I’ve written a few times about Andy Murray recently and I was going to give the man a rest from my musings but, such was the feeling of elation that I felt when I heard he had reached the final in the US Open, that I just can’t help but celebrate this event in print. I’m sure all tennis fans will join me in this salute to a sportsman who has transcended the cynical dismissal, by sports writers who should know better, of any potential he might have to achieve more than the long suffering Tim Henman.

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We are ardent fans of Andy Murray, here at the Free Bets Blog, and as many of you US Open tennis betting punters are aware, have proclaimed that the UK Tennis ace is certain to win a Grand Slam. Last night, Murray, swept aside Stanislas Wawrinka (6-1, 6-3, 6-3) to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open. He now meets the impressive Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro, who is only a staggering 19 years of age and has won his last 23 matches.

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I wrote about Andy Murray a month or so ago, just after his defeat in the quarter finals at Wimbledon. I imagine tennis betting enthusiasts had seen the same sort of comment on the bulletin boards as I did. The general view seemed to be that here was another Tim Henman, destined to fail. So desperate are the British for a success in the men’s or women’s final at Wimbledon that they become oblivious to the power they have to crush the spirit of our players by writing them off as failures if they don’t win the Championship. It will happen with the young Laura Robson, if we’re not careful.

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Rafael Nadal has won the Toronto Masters and most sports betting fans will agree that his march towards the number one slot in men’s tennis now looks certain to succeed. Andy Murray was fulsome in his praise of the Spaniard after their meet in the semi-final and observes that Nadal is now doing right all that he once did wrong, he has adjusted his control on the hard courts and produces a faster ball while coming in more from behind the baseline to play a closer, tighter match.

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There will now be a big rush to hail Rafael Nadal, the conquering hero, as the new King of Tennis after his defeat of Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men’s final and, before that, the betting on the French Open begins. Tennis betting enthusiasts know that Federer remains number one in the rankings but Nadal, winner of these two diverse tournaments must be now be regarded as the best player in the world.

The Wimbledon final was an epic battle with some saying it was the greatest tennis match ever played. Federer, two sets to one down, having recovered his brilliance in the third, and serving at 0-30 while 4-5 down in the fourth set, seemed defeated, if not in spirit then at least in numbers. But Federer has not been described as the best player who ever lived for nothing. He fought back from the abyss and took the set to a tie break which he won.

The fifth set became an epic battle which drew from the great men some passing shots which defied the laws of the physics and dazzled the imagination. Tooth and nail were fought for sixteen games until Nadal won by a relentless whisker. This irresistible force had moved the immovable object. But Federer down and out? Online betting fans should not count on it. He auto-piloted the first two sets in an uncharacteristic trance of bewilderment at Nadal’s accuracy and grass court learning. He won’t do that again. Next year Federer will be ready and looking for revenge and Nadal will have to dig much, much deeper than he had to this time.

Following his heroic centre court battle with Richard Gasquet on Monday, Wimbledon betting enthusiasts recognise that Andy Murray has taken the first steps towards his rehabilitation with the, largely English, Wimbledon crowd. The young Scot recently declared that his sporting allegiance was always with whatever team was playing against England and this has, apparently, caused resentment among some of those living south of the border.

To the English, however, it’s a matter of plain fact that all foreigners who profess hatred for them are simply confused and what they are really feeling is a mixture of envy and deep admiration for the English spirit – a condition they sympathise with and are easily able to forgive. On the other hand foreigners may just resent the attitude of aloofness and misguided superiority, especially in the face of the woeful performance of the English in most sports. Perhaps having a Scot as their best tennis player (as well as their Prime Minister, most of their key politicians and about half the media) is just too much to bear.

Nationalism aside, Murray’s demeanour is something else though and he has always exhibited what appears to be an unattractive anger and resentment for something or other. His autobiography is called ‘Hitting Back’, although against what is not clear. The ultra mild Tim Henman has allegedly called him ‘a miserable git’ and his conduct on court seems to support this view. The Wimbledon crowd, though, when they detect fortitude, resolve, bottle, pluck, guts, backbone and courage will overlook anything and on Monday Murray dished-up these traits in truly amazing amounts. Written off for dead after losing the first two sets, and with Gasquet serving for the match in the third, the sizzling Scot reached deep within and found rich veins of boundless energy and skill.

Admittedly, the Frenchman caved-in under massive crowd pressure but it was clear that Murray had moved forward massively along his career path. Today he faces Nadel. To some degree we will be able to observe and quantify the performance of the new Andy Murray but, if defeat comes at the hands of the formidable Spaniard, as today it probably will, all canny sports betting fans that watched his performance on the centre court on Monday know that Mr Murray’s day will surely come.

Andy Murray must be walking on an air of self-confidence after his terrific fight back in the fourth round against Richard Gasquet after being 2 sets to love down and looking like his Wimbledon dream would be over for another year. Who would have bet against Gasquet at this stage. But, Murray found something inside of himself to fight back and win the match by 3 sets to 2.

It was a punishing victory as both players gave it their all in the diminishing light. Now, Murray faces Nadal. A man he has never beaten. Nadal has yet to break sweat in the games prior to tomorrows quarter-final match. He looks confident and every part of the World’s No 2 seeding he currently holds.

Any wimbledon betting person would say the clever money would be on Nadal. But that spirit of Murray gets drawn from a young man who is passionate about winning. With the crowd also behind him it looks as though the match will be another tense affair.

Quarter-Finals Wimbledon 2008
Andy Murray vs Rafael Nadal
Centre Court – 2nd July 2008

For those of you who missed Murrays momentous moment of clawing back from being 2 – 0 sets down and Gasquet serving a match point in the 3rd set, you can watch below.

Nobody’s got a clue who will win this years Wimbledon, either in the men’s singles or the women’s. This is largely due to the uncertainty Wimbledon betting fans feel about how various players match up to one another on the different surfaces used in the major tournaments. Federer was embarrassingly trashed by Nadal in the French Open but bookies have him to take the top honours at Wimbledon. Maria Sharapova barely featured in France, beaten in the quarter finals, but is top dog for Wimbledon this year, if the Williams sisters allow it.
 
How a player ‘matches up’ against another is a useful indicator of how a match will turn out. Obviously, all players have strengths and weakness but two players can be said to match up when each perceives the other’s weaknesses and plays against them. Nadal, with his power is able to make the ball kick-up with his powerful cross-court forehand. Federer’s backhand is his major strength but he prefers a low ball to be at his most effective. Nadal can achieve a higher ball on clay and therein lays Nadal’s challenge on grass.

It’s useful for online sports betting fans to grasp these differences because they pretty much apply to all players, both women and men, in one way or another. The ball loses 60% of its speed when coming off clay but far less when coming off grass. At the same time, the ball takes more spin from clay and can kick up higher.  Someone like Nadal, however, knows all this and works very hard in that area to compensate. The question is: has he got there yet? If he hasn’t this year, he probably will do in 2009.

What’s going on in Serbia? Tennis betting fans will have noticed that it’s almost impossible to watch a tennis match in the French Open where both of the players come from a country other than Serbia. Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, both in the semi-finals, are numbers two and three on the women’s world rankings while Novak Djokivic, also a semi-finalist, is breathing heavily down the necks of Federer and Nadal from the number three slot of the men’s. They have two men in the doubles semi final and the question must be asked ‘how can this small, land-locked country boast an incredible twelve places in the forty semi-final slots of the last five grand-slams?’

It’s not easy to find the answer. Let’s look at some statistics. Serbia has 94 tennis clubs compared with England’s 2,600. In Serbia there are 1600 players, aged 8 to 30, in national tournaments while in England we have 10,337 and the annual budget of the Serbian Tennis Federation (STF) is £330,000 while in England we spend £47.2m. The Serbian Tennis Federation owns no tennis courts.

Baffled by this, and struggling for an explanation, my thoughts turned to a comparison with young black males living in the ghettos of American cities. Sports betting enthusiasts recognise that one of the few tried and tested escape routes is boxing and young men, eager to make something of their lives, literally fight to escape their deprivation. Slobadan Zivojinovic, former Wimbledon semi-finalist and head of the STF, believes the British mentality is tough but ‘if you have a lot of things, you are not hungry’. In other words, there is nothing to struggle against when it’s all dished up on a plate. Jankovic, Ivanovic and Djokovic all trained on courts where they couldn’t play across court because of the walls, and on the other side you had to take care you didn’t run onto the next court.

Tennis is now rivalling football as the national sport of Serbia and Zivojinovic wants the top ten tennis players in the world to be Serbian. He cajoles more and more money out of his government each year and is building a sound basis for this dream to come true. Perhaps there’s something to be learned by our own tennis authorities from this small nation – ditch the Pimms and get into the back end of our inner cities.

Pacific Life Open  On until finals Sun 23 March : British ace, Andy Murray is back in action this week at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. The $3,589,000 ATP Masters Series Tournament is down to the last sixteen where Murray has clinched his place after a fierce battle with Croatian Ivo Karlovic. Tennis betting fans sweated as the match went to two tie breaks before Murray broke at 4-3 and then served out to win the final set and the match.

The British No 1 is looking to clinch his third title this year after victories in Doha and Marseilles. He now goes on to face Tommy Haas, who he has played only once before when he beat him in last year’s quarter finals, at around 21.00 GMT on Wednesday. Haas is recovering from shoulder surgery but, after defeating Roddick and Verdasco, looks to be recovering his form.

Murray is upset with his performance against Karlovic citing his own failure to control his temper. He felt he was giving way to his frustration and getting angry with the Croat although, in the final analysis, he was pleased he had finally been able to focus on his play and regain dominance. Murray returned well allowing only eleven aces from Karlovic, while his increased presence at the net enabled him to close down his opponent’s forceful play. Some excellent cross court passes and even a couple of lobs over the lanky Croat finally won the day for our man.

Murray can beat the best, as he has shown previously with dominance over Federer, as long as he can keep a lid on his temper. Sports betting fans will hope the lad is learning this lesson and can progress through to the finals of this event on 23rd March.