Wimbledon: All Williams, all the time
Wimbledon: All Williams, all the time
Once again we find the Williams Sisters, Venus and Serena, facing off for in the 2009 Wimbledon Championship. Venus enters the match looking to defend her 2007-08 titles and win her sixth title on the grass while Serena is looking for title No. 3 in her career. On the men's side, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are still on course to square off in the finals with the Federer Express looking for Grand Slam No. 16.
Isn’t money wonderful?
Just as I called it last time we talked tennis, Venus and Serena Williams will meet in Saturday’s final of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships in jolly old London town. That’s six wins apiece for each sister – although Venus beat No. 13 Ana Ivanovic by retirement in the fourth round, so no payout there at most books. We’ll call it 11 units in earnings, enough to keep us rolling in kebabs and Old Speckled Hen for quite some time.
That’s the extent of my bragging. Picking the Williams sisters to reach the final of any event is like picking water to run downhill. Third favorite and 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova had very little chance at +900 to win in 2009, given her shoulder problems and her very light schedule since losing to No. 154-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round of last year’s Wimbledon.
I’m also tempering my enthusiasm because Serena came very, very close to taking those kebabs off my table. She found herself in an incredible semifinal battle on Thursday against world’s No. 4 Elena Dementieva, needing almost three hours and saving a match point before prevailing 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 as a -600 favorite. Yikes. Venus, on the other hand, made a grand total of one unforced error in her 6-1, 6-0 cakewalk over No. 1 Dinara Safina, also as a -600 chalk.
It feels like the horse has been let out of the barn a little early. Serena had the shorter betting odds when the championship futures market opened, priced at +230 compared to +300 for Venus. Now that Dementieva has put her through the wringer, Serena is a +115 underdog to win Saturday’s matchup against her older sister (-135). I had Venus at even money to win last year’s all-Williams final, based on the compatibility of her style of play with the grass courts of SW19. I’m taking Venus again this year even with more risk involved.
It’s not that difficult a choice. Venus has the strongest serve on the women’s circuit – 111 mph on average at last year’s Wimbledon final, harder than both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. She and Serena both have amazingly powerful groundstrokes, but the speed of Venus’ serve, combined with her three-inch height advantage over Serena and wingspan to match, is why she has five Wimbledon titles compared to Serena’s two.
As for the men, it’s time to show some love to Andy Roddick. I’ve been fading him all tournament, and he keeps hanging around, earning himself a spot in the semifinals against Andy Murray. But the carousel should definitely stop turning at this point. Murray is a -330 favorite to reach Sunday’s final, and he’s 6-2 lifetime against Roddick, including a second-round victory back at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. Roddick is also coming off a withering five-set, four-hour victory over Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals.
We’ve been anticipating a Wimbledon final between Murray and five-time champion Roger Federer from the get-go. Each has done his part for the chalkeaters by winning five straight matches for another quick 10 units of profit. Federer is now 70-1 on grass dating back to 2003, the only exception being the loss to Nadal in last year’s brilliant final. He’s pegged at -1400 to make it 71-1 over No. 34 Tommy Haas (+750), who hasn’t beaten Federer in 10 tries since the 2002 Australian Open.
Now the fun part. Federer was -130 at the open of the championship futures market; Murray was +250. As a straight-up prediction, I would gladly choose Federer to win his sixth Wimbledon title, but not at these odds. Murray has won his last four matches against Federer since dropping the final at the 2008 U.S. Open. He’s 6-2 lifetime against the man many consider to be the Greatest of All Time. The trick is that all eight matches were on the hardcourt.
How will the pride of Dunblane, Scotland fare on Federer’s favorite surface? At two inches taller and with an improving serve, my money stays with Murray.
Once again we find the Williams Sisters, Venus and Serena, facing off for in the 2009 Wimbledon Championship. Venus enters the match looking to defend her 2007-08 titles and win her sixth title on the grass while Serena is looking for title No. 3 in her career. On the men's side, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are still on course to square off in the finals with the Federer Express looking for Grand Slam No. 16.
Isn’t money wonderful?
Just as I called it last time we talked tennis, Venus and Serena Williams will meet in Saturday’s final of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships in jolly old London town. That’s six wins apiece for each sister – although Venus beat No. 13 Ana Ivanovic by retirement in the fourth round, so no payout there at most books. We’ll call it 11 units in earnings, enough to keep us rolling in kebabs and Old Speckled Hen for quite some time.
That’s the extent of my bragging. Picking the Williams sisters to reach the final of any event is like picking water to run downhill. Third favorite and 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova had very little chance at +900 to win in 2009, given her shoulder problems and her very light schedule since losing to No. 154-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round of last year’s Wimbledon.
I’m also tempering my enthusiasm because Serena came very, very close to taking those kebabs off my table. She found herself in an incredible semifinal battle on Thursday against world’s No. 4 Elena Dementieva, needing almost three hours and saving a match point before prevailing 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 as a -600 favorite. Yikes. Venus, on the other hand, made a grand total of one unforced error in her 6-1, 6-0 cakewalk over No. 1 Dinara Safina, also as a -600 chalk.
It feels like the horse has been let out of the barn a little early. Serena had the shorter betting odds when the championship futures market opened, priced at +230 compared to +300 for Venus. Now that Dementieva has put her through the wringer, Serena is a +115 underdog to win Saturday’s matchup against her older sister (-135). I had Venus at even money to win last year’s all-Williams final, based on the compatibility of her style of play with the grass courts of SW19. I’m taking Venus again this year even with more risk involved.
It’s not that difficult a choice. Venus has the strongest serve on the women’s circuit – 111 mph on average at last year’s Wimbledon final, harder than both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. She and Serena both have amazingly powerful groundstrokes, but the speed of Venus’ serve, combined with her three-inch height advantage over Serena and wingspan to match, is why she has five Wimbledon titles compared to Serena’s two.
As for the men, it’s time to show some love to Andy Roddick. I’ve been fading him all tournament, and he keeps hanging around, earning himself a spot in the semifinals against Andy Murray. But the carousel should definitely stop turning at this point. Murray is a -330 favorite to reach Sunday’s final, and he’s 6-2 lifetime against Roddick, including a second-round victory back at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. Roddick is also coming off a withering five-set, four-hour victory over Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals.
We’ve been anticipating a Wimbledon final between Murray and five-time champion Roger Federer from the get-go. Each has done his part for the chalkeaters by winning five straight matches for another quick 10 units of profit. Federer is now 70-1 on grass dating back to 2003, the only exception being the loss to Nadal in last year’s brilliant final. He’s pegged at -1400 to make it 71-1 over No. 34 Tommy Haas (+750), who hasn’t beaten Federer in 10 tries since the 2002 Australian Open.
Now the fun part. Federer was -130 at the open of the championship futures market; Murray was +250. As a straight-up prediction, I would gladly choose Federer to win his sixth Wimbledon title, but not at these odds. Murray has won his last four matches against Federer since dropping the final at the 2008 U.S. Open. He’s 6-2 lifetime against the man many consider to be the Greatest of All Time. The trick is that all eight matches were on the hardcourt.
How will the pride of Dunblane, Scotland fare on Federer’s favorite surface? At two inches taller and with an improving serve, my money stays with Murray.