djokovic once again finds his dominance on the Wimbledon grass, he will reward backers at 6.50.
【2017 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Tournament To Reach the Final Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 1, 5:00 a.m. (GMT)
Supporting long shots at Wimbledon in the men’s draw seldom pays the rent but the unique playing surface does give rise to hopes for grass specialists. Gilles Muller, the most successful tennis player in the history of Luxembourg, is one. Muller has taken advantage of an injury layoff at the age of 34 to put together his finest season ever. Muller has won his first two ATP titles and risen to number 26 in the world. In the prestigious Queen’s Tournament on grass leading to Wimbledon, he did not bow out until the semi-finals. If there is a fairy-tale Wimbledon in his future, Muller will return 101.00.
Tennis observers knew there would be a shake-up in the women’s game when Serena Williams headed for the sidelines with her first pregnancy after winning the Australian Open. But few predicted an unseeded player would emerge to win the French Open. Experts expect much of the same in England with the names of 30 or 40 women bandied about as possible winners.
【2017 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Tournament Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 1, 5:00 a.m. (GMT)
Latest Odds: Wimbledon Women (courtesy of bet365)
Petra Kvitova has been installed at the 5.50 favorite, which is heady stuff for the number 12 ranked player in the world. The 27-year old Czech Republic star does have a pair of Wimbledon titles on her resume, in 2011 and 2014, but she hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals in her past ten Grand Slam tournaments. She also is playing through a stab wound in her playing hand sustained in a home invasion six months ago.
Karolina Pliskova, another Czech, has attracted enough early support to be second choice at 6.00. Pliskova has been making a steady rise through the women’s rankings under Williams and has reached world number three. She made her first Grand Slam final last year at the U.S. Open and followed that arrival by reaching the quarters in Australia and the semis in Paris. For those attracted by a steady upward arc in play, Pliskova makes a solid choice.
What to make of French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko? Is the 20-year old Latvian destined to become only an answer to the trivia question, “Who was the first unseeded player to win the French Open since 1933?” Or is she an up-and-coming talent? Ostapenko is now the world number 12 and won the Wimbledon junior title in 2014. She also has a 1-0 record against Kvitova on grass. Ostapenko will be an intriguing selection at 17.00.
Several American players merit consideration to keep the trophy in the United States: Madison Keys (34.00), Coco Vandeweghe (23.00), and Serena’s sister Venus (15.00). Venus Williams will no doubt be distracted during the championship after being blamed for a death in an early June auto accident in Florida.
Amidst all this turmoil, handicappers will find some of the longest odds usually attached to the top seeds. Angelique Kerber was a finalist in losing to Williams last year and is the world number one – an achievement that made it possible for her to become the first top-ranked player to be bounced in the opening round of the French Open. She begins her quest for validation at Wimbledon with odds of 17.00.
【2017 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Tournament To Reach the Final Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 1, 5:00 a.m. (GMT)
Redemption is also on the mind of Simona Halep who appeared to be the player best positioned to replace Williams atop the rankings before losing in the finals of the French Open to Ostapenko. The Romanian has been a popular dark horse choice in Grand Slams with eight quarterfinal appearances in the past four years but this last setback brings her to a critical junction in bettor’s minds. If the defeat in Roland Garros makes her a stronger player, she will bring back a handsome 19.00 payout.
