Mutua Madrid Open
An emotional drama with tennis history at stake is set to unfold at Caja Magica as Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep aim to add more milestones to their already impressive résumé.
The two have dominated the Madrid Open over the past couple of years; and as the tournament observes its 10th anniversary of moving from hard court to red clay, Nadal and Halep will be hoping to give online sports betting fans more reasons to celebrate.
Talking points
Last year, Nadal achieved an unprecedented record on clay court: becoming the only man in the open era to win the same ATP tournament 10 times. More amazingly, he did it at three different events—in the Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open and Roland Garros.
He already upped that to 11 in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, proving once again that he is the undeniable King of Clay.
Now, Nadal will be looking to achieve another titanic feat, this time in the Madrid Open where he has already won five titles. Sure enough, Nadal is already high on the list of players with more than five titles in a single event, but he could add the Caja Magica competition to that list with another trophy.
The Spaniard is also the only player to win the tournament in back-to-back seasons, which he managed back in 2013 and 2014. This 2018, the defending champion could repeat that accomplishment and cement his legend status.
On the other hand, Halep is also on the verge of making history. After dominating the Madrid Open and winning the past two titles, she now has a shot to become the first WTA three-time champion at the tournament.
However, it won’t be as easy as it sounds for the Romanian, especially after her quarter-finals exit in Stuttgart last week. She has been dealing with an upper leg injury, and there are still concerns about her fitness despite her claims that she can take on the best in the Spanish capital.
History
The “Big Four” of men’s tennis have shared the tournament’s championship since its move to Caja Magica in 2009. Nadal has won it four times at the venue, while Roger Federer has three. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have two each.
Unfortunately, out of the four, only Nadal and Djokovic will be playing this year. Federer opted to skip the whole clay season, while Andy Murray is still recovering after undergoing surgery for a hip injury.
Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, Halep has won the women’s event for two straight seasons now. Before her, Petra Kvitova (2015), Maria Sharapova (2014) and Serena Williams (2012, 2013) reigned supreme on the red clay of Madrid.
All four women were initially listed to play in the 2018 competition, but Serena pulled out last week as she told organisers she needs more time to be fit after a 14-month layoff.
What are the odds?
Nadal is the King of Clay for a reason, so it’s no wonder why the 16-time Grand Slam champion starts as the favourite to win on online gambling sites. At odds of 1.40, top betting tips also suggest he could be in for a relatively easy path up until the quarter-finals.
However, while the absence of some of the renowned stars helps Nadal’s claim to glory, other players could give him a run for his money.
Djokovic (15.00) has fitness issues, but he’s more than capable of beating Nadal if he’s healthy. If everything goes on the Serbian’s way, he could meet Rafa in the finals.
The best servers on tour have also found success playing on the venue, so the likes of Juan Martin del Potro (17.00), Milos Raonic (41.00) and John Isner (41.00) will fancy their chances of making a deep run.
And who could forget about the Spanish Armada? Spanish players, more often than not, succeed on clay—ask Nadal about that. Hence, it’s not far-fetched for Roberto Bautista Agut (51.00), Pablo Carreño Busta (81.00) and Albert Ramos Viñolas (81.00) to pull off some surprises.
In the women’s category, Halep is favoured to win it all at odds of 6.50, having won 13 straight matches in the tournament including a nervy three-set finale against Kristina Mladenovic last year.
Nonetheless, the Romanian champ needs to be cautious of home heroes Garbiñe Muguruza (7.50) and Carla Suárez Navarro (51.00) who will certainly get support from the stands.
World no.3 Muguruza, particularly, pose a tough challenge for Halep given the way she’s playing. And what better way to mark the 10th year anniversary of Madrid Open by becoming the first Spanish winner of the Premier Mandatory event?
Former champions Sharapova (19.00) and Kvitova (9.00) know how to win the competition and should never be counted out.
Just like in the men’s tennis, the top female big hitters such as Karolina Pliskova (9.00) and Sloane Stephens (21.00) could be in for a treat as well.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
