TENNIS analyst Gavin Mair (@gavinnightmair) returns with his best bet from the men's final from Wimbledon.
Ten of the last 11 Wimbledon ladies singles finals were settled in straight sets, and seven of the eight meetings between Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams finished in two sets.
On Saturday, I had anticipated that Serena would be too strong based on her grass court data. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kerber triumphed easily in the final, highlighting that Williams still has a lot of work to do if she is to reclaim her throne atop women’s tennis.
On reflection, the draw to the final had been rather soft for Williams to exploit and her form wasn’t as strong as I interpreted.
Kevin Anderson v Novak Djokovic | Sunday 15th July 2018, 14:00 | BBC
Sunday sees the men’s final take place. Both Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic came through epic encounters that extended deep into a fifth set.
Anderson has however spent an extra three hours on court than Djokovic over the duration of his past two matches – and has doubtlessly expended a fair amount of mental effort in edging past first Roger Federer and then Djokovic.
It is not possible to guess how the efforts will have affected Anderson but I don’t think it is unfair to assume he won’t be at 100%. Anderson stated in his post-match comments after Isner that perhaps the format of the fifth set should be changed so that it doesn’t become a “war of attrition.”
Not only has he to recover from his past matches, but across the net stands Djokovic who has defeated Anderson in their past five matches, with Anderson’s only taste of success coming 10 years ago in Miami.
Their most recent encounter is interesting as it took place at Wimbledon. On that occasion Anderson took a two set lead but was worn down by the determined Djokovic over the course of the match.
For me, the outcome of this match looks certain – Djokovic will win it – he knows how to get the better of Anderson and the South African will find it tough to repeat his level from previous rounds. I am uncertain on how quick the kill will be.
The first set is very important for Anderson. If he starts slowly then it should be too big a hurdle to come back from. Therefore, if you wish to have a betting interest in this match, then I believe Djokovic there is wisdom in backing a Djokovic 3/0 victory at 13/10 with William Hill.
Best Bets
Kevin Anderson v Novak Djokovic – Novak Djokovic to win 3-0 (13/10 William Hill)
