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Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle turns his mind to Melbourne as he counts the days to Super Bowl XLIII. Yes, he's looking at Australian Open betting odds.
This is a good week to look above the football parapet to the wider world of sports beyond. The Super Bowl bandwagon doesn't really start until the Steelers and Cardinals fly into Tampa next week, so this week I'm thinking of making a few tennis bets before fully concentrating on the football next week.
The Australian Open has already started, but you can still get good value for money on the outright in the men's and women's singles. The first few rounds of tennis championships are all about the strong mincing the weak anyway, so the first few games won't really effect anyone's prices that terribly much. The prices will start to retreat at the weekend when the cream rises, but right now there are still some tasty prices out there.
Britain's Andy Murray arrived at the tournament as the man they were all talking about after his performance at Flushing Meadows last year and his wins over both Federer and Nadal in recent times. But there's a difference between playing for fun and playing for keepsies, and I'm not sure if Murray is the man just yet. He may well be soon, because he's big and strong and he's only twenty-one years old, but right now the bargain bet at Melbourne looks like Rafael Nadal.
Nadal had a lot of injury problems after his fine season last year but he annihilated Christophe Rochus in his first round match and he looked pretty good to me. He's top seed, he's always done better at Australia every year he's been there, he's the most exciting player in men's tennis and you can still back him at +350 or thereabouts with Sports Interaction. Get him while he's hot.
Speaking of hot, last year's losing finalist Ana Ivanovic is a tasty +1000 for the title, but Ivanovic can be a little streaky in her play, and that counteracts the attractiveness of that price. She might be worth a play by the weekend, but she can be vulnerable in the early stages.
My play for the women's championship is Serena Williams. Australia particularly suits Serena, and this was emphasised by her performance in Melbourne two years ago. She arrived unseeded, a +5000 outsider, only to storm through the field and crush Sharapova in straight sets in the final. Serena's won three out of five at Melbourne, and that makes her the Australian Open's answer to the San Antonio Spurs. Serena Williams at +300 with Sports Interaction is the pick, and a double with Serena and Nadal makes for a nice bankroll to start looking towards the hardwood in February.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
