Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell: Will Nadal be able to bounce back?

Despite another disappointed year at the Monte Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal still hasn't given up on his favourite clay surface. In fact he is aiming for a ninth title at the Barcelona Open happening this week.

Last Saturday, the Nadal was defeated in straight sets by world no.1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. However, the Spaniard insisted he was pleased by his progress after a poor start at the beginning of the year due to injury

"For me, it's a very positive week. The most positive week of the season, without any doubt," said Nadal.

"If I am able to keep doing that in the next tournament in Barcelona, and I have a tough draw, I will say that I am very well again."

The 8-time champion is seeded second after defending champion Kei Nishikori who ended a nine-year streak by Nadal in 2014. Other players who will be playing in Barcelona are David Ferrer, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Feliciano Lopez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ernests Gulbis. However, the odds are high that Nishikori will give Nadal a run for the money.

Image via tennisplanet.me

Kei Nishikori
The world no. 4, reigning champion and top seed Kei Nishikori makes his fifth straight appearance in Barcelona with a 10-3 career tournament record. A year ago Nishikori entered the Barcelona tournament ranked no. 17 and he only dropped one set en route to his first career ATP World Tour clay court title. This season Nishikori is 21-5 with a title in Memphis. This is the fifth time in Nishikori’s career he is the top seed in an ATP tournament. He has quite an outstanding 16-1 record as the top seed with his only loss to Ferrer in the Acapulco final. Nishikori was absent from the recent Monte Carlo Masters.

Image via Skysports

Rafael Nadal
Nadal is aiming for the ninth title here. He comes into Barcelona with a brilliant 42-2 career tournament record. His 41-match winning streak in Barcelona came to an end after beaten by fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals last year. Eight of Nadal’s titles came in the past 10 years (he did not play in 2010). This is the fourth time Nadal is not the top seed i.e. in the year 2013, 2005 and 2003. This is going to be an interesting tournament that could make or break Nadal in the subsequent clay court tournaments before the French Open.

Monte Carlo Masters - Who to Watch

 by Carine06 

As the Monte Carlo Masters gets underway, the buzz is beginning to build around just who exactly will surge to dominance on the clay courts of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, this coming week. With some first round ties already completed, the pack is already thinning and with that in mind, there is no better time than now to take a look at several stars that are likely to shine in Monte Carlo.

 by  y.caradec

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic began the year in scintillating fashion when achieving glory at the Australian Open - and the Serbian hasn't looked back since. Afforded a first round bye, 'The Djok' has undoubtedly had it easier than others in advancing to the second round, but it likely won't cause him any ring rust. Djokovic most recently moved to 6th place in the rankings for the most weeks spent atop the ATP World Tour Rankings and with a near-5000 point lead over second placed Roger Federer, he won't be dethroned any time soon. These astounding stats are paired with the fact that Djokovic won both the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open prior to this event, meaning he will likely want to make it a hat-trick and add to his stellar resume for 2015.

.@djokernole now 6th all-time for most weeks at No.1 in #Emirates #ATP Rankings. Tribute: http://t.co/QhuCSPpaSg pic.twitter.com/so5woJ26uy
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) April 13, 2015

Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka shocked the world when not only winning the Australian Open in 2014, but also when scalping a victory over Roger Federer to take the Monte Carlo Masters crown home with him last time out. Wawrinka played the aformentioned Djokovic through a gruelling five sets before ultimately losing out in the Australian Open this year and his form managed to remain consistent - until around two months ago it seems. Since then Wawrinka has defeated just one tennis player (Carlos Berlocq) ranked within the top 100 and it appears that this tournament could go either way for the 30-year-old. One thing is for certain though, whatever happens this tournament for Wawwrinka, all eyes will be on him.

Rafael Nadal
Rafa has slipped under the radar in recent years due to persistent injury problems, but that doesn't mean he is no longer able to punish the best of them at a moment's notice - especially on the clay courts of Monte Carlo. Nadal has won the competition as many as eight times and when you also factor in his nine French Open wins - which is also played on clay courts - there is every reason to believe he can emerge as a front-runner for success at this tournament. Leading bookmakers such as betfair have already listed the Spaniard as the favourite for success later in the year at the French Open, meaning that that Rafa's precense around clay courts is something to behold. Perhaps the 'King of Clay' can strike once again and earn himself an uprecedented ninth singles title.

Roger Federer
For an unknown reason, the Monte Carlo Masters crown has eluded Federer througout his entire career. He has reached the final as many as four times but each defeat appears to be a little more painful than the last, and that may have taken it's toll on the Swiss sensation. Such a storied career seemingly can't end without 'Fed' finally achieving glory in Monte Carlo, but in truth it all depends on whether he can maintain the composure to beat the likes of Nadal and Djokovic. He has, however, suffered on clay courts in recent seasons and this could be evidence of an ageing veteran who is slowly entering his hayday. The ATP rankings prove different however, so it will be interesting to see if Federer can pull another rabbit out of his seemingly-bottomless box of tricks. It would certainly be a fairytale story if he was to achieve glory come Sunday in France. 

So there you have it, four of the more prominent candidates touching down on the clay of Monte Carlo, but in truth, the tournament is extremely open this year, with the likes of Milos Raonic and Gregor Dimitrov looking to ascend into the higher echelons of elite tennis. Watch this space, it could really be anyone who emerges the winner at this year's Masters.

Tennis Betting Is Not Roulette and It Should Be Considered as a Skill Game

There are a number of people out there that view all types of sports betting a game of chance, a little like roulette. Tennis betting is one of those that is considered like roulette. Some people see it as a high risk, because there is no way to really determine how someone is going to play on the day. However, this is something that really should be considered a skill game. Tennis betting requires more than just picking between one or the other player.

Learning to Understand the Odds

Bookmakers create odds for a reason. They tell individuals what the bookmakers believe the chances are of one player winning over another. There are different ways that these odds are created, and it becomes a skill to understand all this. It’s not enough to just look into the numbers and figures and bet on the one with the highest odds of winning. You need to think about why those odds have been determined.

There are a number of factors that go into the creation of odds, and a number of reasons why some players end up making you little money when you bet. It doesn’t necessarily mean they will win. Low odds could mean that the public perception lately isn’t that high, but that can all change during matches due to the way people play.

Learning the Tactics to Win Money

There are tactics and techniques that you need to learn before you start betting large amounts of money. Think of this more of a game of poker rather than a game of roulette. The probabilities of the roulette is well explained in rouletteanalyst, so it will be very easy to compare it after reading the article there that explains the details. You need to work out the best time to bet, and when to raise your own stakes on the odds. There will be times that you lose, but with good tactics you stand a good chance of winning.

It takes time to learn these tactics. You’re not going to pick them up overnight and suddenly become a tennis betting master. You need to spend the time developing your tactics, and the best way to do that is to talk to others who bet on tennis games. Find out why they choose certain bets and why they don’t bother with others.

With tennis betting, people are more likely to share their tips and thought processes. They’re not playing against you, but against the betting shop. There’s little risk to them to share their tips, and really they’re just offering you the helping hand.

There Is Still an Element of Luck

As with anything, there is still an element of luck when it comes to tennis betting. This is especially the case when it comes to the accumulator bets—those where you have to see all your bets come up to win the money.

The downside is that you have no effect in the outcome of the game. You can only watch and hope that your tennis players win their matches. This is why it is often considered a little like roulette, where you can only watch the ball spin around the table and hope that it lands on your colour or number.

However, that doesn’t mean skill in not involved. After all, you will need to look into the teams and the odds before you decide on an accumulator bet. Without that, then you are playing a game of chance. Being able to think about all your options carefully is not something you can do with roulette.

Remember the Bookie Edge

Another element to remember when betting is the bookie edge. This isn’t something the roulette tables have to think about due to the high risk already there. The bookie edge is something to factor into your tactics, making it a bigger game of skill.

In short, tennis betting isn’t just a game of chance. There is an element of skill involved, so you shouldn’t think of it like roulette. Consider it more of a game of poker, where you develop tactics and play with them in mind.

WINNERS: 15 pairs of season passes to the BMW Malaysian Open 2015 (yes, additional 5 pairs!)

Thank you for participating in our BMW Malaysia Open giveaway since Wednesday.

In such a short time, we've received 80 entries from Malaysia and other parts of the world. However, I only have 15 pairs of season passes to be given away to the first 15 people. Yes, instead of 10 pairs, the event organiser has given us extra passes due to the great response!

List of winners in blue

We will get in touch with you to pick up your passes. To those who are not shortlisted, don't be too disappointed. You can still enjoy free admission from now till Wednesday. To find out more about the event ticketing, click here.