OTW Extra Email Archive - June 2025
Notes from the Tour: Former Wimbledon champ flirting with form...
Thursday 19th June 2025
One swallow does not make a summer…
In sport, one good result does not mean a team/ player/ horse is a shoo-in to win the next time out…
Indeed, in betting, overreactions in such circumstances are almost universally a bad thing. Whether that being the bookies chopping the odds, and/ or punters jumping on a bandwagon…
However…
Sometimes a single result can signal a larger leap in form; a return to previous highs. A turnaround, a standout moment…
Two such potential ‘moments’ have caught my eye on the grass courts at WTA Berlin this week:
Ons Jabeur actually lost in the Berlin qualifying rounds over the weekend. But the 30-year-old world no.61 was parachuted into the main draw as a Lucky Loser after another player pulled out. The Tunisian has so far taken her chance…
Jabeur has won two matches in a row for the first time since February. And Wednesday’s victory over world no.5 Jasmine Paolini was Ons’ first win over a Top 5 opponent since Wimbledon 2023.
A former world no.2, and two-time Wimbledon runner-up (2022, 2023), Jabeur has since struggled badly with form, fitness and dare I say it, confidence, too.
The same could be said about another super-talented Ones to Watch player and former Top 10 name, Marketa Vondrousova…
The Czech left-hander won Wimbledon in 2023 (beating Jabeur in the final). Having been plagued with injuries ever since, former world no.6 Vondrousova is currently languishing at no.164 in the rankings. But… the 25-year-old posted a statement result this week, knocking out Australian Open champion Madison Keys in straight sets.
This morning, Marketa then made it two wins in a row on the grass for the first time since her big SW19 triumph in 2023, beating highly-rated youngster and current world no.12, Diana Shnaider.
Jabeur and Vondrousova will now face each other on Friday in the Berlin quarter finals. Both are currently 50/1 for Wimbledon (Bet365). If one of them gets to the final or wins the trophy in Germany this week, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bit of a rush on those Grand Slam prices…
Personally, I’ll be waiting for next week’s Wimbledon draw. I want to make sure we’re only backing names that are most likely to turn up at SW19 fit and ready - and I also want to see the potential routes to the final, once the names have come out of the hat…
P.S
I’m lining up some brand new pre-Wimbledon content for you next week, working on something I’ve never done before. Watch this space…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone