US Open Tennis Betting 2009

The final tennis grand slam event is edging ever closer, a date etched in the minds of free bets fans looking to ensure that the last major tournament of the season proves lucrative to them as well as the eventual winners of the US Open. Albeit on a slightly smaller online betting scale. Well we hope so. Unless they're feeling very flush or they've bet their mortgage on a player.

If of course you are the type of punter to go for broke, then the myriad of free bets opportunities out there on the net allows you to effectively double your 2009 US Open tennis money in an instant, by traditionally matching the amount you've initially wagered on the outcome of an event; once you've opened your account with an online bookmaker that is.

Hot Favourites Roger Federer and Serena Williams for 2009 US Open

So to the tennis, and defending champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams will be going all out to retain their US Open trophies going into this heavily gambled on event, with the former having so much to play for as he looks to add a sixth US Open title to his haul. For those free bets fans with a long memory, you might recall how our very own Andy Murray pushed Federer all the way in the 2008 US Open, finally capitulating to the Swiss' seeming invincibility in the third set last year; whilst Jelena Jankovic lost out in the two sets to Serena Williams as the American set her sights on recapturing the women's world number one spot.

Flushing Meadows in New York City's Queens district is the gladiatorial setting where the world's best tennis players serve, slog and sweat it out for the right to be crowned king and queen of the US Open, and provides the perfect, almost amphitheater-like arena in which to spectate whether there in person or back home from the comfort of your sofa. Or perhaps the comfy seats down at your local bookmakers on the high street, an equally hospitable place these days.

Some of you might be surprised to learn that the US Open differs from the other three grand slam tournaments in as much as a final set tiebreak is the decider should the match be all square at this juncture; unlike the case at the Australian and French Opens and the Wimbledon Championships which sees the fifth set (men's) and third set (women's) continue until a player wins by the two clear games ruling. We said some of you, not all of you.

US Open First Tournament To Give Us 'Hawk-eye' Line Call Technology

Perhaps instead – and for those of the free betting community with a passion for gadgetry - you could well be interested in the fact that Flushing Meadows has also gained another place in modern tennis history by being the first professional tournament to adopt the instant replay review system of technical second opinion if the match umpires are in any doubt as to a net or line call. Colloquially referred to as 'hawk-eye', the state-of-the-art electronic assemblage enables the closest of debatable decisions to be clarified immediately, and in doing so systematically negates the variables of human error. All international tennis tournaments have utilized this technology in the wake of its Flushing Meadows debut.

Since its inception, the US Open has been contested by both men (courtesy of the ATP World Tour) and women (WTA) on three different playing surfaces; originally laid out on grass, this was replaced by clay before finally being usurped by the introduction of DecoTurf, which in essence is an acrylic-based, durable hard court surface, which serves as a stern test to those whose games aren't exactly configured for such an uncompromising surface. Or grass fans as they're more universally known.

Over the years American tennis players have routinely dominated the US Open in front of their home audiences, notably with the likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras amongst the men, and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova representing the women, ultimately being roared on to successes from vociferously patriotic support. In recent times crowd favourites Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and competitive sister double act, Venus and Serena Williams, have given American tennis fans home-grown stars to get behind.

Nadal And Murray Biggest Threats To Federer

Smack, bang and wallop up to date though, and in terms of the 2009 mens US Open title it would take a brave gambler to bet against Roger Federer to reclaim the silverware for what would be an unprecedented sixth consecutive occasion, although as usual his main threats come from his perpetual tennis nemesis, Rafael Nadal. That said, Andy Murray is proving more than just a pretender to his throne as the Scot continues to develop his game to new levels which will sooner rather than later pay dividends according to experts within the game and former players who might just know what they're talking about.

With reference to Federer, and an interesting statistic is the fact that none of his US Open final combatants have pushed him to the maximum five sets, which tells the opposition how seemingly insurmountable his grip on the title is. Especially when acknowledging some of the names who've tried to wrestle the US Open trophy away from him during this victorious period. Agassi, Roddick, Hewitt and Djokovic being as serious challengers as you're likely to find on the tennis circuit at the best of times.

Pipped to the world number one spot by his arch rival Nadal last year and still playing second fiddle to the powerful Spaniard in the official ATP rankings, Federer remains undiminished in his quest of obtaining tennis perfection, and when it comes to maintaining present records and setting new ones he appears to get the bit between his teeth and raise his incredible standards to even more stratospheric heights. Speaking of the record books, and should Federer (5 – 2 favourite) reign supreme again at the Billie Jean King Centre he will automatically better the the professional win ratios of two of the game's greats, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras. Add to the equation that Federer will be playing on his favoured hard surface – in 2007 he was on the receiving end of a hard court defeat just the six time, winning 44 matches - and the signs are ominous.

The challengers;

Andy Murray (11 – 4) – Beat Nadal in ATP event in Rotterdam earlier in year and fears no one as his game matures putting him in the frame for every tournament that looms. Has won 8 of the 10 matches he's played against current world top ten players so far in 2009.

Rafael Nadal (9 – 4) – Current australian open champion and now holder of six career grand slams, Nadal is the player to beat in 2009. However any amount of challengers are queuing up to take a pop at the current ATP ranking world number one.

Novak Djokovic (6 – 1) – Serbian's game is growing ever more consistent as time passes, winning four titles in six finals in 2008 and cementing the world number 3 spot for the second successive campaign. A fierce competitor who revels on hard surfaces, Djokovic should be there or there abouts at the end of the day.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (20 – 1) – The ever-improving Frenchman has proved his pedigree with successive ATP tour victories thus far in 2009 in Johannesburg and Marseille, and losing out to Verdasco in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Juan Martin Del Potro (20 – 1) – The 21-year old Argentinian made it to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year, and along with more great finishes on ATP tour has risen to career best position of world number 5.

Andy Roddick (22 – 1) – Took his career title wins to 27 earlier in 2009, the third best amongst current ATP circuit players after Federer and Nadal, returning to his blistering old form just in time to mount an assault on Federer and gatecrash top five reckoning.

Fernando Verdasco (28 – 1) – Left-handed player like fellow countryman Nadal this year participated in longest singles match in Australian Open history against said Spaniard at over 5 hours, his performance resulting in him entering the top ten world rankings for first time in career.

2009 US Open Women's Betting A Family Affair

From a women's perspective, and all eyes will be on the William's sisters, although Russians Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova will have something to say about that when it comes to the reckoning.

Despite the close interests of an increasing number of Eastern European tennis starlets at the top of the WTA pile, defending women's champ Serena Williams will be coming into the US Open in good form having also secured the women's doubles title at Wimbledon last year with her sibling and and sewing up the Olympic tennis doubles gold medal shortly afterwards. However both Ana Ivanovich and Jelena Jankovic are shaping up well in time for the last major event of the season and will be where a lot of money will be wagered in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

As far as the online bookmakers are concerned Serena (9 – 4) and her sibling, Venus (13 – 2) are the US Open favourites, sandwiched in the betting order by Maria Sharapova (11 – 2). Elsewhere and Dinara Safina (8 – 1), Ana Ivanovic (10 – 1), Victoria Azarenka (10 – 1), Jelena Jankovic (12 – 1), Elena Dementieva (16 – 1) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (20 – 1) are front runners. The returning Kim Clijsters could well be worth a punt at 25 – 1 across the early markets on average too.