The draw for the Australian Open will be made on Friday 13 January and the leading players will be hoping for an easy ride through the Melbourne tournament as many of them nurse niggling injuries. Their fans will themselves become physical wrecks in the next couple of weeks as they follow their favourites’ progress on the telly through the night.
Play starts on Monday, 16 January and although it is not possible at this early stage to be definitive about the players’ chances, there is no doubt that defending champion and World No.1 Novak Djokovic is the favourite to win the Men’s Singles. Novak dominated Men’s tennis in 2011, winning 3 Grand Slams alone, and the Serbian’s start to this new year has been strong, with a thrilling performance at the recent Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament. The bookmaker Ladbrokes places Novak at the top of the betting tree, with best odds of 11/8 for a win in the Final. Novak himself is extremely confident of his chances in Melbourne, commenting “I must say I’m really happy with the way I’m playing. Playing against the top players in the world in this way gives me a lot of confidence”.
Don’t discount the Swiss phenomenon that is Roger Federer, though. The World No.3 retains a powerful will to win and his recent back problems – which may have contributed towards his lacklustre performance against Novak Djokovic in the Abu Dhabi Semi-Final - are now said to be largely resolved. Bookmakers Bet 365 offer competitive odds of 3/1 that Roger will pull out another win.
But there is a man who is Hungry to win, with a capital “H”. Andy Murray is a Scot with a will to win that would put William Wallace to shame. He has been beaten in 2 finals at the Australian Open – by Roger Federer in 2010 then Novak Djokovic last year; third time lucky this time round? Andy has recently brought former tennis champion Ivan Lendl into his team and this must give him added confidence in his ability to win. Coach and tennis guru Tony Roche commented that “Every player is looking for the edge, the advantage that could turn out to be the decisive one. Ivan knows what it takes to turn things around and to start winning when it matters. I don’t see it being anything other than a great appointment for Andy”. Bookmakers agree and Andy Murray is offered at best betting odds of 4/1 with Stan James.
Rafael Nadal is the last of the fiercesome foursome to consider. The World No. 2 plans to take the whole of February off, in recognition that his body needs some t.l.c. in light of recent injuries to his shoulder, and his punishingly physical style of play. Rafa recently commented that “my shoulder is good, I’ll try to do my best” Bookmakers Paddy Power offer the Spaniard to win at 4/1 but most bookmakers place him below Andy in the betting in light of his injury worries.
Other players chasing at the heels of the four lead contenders are Argentinian Juan-Martin Del Potro (11/1 to win with bookmaker Paddy Power), Jo-Wilfred Tsonga from France (14/1 with bookmaker Coral) who recently won the title at Doha, and Czech Tomas Berdych (40/1 with Ladbrokes).
Aussie fans will be supporting their new kid on the block, 19 year-old Bernard Tomic, who is their highest ranked male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 100. The youngster is gaining rapidly on his rivals but may not have a realistic chance of a title here and this is reflected in the betting odds of 50/1 from bookmaker William Hill. Let’s hope that his performances give the Aussies something to cheer about!
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