Tennis Betting Advice - December 2018
First picks of the season – at 14/1 and 18/1…
Sunday 30th December 2018
In your Ones to Watch email today:
2019 starts here…
The new season is here. There are no fewer than six tournaments in play over the next seven days.
The first balls of the 2019 campaign have already been hit. And we’re moving in with our first big-price Outright Winner picks today – taking on the favourites and hunting for the Each Way value…
We’ll be easing our way in to the season over the next fortnight. Checking on form and eye-catching players & prices, ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year – the Australian Open (14th January).
Over the weekend I’ve been researching the week one tournaments. With the action taking place in Australia, New Zealand, India, China and Qatar, there are some late night/ early morning starts, UK time.
We might have a bet or two on the other events over the next couple of days, but there are two men that I want to get on in Brisbane right away…
This week’s picks – at 14/1 and 18/1…
The ATP Brisbane event sees two young men on our new Ones to Watch in 2019 list placed in the top half of the draw – Alex De Minaur (18/1) and Daniil Medvedev (14/1).
Rafael Nadal is the big name in that section. He’s the 11/4 (3.75) tournament favourite. The great man is respected, of course. But Rafa doesn’t always start the season in blistering form – and his sights will be more firmly set on the Australian Open trophy. The Spaniard has appeared just once before at Brisbane, making the quarter finals in 2017.
If Nadal isn’t in tip-top form from the off, then the 19-year-old De Minaur could please the home crowd and be the man to take Rafa’s place in the semi final from this part of the draw…
The new Aussie No.1 announced himself here last season with a 4/1 match underdog win over former Brisbane champ & Wimbledon finalist, Milos Raonic. Alex has got the nickname The Demon, and you should use the word ‘speed’ before that. He was named ATP Newcomer of the Year for 2018, made the semi final at this tournament in January – and is a nice Ones to Watch pick for the opening week of 2019.
Medvedev is a bit older at 22, and has three ATP titles to his name already – all recorded in 2018. The big-hitting Russian could be the player to give the returning-from-injury Andy Murray (priced at 15/2 – 8.50) a very tough test in the early rounds. And from there, Daniil could be on course for a run to the semi finals or beyond. He has added a new confidence & maturity to his game in recent months, and can pick up the momentum from day one in the new season.
At No.31 and No.16 in the world respectively, both De Minaur and Medvedev are at career-high rankings – and are on the up.
This week’s Ones to Watch picks in Brisbane are:
ATP Brisbane – Brisbane International
Outright Winner:
BET: Alex De Minaur @ 18/1 Each Way
BOOKIES: 18/1 (19.00) Bet365, Skybet, Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill, NetBet, 10Bet
BET: Daniil Medvedev @ 14/1 Each Way
BOOKIES: 14/1 (15.00) Bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, NetBet, 10Bet
Play starts in Brisbane from 3am. Note: bookies will temporarily suspend their Outright/ Tournament Winner markets during the day’s play. De Minaur and Medvedev don’t play until Tuesday onwards.
We’re at the very beginning of what promises to be an exciting year. I’ll be back over the next few days, with more on the first week of the 2019 season.
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Tom Wilson