Tennis Picks June 13th 2011

Just a quick note to start off to say I will update my weekly and overall profit/loss tomorrow afternoon as I still have two picks running from the tournaments that should have concluded on Sunday but have been moved to Monday thanks to the heavy rain in the UK.


We now have tournaments in Eastbourne and Holland in the last week before Wimbledon starts and I have to say it is the Women's draws that have seen the majority of their big players in action. Many of the real Men's contenders decide to take this week off, and this year has been no different.

The biggest news is the return of the Williams sisters to the Women's tour- both Serena and Venus have been missed, but their returns will definitely spark some interest in the WTA. This week Eastbourne is where they will make their comebacks, in a tournament which looks to have a real star quality feel to it.

Obviously the biggest thing to concern us will be the motivation of players. There are some players due out in the Men's section that may feel they have a chance to do some real damage at Wimbledon (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the main example) and so I am steering clear of outright picks with the real possibility players may 'tank' matches if they get behind.

Let's hope for another week where we can add to the coffers before the most famous Grand Slam in the Tennis World begins next Monday.


Eastbourne
Venus Williams win vs Andrea Petkovic: Andrea Petkovic is one of the most popular players on the WTA circuit, and was, ironically, Venus Williams' last opponent before injury, but I still dont think she has done enough to be favoured on the grass courts against any of the Williams sisters (and I mean even those that dont play tennis).

Venus loves the surface and it suits her game down to the ground. There are obvious concerns with a lack of match practice and whether all the injuries are cleared up, but it is unlike the Williams to turn up to a tournament without the intention of winning, something stated by Venus in an interview a couple of days ago.

We all know the pedigree Venus has on the surface, whereas Petkovic has struggled in tournaments played on grass bar in Holland last season when she reached the Final only to lose to Justine Henin.

This pick is based on the odds and I think it will be a LONG time before I see Venus as an outsider on grass against anyone but her sister.


Ordina Open
Nicolas Mahut win vs Adrian Mannarino: I think the bookies have made Nicolas Mahut the underdog thanks to Adrian Mannarino's run at Queens last week but I think that is a mistake here.

Mahut has plenty of grass court experience and enjoys most of his success on the main tour when playing on this surface. His attacking serve-volley game makes it tough for opponents on the faster courts and he has had some good results on grass over the last few years.

Adrian Mannarino had a big week at Queens, but he still hasn't convinced me that he should be favourite against a player like Mahut. He has already lost to Stephane Bohli and James Ward on grass courts this year, while his wins at Queens were the first he achieved on grass courts on the main ATP Tour.

Mahut and Mannarino are 1-1 in their head to head, but Mahut beat his compatriot in straight sets in London a couple of years ago. I still believe Mahut is the better grass court player.


MY PICKS: Andy Murray - 3.5 games @ 1.83 (2 Units) Still to Run
Daniela Hantuchova - 2.5 games @ 2.00 (2 Units) Still to Run
Venus Williams @ 2.38 William Hill (2 Unit)
Nicolas Mahut @ 2.2 BoyleSports (2 Units)


OVERALL UPDATE: Will be updated tomorrow once the Murray and Hantuchova picks are settled.