Wimbledon Preview

The Racing Post’s James Pyman previews this summers Wimbledon (and we’re not talking about the Greyhound Derby!)...

It’s that time of year when we become captivated by the drama and intensity of two weeks of enthralling tennis at the All England Club at Wimbledon.

If you’re looking to raise excitement levels even further by having a bet, Betfair have an extensive suite of markets which will provide endless profit-making opportunities. Many are tailored towards the fast and furious grass-court action, such as fastest serve or most aces, and even if dark clouds descend over London’s sky, betting doesn’t stop, as there’s the chance to profit from your ability to forecast the weather by predicting how much play there will be on rain-disrupted days!

Roger Federer has taken over from seven-time winner Pete Sampras as supreme ruler of the men’s singles crown and unsurprisingly he has an outstanding chance of extending his reign at Wimbledon to three years. The world No. 1’s dominance is such that Betfair are giving us the chance to bet on various aspects of his performance: the most interesting of which could be the number of sets he wins in a row. Having dropped just three sets in his last two visits (last season winning 13 consecutive sets before Lleyton Hewitt prized one away from him in the quarter-finals), with an advantageous draw, he could easily eclipse that figure this year.

Big-serving Andy Roddick is seen as the most likely player to dethrone Federer and he had him on the ropes for the first two sets of last year’s final, but there is little value in his current odds. Roddick will take all the beating in the fastest-serve market but either Joachim Johansson or Ivo Karlovic could crash down more aces than the A-Rod. Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal are fierce competitors but are superior on slower surfaces, so it could be Lleyton Hewitt who emerges as the biggest challenger to Federer. Missing the French Open with broken ribs, the little Aussie battler had a good pipe opener at Queen’s Club and always comes alive in Grand Slams. Watch his price tumble if he impresses in the opening rounds.

The Women’s singles looks wide open but Serena Williams is a player to watch closely. Serena’s tennis has suffered as a result of her passion for fashion but she has still delivered at Wimbledon, winning the title in 2002 and 2003, and losing to Maria Sharapova in last year’s final. The big-hitting American often needs to work herself into tournaments so could be dragged into some fierce battles in the early rounds.

Trading Tip

As service breaks are hard to achieve in men’s matches on grass, it makes sense to oppose players between the end of their receiving game and the start of their service game. If the player you have laid then subsequently drops their serve, particularly in contests where breaks have been scarce, the market will swing markedly in your favour. Alternatively, if the player you have taken on holds their serve, your position will only deteriorate slightly, as most punters will have been expecting them to win their service game.