Tennis Picks 2018 (January 29th)

The Australian Open came to a close on Sunday and there isn't much I can say about Roger Federer that hasn't already been said.

Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title which is a remarkable achievement as he continues ripping up records going into his 37th year. There are very few signs that Federer is slowing down and he is likely to go down as the best men's player of all time and alongside some of the icons of sporting history.

I have no doubt we have been blessed in recent years with the likes of Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic leading the way, but I am also hoping there won't be a transitional period before the next set of players take over at the top. At the moment injuries and the next generation not quite being up to speed means there is something of a void behind Federer and Nadal which is something most would not have considered even two years ago.

There is definitely a chance for Federer to add to the Slams he has won, although I do wonder if he will take the same approach as last season and decide to skip the clay court season again. He has every chance to get back to World Number 1 even though he has a lot of points to defend in the months ahead, and I think it is great that we get to enjoy watching this play produce the tennis he has been.

But at the moment who would deny that Federer will be going into Wimbledon and the US Open as the favourite to win those two Slams too? Barring a recovery from some of the big names on the Tour, I certainly wouldn't want to back against Federer doing that and all of a sudden he would only be one Grand Slam behind Serena Williams and almost ten clear of the record Pete Sampras set in the men's game that many thought would last more time than it ended up doing.

It's been fascinating to watch Federer and he deserves all the plaudits heading his way after winning a third Slam in twelve months.


The Australian Open may be in the books, but the Tennis Tour moves on with the WTA hosting a couple of tournaments this week. The big one comes from St Petersburg, although top Seed Caroline Wozniacki is likely to withdraw after winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne on Saturday.

There are still some big names in action there while the ATP Tour has a week off. Later this week there is Davis Cup action with the World Group ties beginning over the weekend, but it all means there are likely to be fewer Tennis Picks with fewer options out there.


While I enjoyed the Australian Open as a fan, it was a tough time for the picks with a really poor start which was always going to be difficult to recover. I did have some success doing that later in the week, but it was tough with the outright picks also coming close to some real success before ending up with a narrow loss despite the Roger Federer pick to win the tournament.

A long season has plenty of time to be turned back around and it is a marathon not a sprint to do that too.


Katerina Siniakova - 3.5 games v Donna Vekic: Two young players meet in the main draw in St Petersburg as the First Round gets underway on Monday and both Katerina Siniakova and Donna Vekic will believe they can win this match.

More of the belief may come down on the side of Siniakova who has beaten Vekic twice on the professional Tour including a one-sided win over her on the indoor courts in Moscow a few months ago.

One of the big factors in the match has to be the superior serving that Siniakova can produce- while she is still lacking the consistency to really start a considerable move up the World Rankings, Siniakova is someone who can serve very effectively and bring up the short ball to put away.

At times Vekic's return game will be getting the better of the moments, but her own serve has proven to be pretty vulnerable in recent months. You would perhaps expect it to be a more effective weapon than it is, but Vekic struggles to protect the second serve and can lose her rhythm on the first serve which should be an area in which Siniakova can attack and have success.

I don't think there will be a lot between them at times, but when Siniakova finds her highest level I believe she will look the better player. That should show up on the scoreboard as Siniakova is able to find a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win in this First Round match.

MY PICKS: Katerina Siniakova - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Season 2018: - 16.70 Units (154 Units Staked, - 10.84% Yield)