Wimbledon is almost here again, and with no ranking points at stake, there is a different feel ahead of this year’s tournament. However, the excitement of the iconic London tournament will still be the same, and once the players take to the court, the fact that there aren’t points to play for will not make a difference when it comes to their attitudes.
As well as keeping tabs on the tournament when it comes to gambling, and continuing to pick the best bet of the day, you can also get ahead by checking out the odds and form of the tennis players who will be competing at the tournament.
Wimbledon starts on June 27th and qualifying gets underway a week before this. Among the reasons for the tournament being so unique this year is the fact that it will be played over a full 14 days for the first time, with no planned rest day.
Who will be involved?
There are still some question marks over players who may take part in the tournament. With no Russian and Belarusian participation, there are also some injury question marks.
Rafa Nadal is yet to confirm his involvement despite doing some intensive training in Mallorca in an attempt to be fit for the tournament.
Some huge names are definitely out of contention. After undergoing knee surgery, Roger Federer will miss the tournament for the first time in decades. Medvedev and Nishkori are among the others to have confirmed they will not be at the tournament.
Novak Djokovic will play, after controversy over his previous omissions regarding Covid, he will go into the tournament as the odds-on favorite with many expecting the Serbian to win the tournament with very little trouble from his competitors.
Plenty of eyes will be on the Brits too. Andy Murray recently pulled out of Queens to preserve his fitness so that he has the chance to win Wimbledon for the third time, but as he has suffered from successive injuries, Murray will be considered a long shot.
The women’s singles
On the women’s side of the draw, fellow Brit Emma Raducanu will be a popular figure should she play, with fond memories of her surprising run to the final 16 in the tournament last year. It’s her first time at Wimbledon since her shocking win at the US Open, and her form has been patchy since.
The women’s draw is a little more open, but there is still a clear favorite in the draw. The world number one, Iga Swiatek is currently in unbelievable form as she heads into the tournament having a current run of 35 matches without losing. She’ll be looking to complete a third win at a Slam.
The world number two Anett Kontaveit will also be involved in the tournament.
Although tennis is entering a new generation with new stars, Serena Williams will be involved once more, as she has been given a wildcard entry.
What the odds tell us
There’s always the potential for an upset at a Grand Slam, as proven by Emma Raducanu last year, but Wimbledon has been dominated by the same names for many years, especially the men’s tournament.
This year, Djokovic will be the favorite, joined by Iga Swiatek for the women’s tournament. The short odds of both tells us that the bookmakers don’t think that there are other players who are going to trouble them too much, but this is the beauty of Grand Slams. It also means that if you think an outsider may win, you may get some extremely long odds.
If you think Andy Murray is going to return to former glories, you can get particularly long odds, as the Scotsman is not a favorite due to his injuries. We all know what his character is like, and the fact that he will keep fighting, so who knows?
Perhaps this is another chance for an outsider to prove themselves, or a youngster to make a name. Maybe Emma Raducanu will win on home soil to bring back a second Grand Slam win. There could be value in backing an outsider to go far in the tournament even if you don’t think they will win.
Summary
Wimbledon will look rather different this year, but there are still plenty of the familiar favorites and we will see the same levels of entertainment that this tournament always seems to provide, as well as beautiful weather, and of course… strawberries and cream.
