It’s a bummer that the start of the clay season won’t feature Roger Federer, who has been the most dominant ATP player this 2017, but his absence doesn’t mean that sports betting will lack the flare that we have seen on the hard court in recent months.
Besides, online betting heroes Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic return to tennis action in the Monte-Carlo Masters to excite live betting fans and give defending champion Rafael Nadal a good run for his money.
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
Nadal is the pre-match favourite in the competition; he is called the “King of Clay” for a reason after all. The Spanish star is chasing for his 10th tournament trophy and 50th clay-court career title, so it’s easy to understand why he is ahead in most sportsbooks.
His 58-4 overall record in the prestigious event also speaks volume about his success rate on the clay court, which is why the rest of the group will certainly look to take him down early before he gets any momentum.
However, Nadal won’t have it easy. Not with Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka also eyeing to get their hands on the prize and the 1000 points that come with it.
Both Murray and Djokovic are coming from injuries that limited their participation at the start of the year, but they are healthy now and will aspire to impress once again. Murray will hope to replicate his clay success last year when he reached the competition’s semi-final, while Djokovic will look to turn back the clock in the tournament he won in 2013 and 2015.
Wawrinka, meanwhile, will carry the Swiss flag with hopes of getting his first title this year – all after failing to win against the Fed Express in the Indian Wells Masters last month.
On the other hand, the absence of other highly-rated stars which include Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios and 2016 runner-up Gael Monfils will open up the way for other players to stage an incredible run in the contest.
Hence, fans can expect Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Grigor Dimitrov to take advantage of it to make strong a statement.
It’s also not farfetched for David Goffin and Lucas Pouille as well as #NextGen stars Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev and Borna Coric to pull off some surprises and make it deep.
Indeed, this Masters 1000 affair is just the beginning of the clay season, but don’t expect the players to hold back especially with the Roland Garros scheduled in just a months’ time.
“The comeback is over,” Federer added. “I’m happy that nothing major happened throughout this period. It’s been a dream run on the court, off the court as well. My body has reacted very well and I couldn’t be happier, of course.”
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