What makes Nadal the favourite among fans and in tennis betting?

Source: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images AsiaPac)

In every sport, those involved purely as fans and those who spend hours studying form to bet professionally spend plenty of time discussing the topic of “greatest ever.” For the former group, it is often a mixture of head and heart that informs the argument, while those falling into the latter category are likely to have figures and statistics to support their view.

Yet while those who are into motor racing discuss Schumacher and Fangio, or cricket followers try to decide between Tendulkar and Bradman, for the tennis connoisseur, this is a golden era. Not only are the two greatest players contemporaries of one another, they are both playing right now. While F1 fans can only theorise about whether Fangio would have been faster than Schumacher, we have the honour of seeing Federer and Nadal duke it out time and again. In fact, they have played each other professionally almost 40 times. No wonder Fedal is one of the most hotly disputed sporting rivalries ever.

Who’s the greatest?

Some point to Federer’s greater number of grand slam wins as evidence that he is the greatest until such time as Nadal can prove otherwise. There are two flaws with this argument. The first is that at 36, does Federer really have any more grand slams in him? Nadal, on the other hand, is five years Federer’s junior, and needs just three more wins to draw level.

The other factor to consider is that Nadal has won 23 of their 37 encounters, which makes it difficult for anyone to argue that Federer is the greater of the two.

Where to place your bet

Whether Federer’s star finally on the wane, or he can still prove himself against Nadal is the burning question, and one that can be explored by examining the bookmakers’ view on the numerous online sports betting sites. In recent years, tennis betting has become increasingly popular, thanks mostly to the rise of smartphone apps and online services. As well as providing an opportunity to win some money, a look at the odds also gives a great form guide for tennis fans.

With the Shanghai Masters getting underway, there is little surprise that the bookmakers see it as a two horse race between the two giants, and they have it too close to call. Both are around the 2/1 mark, with some offering Federer as favourite and others Nadal.

Many happy returns

If the betting odds cannot choose between them, is there other data we can call upon to differentiate between the game’s two top players? One statistic that stands out is the return of serve. There can be few tougher challenges in sport – statistically, you will miss more first serves than you return.

Most professionals in the men’s game have a return rate of around 33 percent – Federer’s is slightly below average at 32.5 percent. Nadal, however, stands head and shoulders above the rest with a return rate of 35.2 percent.

In the average match, a player will face around 150 first serves. According to those statistics, Nadal will successfully return four more than Federer per game. And it is small edges like this that can ultimately contribute to him being recognised as the best of all time.

Thinking of betting on tennis matches - facts you should know

Counted amongst the purest betting sports throughout the world, tennis is actively bet on by a great multitude of punters throughout the world. Considering there are hardly any external influences on players’ performance, and the contest is always one on one, you can effectively pick a winner based on heaps of unbiased data gathered from the previous matches. Tennis betting tips from various off-line and online platforms can come in pretty handy too. Let’s take you through some important facts you should be aware of if you’re starting out with tennis betting

The draw
You must pay close attention to the draw if you are planning to place an outright bet on a tennis tournament. You should know who all might fall in the path of the player you’re backing to go all the way till the end. How has that player fared against those opponents in the past? Although you may most likely back one of the top seeds to win, but if that player is expected to take on Federer, Murray, Nadal or Djokovic en route to the final, chances are your bet may not pay off.

Current form
Current form is another important aspect you must pay heed to. Before backing any player, you must see how he/she has been performing in other tournaments that year. Ample consideration would also need to be given to the playing surface. Remember, some players play particularly well on certain services. For instance, you can never rule out Nadal at French Open even if he has had a bad run in the previous tournaments in a given year.

Head to head statistics
Although head to head data is important, you must put it into context before placing any bets. Recent encounters between two players on the same surface holds much more value than historic matches played between them on different courts. Furthermore, there are plenty of subtle stats you should pay attention to before backing anyone. For instance, some players are good at handling big servers compared to the others, while some don’t fare very well against players that have a high first-serve return percentage. It’s important to be very thorough when you’re placing such bets.

Fitness
This is another important aspect which comes into play in the best of five tennis matches. Although the tennis players nowadays take great care of their fitness levels, even the best may have a hard time maintaining top form if they were involved in a five-hour long five set match the day before. Furthermore, some players have a tendency of retiring early in small events, especially if they are nursing some injury. Others like Sam Querrey or Roger Federer like fighting their way till the end, no matter what. Please note, neither of these players have ever retired hurt from a match.



In addition, retirements are far less common when it comes to Grand Slams, however, fitness levels and injuries can indeed play a major role, as has been seen in the past.

US Open 2017: Carreno Busta makes first major semifinal; Federer, del Potro and Nadal aim for semis

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Pablo Carreno Busta reached his first career major semifinal after beating no. 29 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Earlier, he beat up-and-coming Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov in three tiebreakers in the fourth round.

Carreno Busta will face no. 28 Kevin Anderson of South Africa, who got past no. 17 Sam Querrey of the US 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-6 (7) in a match that ended shortly before 2 am on Wednesday.

Carreno Busta had quite a smooth path to the quarterfinals, becoming the first man to face four qualifiers in a Grand Slam tournament during the Open era, which started in 1968. He didn't drop a single set against any of those opponents and stayed perfect against Schwartzman while appearing in his second major quarterfinal.

Carreno Busta and Anderson each advanced to the final four at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Do check out the online tennis betting odds leading towards the exciting semifinal matches.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer will take on Juan Martin del Potro in the US Open last eight after the Argentine's incredible fourth-round victory.

Del Potro who is the 24th seed came back from two sets down to beat Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem in five thrilling sets.

Source: china.cn

He will face third seed Federer in a rematch of the 2009 final, won by Del Potro.

Del Potro who had battled four wrist surgeries is hoping that a massage and a day's rest will be enough to restore his energy in time to face an increasingly in-form Federer.

The Argentine said "we cannot do magic" after battling through illness to beat Thiem in an extraordinary quarterfinal match.

It is already eight years since Del Potro stunned then five-time defending champion Federer in the final at Flushing Meadows to win his only major title to date.

Rafael Nadal will also be featured in the quarterfinals against Russian teenager Andrey Rublev who knocked out Belgian ninth seed David Goffin.

Now head over to Caulfield Cup Betting for a great experience in online betting.

Laver Cup: Teams announced in New York City

Source: lavercup.com

Rod Laver was joined by Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Denis Shapovalov in the heart of New York City recently to announce the captain’s picks for the inaugural Laver Cup.

This year, the Laver Cup will be held at the O2 arena Prague from 22-24 September. It will be played in the USA in 2018.

Alexander Zverev, the world no.7 becomes the fifth top 10 player for Team Europe, joining Rafael Nadal, Federer, Cilic and Dominic Thiem. Berdych will also represent the European team at the O2 arena.

Source: lavercup.com

Meanwhile, Juan Martin del Potro and Denis Shapovalov were confirmed as the captain’s picks John McEnroe’s Team World.

To find out the performance of the players prior to the Laver Cup, you're advised to follow the online tennis betting odds especially leading towards the US Open to be held from 28 August to 10 September.

“The last member of Team Europe is going to be picked by Bjorn Borg as a captain’s pick is going to be Alexander Zverev,” Federer announced during the press conference at the JPMorgan Chase center.

“We are very excited about, because he’s had a wonderful year. It’s great news. We were very excited when we heard it."

Meanwhile, Team World’s captain John McEnroe said he was not ‘turning up to Prague to lose,’ and was excited to welcome Shapovalov and Del Potro into his team.

“I think this young man is going to be a great, great player in the future,” McEnroe referred to Shapovalov. “He’s a Canadian, but we won’t hold that against him. He’s also a left-hander, like Mr. Rod Laver and myself.”

McEnroe described Del Potro as a ‘tremendous young man, a little bit older and a veteran and a winner.’

Shapovalov is competing in the qualifying event of the US Open and joined the event in New York on his day off.

“It’s truly an honor to be sitting with past champions and present champions like yourselves, and, you know, I’m very happy to be here with all you guys.”

Federer, winner of 19 Grand Slam titles and two this year (the Australian Open and Wimbledon), said he could not wait to join with Rafael Nadal on Team Europe.

“For us to spend sort of a week together on the same team and, you know, exchanging ideas of how we could win the Laver Cup over the weekend, I think it’s going to be really highly entertaining for both of us.”

Players and captains alike paid tribute to Rod Laver, winner of the Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969, who the Laver Cup is named after.

McEnroe described Laver as his idol growing up and the perfect choice to be honored at this new and hyped event.

“We are looking to do something big here along the lines of the Ryder Cup in golf, and I think this is a magnificent way to try to get this going. It couldn’t be a better man to represent what we are trying to do here.”

Now head over to Geelung Cup Betting for a great online betting experience.