The recent heatwave in Britain got everybody excited for the start of summer. But we all know that summer can’t really begin before Wimbledon gets underway. The highlight of the grass court season and the third tennis Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon is a wonderful mix of tradition, prestige and, of course, world class sport.
This year’s Championship could prove to be one of the most exciting for some time. In both the men’s and women’s tournaments there are multiple players capable of claiming glory in the final and more still who can make an unexpected run deep into the second week. So, let’s have a look at both tournaments and search for value bets for this year’s Wimbledon.
Who Will Win The Men’s Championship?
- Betting Tip – Rafael Nadal at 9/2 with Sky Bet
Tennis – and Wimbledon in particular – has been dominated by the same four players for years now. You have to go back to 2002 for the last time that the men’s tournament was won by someone other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray. Despite each of those players struggling with loss of fitness and/or form in the last 18 months or so, they are the top four in the betting once again and the top four seeds.
At 35, it is clear that we’re coming to the end of Roger Federer’s time at the top of tennis. The Swiss understands as well as anybody that his body cannot cope with the sort of punishing schedules of the past which is why he prioritised Wimbledon by skipping this year’s French Open and the clay court season. That decision looked to have backfired when Federer lost in the first round in Stuttgart but he displayed all of his class one week later when winning the title in Halle. That was his ninth success in Halle and his confidence is sure to be high.
That win has made Federer the bookies’ favourite for Wimbledon. There’s no doubt that he’s going to be difficult to stop but you’ve got to think Federer looks a little short at 9/4 with Bet365. He may surprise us but we don’t think the Swiss ace will be landing an eighth Wimbledon title.
Andy Murray is next up at 4/1 with Ladbrokes. The defending champion is another who warrants huge respect in the betting. Murray fought very hard to rediscover his form at Roland Garros and there was no disgrace in losing to Stan Wawrinka in the semi finals. The main problem for Murray is his poor preparation for Wimbledon. He lost in the first round at Queen’s Club when a heavy odds-on favourite and pulled out of an exhibition match at the Hurlingham Club due to injury worries.
Murray is the number one seed but again, his odds look a little short on balance. In contrast, Rafa Nadal looks very well priced at 9/2 with Sky Bet. Everybody knows that the Spaniard excels on clay courts but the manner of his win in the final of the French Open against Wawrinka was truly stunning. Nadal was in complete control and some commentators claimed it was the best tennis of his career.
Grass has never been Nadal’s favoured surface and a lack of competitive warm ups is a worry but he’s a two time Wimbledon champion who is sure to put in a great deal of work on grass before the Championships begin. If he can get through the first few rounds unscathed, Nadal can build up a head of steam and quickly look like very good value at 9/2. Of the “Big Four” he has the best form and with such serious doubts over Djokovic and Murray, Nadal has to be the one for us.
Outsiders, Each Way Tips & Other Bets
When looking for a longer odds shot capable of making it through to the latter stages at Wimbledon against the odds it’s always worth assessing the strengths of the biggest servers in the field. Milos Raonic showed last season that his powerful game is well suited to the courts at SW19 and he could be one to add to your each way picks at big odds of 20/1 with Coral. Another option is backing the Canadian to serve the most aces at 9/4 with Betfair.
In terms of a real outsiders worth backing for small stakes, the 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov ticks the box at 500/1 with Betfair. He’s been training with Andy Murray in the lead up to Wimbledon and is expected to have a bright future. He’s not going to win but could be worth a cash out play or backing in individual match markets. We think he may spring a surprise or two this year.
Who Will Win The Women’s Championship?
- Betting Tip – Petra Kvitova at 5/1 with Ladbrokes
While the men’s tournament at Wimbledon has been dominated by the same four players, there’s been one dominant player in the women’s game. Serena Williams won her first Wimbledon title in 2002 and won her sixth and seventh titles in the last two renewals. However, Serena is pregnant so won’t be taking part this year and in her absence we’ve got a very open draw.
Petra Kvitova is the bookies’ favourite at fair looking odds of 5/1 with Ladbrokes. The Czech star has only recently returned to tennis after being stabbed by an intruder in her playing hand but she wasted no time winning the Aegon Classic in Birmingham. She turned up to Eastbourne for another warm up event but decided to pull out with an abdominal injury. That’s apparently merely a precaution and she clearly doesn’t need to work her way into form. 5/1 looks a good price about a two time Wimbledon winner who is close to hitting top form.
In terms of British interest at Wimbledon, there are two players for British fans to get excited about. Both Heather Watson and Johanna Konta have been struggling for their very best tennis recently but equally they’ve both shown some promising signs in the lead up to Wimbledon.
The second week is probably the best that Watson can hope for at 200/1 with BetVictor but Konta has a realistic chance of going all the way at 12/1 with Bet365. Konta has played a great deal of grass court tennis and the British number one has experience of the latter stages of a Grand Slam having made it to the semi finals of the 2016 Australian Open. It’ll take her best stuff but a bet on Konta may not simply be heart over head.
Outsiders, Each Way Tips & Other Bets
The betting markets have seen plenty of support coming in for the woman Kvitova beat in the Birmingham final, Ashleigh Barty. The Australian is a very interesting figure having recently returned to tennis after playing professional cricket but is certainly a top quality player. At 21, Barty is nowhere near her peak and her lack of experience could play against her but at 33/1 with BetVictor, Barty is surely worthy of each way support in a market lacking outright star quality.
Simona Halep is another player worth considering for an each way bet. The world number two has said that she’s still hurting over her defeat in the final at Roland Garros but she is a tough competitor, capable of taking heart and motivation from that loss against Jelena Ostapenko. Halep has made it to the semi final at Wimbledon before and looks set for another strong showing at tempting odds of 20/1 with Ladbrokes.