Notes from the tour - week 5...

Friday 2nd February 2024

I’ve been wrong so far…

So far, Sky Sports’ big 2024 announcement that they are the new ‘home of tennis’ has fallen a bit flat. And maybe I was wrong to get so excited back in December…

To fans and viewers, it feels like Sky underestimated what modern-day sports followers expect…

In recent seasons, previous broadcast-rights holder Amazon Prime allowed you to watch pretty much any match during the weekly ATP & WTA tournaments - live, and on replays. With multi-court coverage. It’s all about choice…

The new season has started as a damp squib on Sky Sports. Very disappointing. Fans and viewers have complained that Sky are just using the tennis as ‘filler’... with an hour or two broadcast here and then, cutting some matches short, not showing the advertised players/ matches/ events. And giving the paying viewer no option at all to select which match they want to watch.

But - thankfully - there is hope…

Seeing as they didn’t have the rights to January’s Australian Open, it looks like the suits at Sky Sports (don’t these people actually follow sport?!) decided in their infinite wisdom that, as far as they were concerned, the 2024 tennis season would begin in March, with the first two high-profile joint 1000 ‘Masters’ events of the year, Indian Wells and Miami…

March was being whispered about online as the launch date for the promised land: a dedicated Sky Sports Tennis channel - and multi-court coverage via the red button and apps.

I’m sure they won’t admit it, but the online grumblings on Sky forums must have finally reached someone high up at Sky HQ…

As this week, the glitzy broadcaster put out a fanfare press release - announcing that the Sky Sports Tennis channel plus extra-court live options would now be launching on 11th February.

That’s a positive. But given Sky’s dropping of the ball so far (some would even call it showing a lack of respect to tennis, and to their tennis-loving subscribers). This time I think I should reserve judgement before getting too excited. After all, it’s not like a Sky Sports membership is cheap. I’ll keep you posted.

• Right now, using live streaming by having a funded account with a leading bookmaker such as Bet365 is perhaps the best way to watch as many matches as you want to. For example, this week at ATP Montpellier, Sky’s coverage has been in-and-out at best (they did let you watch Andy Murray though). While even the ATP’s own ‘TennisTV’ subscriber service has only had live feeds for Centre Court. In comparison, Bet365 were also showing Court One action - making the online bookie one of very few places to watch our man Shevchenko’s first two matches this week

Married bliss?

Alexander Shevchenko is playing in the ATP Montpellier quarter finals this afternoon (play starts 1.30pm). My Ones to Watch members are on him at 16/1 Each Way from the start of the week. A bet now trading at 9/1 in general, with Betfred at 10/1.

Shevchenko’s wife is also playing in a quarter final this afternoon - with play starting from 12 noon…

Anastasia Potapova saved match points at WTA Linz last night, and the reigning Linz champ has significant rankings points to defend in Austria this week.

Her husband Alexander is searching for his first ATP title…

• What price a husband & wife double this week? This morning, Betfred go 98/1 for Shevchenko to win ATP Montpellier & Potapova to win WTA Linz

Coming up…

The tours continue with no fewer than five tournaments for us next week. I’ll be back with more betting notes for you then…

P.S
Want to get hold of all my big-price outsider bets every week? Then become a full Ones to Watch member here.

Enjoy the tennis…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Ones to Watch