Wimbledon Final Preview
As Wimbledon fans come to terms with the fact that this year's Championships will be only the fourth in history to take place without the men's champion, Wimbledon 2009 spread betting punters will be taking another look at the form book now that there will not be the expected Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer rematch. With the Spaniard succumbing to his knackered knees, the door has seemingly been left wide open for Andy Murray to at least reach the final under the newly-roofed Centre Court.
Backed by a partisan home crowd, the Brit will hope to fare better than any of his compatriots from the past 73 years as he looks to capture the prestigious trophy. The weight of expectation from the strawberries and cream brigade has been backed up by Sporting Index who make him current second favourite in the Outright Index market at 57-61 (100pts for winner, 70pts for runner-up, 50pts for losing semi-finalist etc.) behind Federer, currently at 71-76. The Swiss ace is in hot pursuit of Pistol Pete Sampras' Modern Era total Wimbledon victories, and should he make it all the way again this year, both buyers and sellers of the total games spread will look at his previous record in the final. His five victories have lasted an average of 3.8 sets and 40.6 games.
Tennis traders will know that whichever pair makes it all the way will have a strong bearing on a number of the final's spread options. Spread bettors will be aware that the All England Club produces few surprises when it comes to the business end of the tournament, with the top dogs normally producing competitive finals. The marathon 2008 final will be remembered fondly by buyers of the total games spread for the match. On the other hand, the 62-game battle between Rafa and Fed meant bad news for spread sellers on the X-Courts market - a prediction on the aggregate set multi-games for a match. Nadal's victory over Federer produced a huge X-Courts make-up of 195 (6x4 + 6x4 + 6x7 + 6x7 + 9x7). Wimbledon betting regulars will also be aware that the final has lasted an average of 3.9 sets over the past ten years and this will be a strong consideration in the Match Distance market (100pts awarded for 5-set match, 50pts for 4-sets, 0pts for 3-sets) - especially if they are expecting a war of attrition between two of the big boys.
The meticulously manicured green grass courts of SW19 will also host a range of women's matches with attractive tennis betting odds for spread betting fans. The female game has been equally dominated by individuals, with the Williams sisters taking over from Steffi Graf, Martina Navrtilov� and Billie Jean King as Modern Era Wimbledon legends. Spread bettors that think there is value in buying either Serena or Venus to be crowned champion will notice that one, if not both, have contested all bar two of the past ten finals. When sparring at the final stage, the powerful siblings have produced - on average over the previous three meetings - a 24-game and 2.3-set match. And spread punters will also be interested to learn that the five other finals since 2000 featuring either one of the Williams's have resulted in a similar average of 23.4 games and 2.4 sets.
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