ATP Abu Dhabi, R1
Stefanos Tsistipas vs Andrey Rublev
Moneyline Andrey Rublev, 2.73 on Pinnacle
Stake: 1u play
For a tournament where the opposition player is equally as motivated as his highly touted favourite, I think Rublev showed in 2019 that he is not afraid of the big name players, and coming into Abu Dhabi is probably a good preparation for him as he continues his Australian Open pre-tournaments in Doha on the third of January.
I see enough value in the odds for an exhibition tournament to take the less favoured player where the expectation is that Tsitsipas continues his run. It is worth noting that players who have finished in London in recent years on a high such as Grigor Dimitrov and Sascha Zverev have not exactly taken the next step in their careers.
Tsitsipas had less then spectacular form in the second half of the season at the Majors and I think he will be aiming for a little bit more consistency in his tennis season. Rublev also had a solid finish to the 2019 season at the Davis Cup, as well as at the US Open beating Tsitsipas and Kyrgios.
There are already plenty of articles pumping his tyres about his (Tsitsipas') aspirations to win a Major in 2020 so I think his goals in Abu Dhabi won't a tournament where he goes all out. He is scheduled to play in Sydney in the ATP Cup and I feel his concentration will be geared towards that inaugural tournament.
First matches are always a tough gauge even though they are technically not apart of the Win and Loss record but even with that said the break hasn't felt like it has been as long as usual with Spain winning the Davis Cup a few weeks ago.
Looking at Rublev to make an early statement in this tournament.
Stefanos Tsistipas vs Andrey Rublev
Moneyline Andrey Rublev, 2.73 on Pinnacle
Stake: 1u play
For a tournament where the opposition player is equally as motivated as his highly touted favourite, I think Rublev showed in 2019 that he is not afraid of the big name players, and coming into Abu Dhabi is probably a good preparation for him as he continues his Australian Open pre-tournaments in Doha on the third of January.
I see enough value in the odds for an exhibition tournament to take the less favoured player where the expectation is that Tsitsipas continues his run. It is worth noting that players who have finished in London in recent years on a high such as Grigor Dimitrov and Sascha Zverev have not exactly taken the next step in their careers.
Tsitsipas had less then spectacular form in the second half of the season at the Majors and I think he will be aiming for a little bit more consistency in his tennis season. Rublev also had a solid finish to the 2019 season at the Davis Cup, as well as at the US Open beating Tsitsipas and Kyrgios.
There are already plenty of articles pumping his tyres about his (Tsitsipas') aspirations to win a Major in 2020 so I think his goals in Abu Dhabi won't a tournament where he goes all out. He is scheduled to play in Sydney in the ATP Cup and I feel his concentration will be geared towards that inaugural tournament.
First matches are always a tough gauge even though they are technically not apart of the Win and Loss record but even with that said the break hasn't felt like it has been as long as usual with Spain winning the Davis Cup a few weeks ago.
Looking at Rublev to make an early statement in this tournament.