Tennis Picks August 9th

It was a decent enough day yesterday for the picks, although the happenings in London are both frustrating and angering me beyond belief. I really hope it will be the last night I am glued to my television watching the News channels rather than the tennis in Montreal or the football.

On to the Picks:

Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games vs Florian Mayer: I actually took something similar when they played in a Davis Cup match after Wimbledon, and I still cannot believe I failed to collect on that occasion.

Richard Gasquet is the stronger hard court player and his serve is perhaps a little more consistent than Mayer's. The lack of playing time since that Davis Cup tie is a real concern when it comes to backing Gasquet, but Mayer has not been in great form and I expect the Frenchman will come through in straight sets.


Andy Murray - 5.5 games vs Kevin Anderson: The first match after a long break can be tough for players, but I think Andy Murray will take full advantage of Kevin Anderson if the South African plays like he did yesterday against Pablo Andujar.

Murray is a far better returner than the Spaniard, yet Andujar was creating plenty of opportunities on the Anderson serve, and it is also true that Anderson has been struggling in recent weeks.

There is a slight worry that Murray will be a little 'cold' coming in from a lack of competitive tennis, but I fancy him to grab a double break in one set as he goes on to win in straights.


Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 games vs Marin Cilic: Juan Martin Del Potro was serving big yesterday and I expect he will put a lot of pressure on Marin Cilic, and especially the serving problems the Croatian has been having.

I fancy Del Potro to win with a break of serve in each set and he should cover this spread if he is serving first.


Novak Djokovic - 5.5 games vs Nikolay Davydenko: The simple reason for this pick is the Serbian is far too good defensively and offensively off the ground for the Nikolay Davydenko of today and I expect him to win with a bit to spare. Davydenko has struggled to win matches this season and his serve gives far too many chances for his opponent so I can see a 6-4, 6-2 win for Djokovic here.


Fernando Verdasco - 4.5 games vs Tobias Kamke: Fernando Verdasco is not the most trustworthy of players at the moment and he has failed to reach the heights of 2009, but I expect he will have far too much for Tobias Kamke here.

I can see Verdasco winning this with a double break in the 2nd set after winning a tight 1st set and securing a 6-4, 6-1 win.


Radek Stepanek vs Feliciano Lopez: The head to head is 8-1 in favour of Stepanek and the Czech player is coming in off a morale boosting title win in Washington. Feliciano Lopez has been playing a lot of clay court tennis and could be caught out on the faster surface against a player that is clearly on form.

My one concern is whether Stepanek has enough left in the tank to pull the win here after a long week in Washington. However, he was not as affected by the adverse weather as others, so I expect he should have enough to win this match, although it could be a tight one.


MY PICKS: Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 5.5 games @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 games @ 2.10 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Novak Djokovic - 5.5 games @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 4.5 games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Radek Stepanek @ 1.90 Pinnacle (2 Units)


WEEKLY UPDATE: + 1.71 Units