Tennis Picks 2022 (April 22nd)

The weather in Barcelona meant only a couple of matches were able to be completed and it does mean a very busy day is set to be played at the tournament on Friday.

That meant some of the Tennis Picks will have to wait to be completed after a tough Thursday at the Belgrade Open.

There are a couple of big tournaments being played this week, but the main Tennis story of the week has to be the decision made by Wimbledon to ban players from Russia and Belarus from competing.

It means the event will be missing some of the biggest names on the Tour- Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev may have felt like genuine contenders to win the title in SW19- and I think there will be plenty around the tournament are offering themselves congratulations from separating from the pack.

Let's make that clear, the rest of the Tour is unaffected and it is Wimbledon and the UK tournaments which have felt they needed to make this statement.

Personally I have always felt that Tennis in the United Kingdom has been a sport which has largely been one catered for the Middle to Upper class, which means catered to a certain 'look' of a person.

I am not someone who has that look in all honesty.

The whole idea of a 'Royal Box' makes that point for the masses- Wimbledon is stuck in the past, whether that is the dress code or whether that is the arrogance of acting like they are the most important tournament in the world.

I feel this decision to ban players is made from an arrogant, 'we are better than you', angle as they go against the rest of the Grand Slam events and the two Tours.

It is a remarkable decision as far as I am concerned and sets a dangerous precedent- I am assuming Wimbledon are now going to be the moral guardians of the tennis world and so I would like to know what they are going to do about any Chinese players considering the treatment of the Uyghurs over there?

I am assuming a ban or is it that a certain shade of human being has to be affected before a stand is made?

Do you see how quickly politics and sport becomes a murky line to tread?

I am not sure how you can ban players for actions of their government and what exactly Wimbledon expects individuals to do? I've heard the nonsense from some suggesting the Russian and Belarusian players have to made big statements saying how much they oppose the war being raged, but I honestly don't understand this mindset.

Again, it feels murky and raises so many other questions and becomes a moment where Wimbledon are going to leave themselves open to be judged when they fail to act on other events happening all over the world.

This just feels like a really poor decision made by All England Club and I do think the LTA have made a big mistake too. Where they may have thought they would be applauded for taking the lead, I think they have just shown themselves to be hypocrites and the long feeling that the sport in the UK is catered for caucasians with money is hard to shift here.

In saying all that I think there has been enough pushback to believe there will be a reversal from Wimbledon and the LTA before the grass court season comes around. Criticism has been coming from several places and I think there will definitely be a re-evaluation of the decision.

It just feels wrong to ban individuals who are not representing their nations- so I understand why UEFA and FIFA have made their decisions, while I think the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup organisers had to do the same. But Tennis is not a team sport and these athletes largely represent themselves, while I think these tournaments have long wanted to separate politics from their sports (else they wouldn't be playing big tournaments in China would they?).

Things will certainly become clearer next week when there are supposedly further talks set to take place, but I couldn't be more against the Wimbledon decision right now.

On Friday the majority of my Tennis Picks are from the matches that were supposed to be played on Thursday, but the weather decimated the schedule.

There are a number of Quarter Final matches being played at the three other tournaments that have been scheduled for this week, but my sole selection comes from Belgrade.

MY PICKS: Fabio Fognini - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update; 6-10, - 9.10 Units (32 Units Staked, - 28.43% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 21st)

It really felt like a day when the Tennis Picks deserved a better return than they got, but things could have been worse on another day.

While I anticipated Wednesday to be a busy day, weather conditions and the strange way some of the tournaments are managing their schedules means Thursday is a busier day than expected. The Tennis Picks follow suit with a number of selections from the four tournaments being played this week and you can read my thoughts on a few of the matches below as well as the full Tennis Picks from another day on the clay.

In the Friday thread I will have a few thoughts about the decision made by Wimbledon and the LTA in banning players from Belarus and Russia from taking part in the grass court season in the UK.

Fabio Fognini - 3.5 games v Aljaz Bedene: No one can beat Aljaz Bedene eight times in a row!

After seven straight losses to Fabio Fognini, Aljaz Bedene beat the Italian for the first time when they met on the clay courts of Cordoba in 2019, but a lot has changed in the last three years. Both of these players are now veterans of the Tour, while Aljaz Bedene has only made his return to the Tour last month after missing the rest of 2021 from July with injuries piling up.

As you can imagine, Aljaz Bedene has not really performed as well as he would have liked while trying to rebuild his match fitness, but the victory over Mikhail Kukushkin in the First Round in Belgrade will help. For a long time, Aljaz Bedene has saved his best tennis for the clay courts and the next six weeks could be important for a player that has slipped down to Number 164 in the World Rankings, even if this match up is a tough one for him.

Fabio Fognini is clearly coming to the end of a long, successful career, but he can still be very effective on the clay courts and that will encourage him in the lead to the French Open. Last week he was well beaten by eventual Monte Carlo Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, but Fabio Fognini may feel much more comfortable at the ATP 250 level on this surface and he has reached the Quarter Final in Buenos Aires and the Semi Final in Rio de Janeiro on the clay courts in 2022.

The numbers on the clay courts over the last twelve months have been largely average, but Fabio Fognini has been the superior return player of the two and I think that gives him an edge. He is also much more match hardened than Aljaz Bedene who has spent a number of months off the Tour and I expect that to also factor in favour of the Italian.

In their previous clay court matches that have largely been dominated by Fabio Fognini, the difference in the returning departments have been clear and I think that will be the outcome of this match in Belgrade too. I will be the first to admit that I rarely back Fabio Fognini because he can be an erratic player, but this is one of those moments where I think the veteran enigma can be looked at as a potential strong winner in the Second Round.

Aslan Karatsev - 1.5 games v Oscar Otte: 2021 was a special year for Aslan Karatsev, but 2022 has proven to be a much more difficult one through the first four months of the season. That may sound a little harsh considering Aslan Karatsev has won a title on the hard courts in January, but he has only reached one Quarter Final since Sydney and has suffered a number of disappointing early losses in recent weeks.

The World Ranking has slipped back to Number 30 and Aslan Karatsev has plenty of points to defend in Belgrade having reached the Final in 2021. That does increase the pressure on someone who has not really performed as well as he would like and who may be suffering with confidence issues, but Aslan Karatsev has to feel this is a winnable match.

The Second Round brings a match up against Oscar Otte who has reached a career high of World Number 67 earlier this month. You have to respect someone who is clearly raising his level of performance, but Oscar Otte has yet to take his game up from the Challenger level to the main ATP Tour with any real consistency and the same can be said for his clay court performances.

Oscar Otte was a strong winner in the First Round, but he was beaten twice in Monte Carlo having been given a reprieve for a Qualifier defeat to lose again as the 'Lucky Loser' in the First Round. Last year he did have some solid runs on this surface at the Challenger level, but Oscar Otte is just 2-2 against top 100 Ranked opponents on this surface over the last twelve months.

In those four matches, Oscar Otte has really struggled with his serve and held just 66% of service games played and I do think Aslan Karatsev can put him under some pressure in this one.

However, you do have to question whether Aslan Karatsev has the confidence to take advantage when the chances come his way, while the Russian has a serve which can be a little erratic. He has largely backed that up on the clay courts with success, but Aslan Karatsev has only broken in 19% of return games played on this surface over the last twelve months and I do think the confidence levels are a major concern.

At least Aslan Karatsev can use the fact he has beaten Oscar Otte twice before, once on the clay, to fuel his confidence in this one. With the strong run produced in Belgrade last year, you have to feel Karatsev will be happier in the surroundings and it can lead to a win over Oscar Otte here.

In their two previous matches, the Aslan Karatsev serve has been the more reliable of the two and I think he can use some heavy serving to move into another Quarter Final in Belgrade.

Holger Rune - 3.5 games v Taro Daniel: Any player that has come through the Qualifiers and won three matches in a tournament has to be respected and there has to be a confidence in the Taro Daniel tennis that makes him dangerous. The last twelve months have been pretty solid for Taro Daniel who is edging back towards the top 100 of the World Rankings, but he has not always been at his best on the clay courts.

The come from behind win over Dusan Lajovic in the First Round will be a boost for Taro Daniel, although it was a tough match that would have taken something out of his legs. He needed almost a full three hours to win that First Round match and so the day off on Wednesday will have been welcomed, but Taro Daniel will need to be a little better all around if he is going to win this Second Round match too.

Over the last twelve months, Taro Daniel has produced some solid clay court numbers, although it should be pointed out the majority of those matches have been played against players Ranked outside the top 100. When you only look at his matches against the better players on the Tour, Taro Daniel has held 71% of service games played and broken in 23% of return games, numbers which dip significantly from his overall clay court performances in the last twelve months.

Now he has to face Holger Rune, an improving young player who has been very comfortable when playing on the clay courts. A narrow loss to Casper Ruud in Monte Carlo will only have boosted the confidence of Holger Rune who crushed Cristian Garin in the First Round for the loss of just four games.

The Danish player has served pretty well on the clay courts, but it is the return of serve where he has been most dangerous and I expect that to make the difference for him on Thursday.

In 2022, Holger Rune has broken in 37% of return games played on the surface and I do think he can impose his will on Taro Daniel. That was the case when he played Taro Daniel on the clay in 2021 and Holger Rune won that match in pretty routine fashion after holding in 81% of service games played compared with Taro Daniel's 60% mark.

Taro Daniel will take confidence from the fact he created more break points in that match Szczecin, but he won 57% of service points played compared with Holger Rune's 65% mark and I think the younger player will be fresher for the match too. Holger Rune looks to be the superior clay courter and I think he will be good enough to beat Taro Daniel by a good margin on his way through to the Quarter Final in Belgrade.

MY PICKS: Fabio Fognini - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Aslan Karatsev - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Holger Rune - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Thiago Monteiro + 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cameron Norrie - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Pablo Carreno Busta - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 5-7, - 4.54 Units (24 Units Staked, - 18.92% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 19th)

The sole Tennis Pick on Monday returned an early morning winner and I can't ask for much more than that.

There are some big tournaments being played this week on both the ATP and WTA Tours, but the focus for the Tennis Picks on Tuesday are the two ATP events in Barcelona and Belgrade. I have three selections from Barcelona and two from Belgrade which can be seen below.

While I don't have any Picks from the WTA Stuttgart tournament, I will be hoping to tune in at some point when Bianca Andreescu makes her return to the Tour. Injuries have stalled a promising career, but I am hoping that the Canadian is over those and can push back towards the top of the World Rankings where she belongs.

After a long layoff, Bianca Andreescu makes her season debut on Tuesday and I can only wish her the best of luck.

Roberto Carballas Baena - 1.5 games v Lloyd Harris: He may be Ranked over fifty places behind his opponent, but you can understand why Roberto Carballas Baena has been set as the favourite in this First Round match against Lloyd Harris. While the Spaniard has long been at his most comfortable on the natural surface of the clay courts, Lloyd Harris has struggled to have an impact on the red dirt and the next six weeks is a difficult time for the big serving South African.

You cannot completely disregard the Roberto Carballas Baena World Ranking, but I do think he is the right favourite in this First Round match in Barcelona.

He reached the Semi Final of a Challenger event on the clay in Madrid last week and Roberto Carballas Baena has won matches at the main ATP level too. The Spaniard has suffered a couple of heavy losses to the likes of Casper Ruud and Lorenzo Sonego, but those two players are pretty comfortable on the clay courts too and the overall numbers produced by Roberto Carballas Baena are decent enough.

They are certainly going to be good enough to give him a big chance to beat Lloyd Harris who has long struggled on the slower surface as he has not been given as many free points as he would expect to receive on the hard and grass courts. Lloyd Harris was pretty handily beaten in Monte Carlo in the sole match played there and even in 2021 he only held serve in 71% of service games played, which leaves him vulnerable on this surface against a clay court specialist.

It also has to be noted that Lloyd Harris has not been as comfortable as he would have liked when it comes to returning on the clay courts- while he will get into rallies, the slower surface tests the consistency of the groundstrokes and that is where Roberto Carballas Baena looks to have a real advantage over Lloyd Harris in this First Round match.

Roberto Carballas Baena has an attackable serve, but Lloyd Harris has not really shown the consistency to be able to exploit that. Instead, it feels like the Carballas Baena return could make the difference on the day and I will look for the Spaniard to earn a good win in this First Round match in Barcelona.

Marton Fucsovics - 4.5 games v Jordan Thompson: Playing on the clay courts in Houston is one thing, but the European clay courts are a big test for players like Jordan Thompson who want to spend the majority of their time on faster surfaces. This is a surface in which patience and consistency can be rewarded, while movement is very different for players compared with the hard courts and grass courts they will be playing on for much of the season.

The Australian was beaten in his first match in Houston and in recent years he has not had a lot of experience of playing on the red dirt. Last season he finished with a 2-4 record on the clay courts, although Jordan Thompson did win a match here in Barcelona and will be hoping that experience can be replicated.

A big problem for Jordan Thompson over the last couple of years on the clay courts has been the serve and he has just struggled to get out of those tough spots that a big serve can manage to do when playing on the hard courts. It is perhaps no surprise it has led to Jordan Thompson holding just 68% of service games played on the clay over the last twelve months compared with his 77% mark on the hard courts.

The pressure has then been ramped up on the return and it has proved to be a tough spot for Jordan Thompson to deal with as he has broken in just 18% of return games on a surface on which the return should be easier to deal with.

Marton Fucsovics will be hoping to take advantage after a relatively disappointing Monte Carlo Masters showing- he has dropped out of the top 50 in the World Rankings and may have seen his best tennis pass him by, but he remains a solid, if unspectacular clay courter.

Over the last twelve months, Marton Fucsovics has found his own serve being much more vulnerable on the clay courts, but he does hold 70% of service games played. That number is not much better than Jordan Thompson's mark, but a difference for the Hungarian is that he has broken in 32% of return games and I do think he will be the superior player whenever we get into rallies.

I expect that to make the difference on the day and the return of serve should favour Marton Fucsovics to move into a position to cover what is a big handicap mark. As long as he serves even semi competently, I expect Marton Fucsovics to record a solid win in Barcelona on his way to the Second Round of this tournament.

Pablo Andujar - 2.5 games v Ugo Humbert: The main problem some of the clay court specialists have is that they have serves that can be vulnerable and it is something that the top players on the Tour will exploit.

Take Pablo Andujar as an example- he has a winning record on the clay courts over the last twelve months, but his numbers are hurt by the fact he only holds 68% of service games played. The wins have largely come about thanks to the 33% of games in which he has broken serve, but it makes players like Andujar hard to trust when it comes to covering any spread.

However, he is the favourite against Ugo Humbert in the First Round in Barcelona and deservedly so when you think of the season long struggle the Frenchman has had on the Tour. The confidence is clearly dented as shown by his manner of defeat to Pedro Martinez in the Monte Carlo Masters, but Ugo Humbert had more successes breaking the serve than looking after his own and that makes him potentially awkward for Pablo Andujar to deal with.

The difference between the players does look to be the return.

Over the last twelve months Ugo Humbert has struggled for wins on all surfaces, but especially on the clay courts where he too has only managed to hold serve in 68% of service games played on the surface. Unlike Pablo Andujar, Ugo Humbert has not been able to break serve as consistently with a 20% mark there and I think the favourite is going to earn a measure of revenge for losing to the Frenchman at the Olympic Games last year.

That was a match played on the hard courts and I do think the shift onto the clay courts favours Pablo Andujar.

He hasn't played for a couple of weeks, but playing on the clay will feel natural for Pablo Andujar and I think he will find a way to force the breaks against a player lacking confidence. Ugo Humbert will have some break chances of his own, but Andujar should have the majority of break points on the day and I think he will work towards a good looking win.

MY PICKS: Roberto Carballas Baena - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Marton Fucsovics - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Pablo Andujar - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Joao Sousa + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

David Goffin - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-0, + 1.80 Units (2 Units Stake, + 90% Yield)

Season 2022: - 16.46 Units (494 Units Staked, - 3.33% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2021 (April 22nd)

There are always some difficult moments during the long Tour and that goes for players and those of us trying to make the right Tennis Picks.

I'm just having one of those trying times.

I have added at least two names to some of the others that are already on my list that have to be avoided at all costs- you can't really trust them to perform when you back them, but they will be unplayable the day you dare to oppose them (hi Kei Nishikori).

And no matter who I pick, it is never easy for them... At the moment the amount of break points and set points being missed or players serving for the match and then faltering massively that has been going on is laughable. If I pick an underdog though, they seem to a train-wreck that won't even think about competing.

I won't lie, it is nothing but frustrating when things like this happen and the worst thing part is you would prefer the train-wreck Pick rather than the one that is almost conspired against by the Tennis Gods.

I mean if your selection gets battered you put it down to one of those days- but what do you say when someone has a set and a break lead, fails to serve it out, misses match points and decides to lose six of seven games... Worst still, they will then win five in a row to win the match and miss the cover by one game (hi Filip Krajinovic).

Too often this has happened since the latter week of the Miami Masters and it has proved to be costly.

But how many times can it keep happening? I think Thursday will be a key day for me at least until the Madrid Masters.

If there are more of these types of weird things happening, I think I am going to take a short break and just hit the reset button. Over the last couple of days it has felt most of the big points have gone against my selections and that really is bad luck, because you can't keep picking players to get into a position where they are one point from crossing the line and falling short each time, just through sheer luck it won't keep happening.

BUT I am also not willing to have a bad run hurt me over and over- I regularly take those breaks between events to just settle things back to zero and then go again (just as I am writing this Diego Sebastian Schwartzman has lost the set 6-3 despite losing THREE more points- again that is almost statistically impossible seeing as you need two points more to win a single game). However, it is that kind of nonsense I refuse to accept as being a sign of a bad pick rather than a horrific turn of luck.

In saying that I have had some bad Picks too, but those are compounded by the others and I do need to be better.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 5.5 games v Alex De Minuar: It has not been the most productive of seasons for Alex De Minaur up to this point and he is going to be entering what has regularly become a difficult portion of the Tour for him. The Australian did win a ATP Title early on in 2021, but he is just 4-7 since then and the win in the Second Round here snapped a poor run that the Australian had been on.

I have to say that he has not really enjoyed much fortune with some close losses before another narrow defeat in Monte Carlo last week, while Alex De Minaur will be going up against a player in confident form and one that has played some of his best tennis on the clay courts throughout his career.

Stefanos Tsitsipas missed a couple of opportunities for Titles already in 2021, but he is finally on the board with a Masters success in Monte Carlo. While Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will go into the French Open as the favourites, the Greek star may have overtaken Dominic Thiem as the player most likely to be successful if the top two clay courters do falter.

He isn't just winning matches at the moment, but Tsitsipas is blowing through opponents and it was more of the same in his Second Round win over a solid clay courter in Juame Munar. This opponent is not as comfortable on the red dirt and you do have to say that Stefanos Tsitsipas is deserving of his spot as a big favourite, even if the handicap mark is one that can be hard to surpass if playing a B or C level performance.

We just haven't seen any of those in short time back on the clay after reaching the French Open Semi Final last year and Stefanos Tsitsipas is arguably playing much better now. The serve has always been a big weapon for Tsitsipas, but he is most impressing with his bullying on the return and following that up by putting opponent's under significant pressure which has led to breaks in 47% of return games played since the start of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Stefanos Tsitsipas isn't just building his numbers against cannon fodder as half of his six wins on the clay have been against top 30 Ranked opponents.

Alex De Minaur is a player I respect, but he is just 2-7 on the clay courts since 2019 and his service numbers in particular have made for disappointing reading in those matches. In that time the Australian has won just 55% of his service points played and that has led to a hold of serve in less than 65% of his service games on the clay, numbers that a player like Stefanos Tsitsipas will feel he can exploit.

There will be an additional reason for that confidence as Stefanos Tsitsipas has won six of the seven professional matches played between these two players. In those matches, the majority which have been played on surfaces that Alex De Minaur would favour, Tsitsipas has won 42% of return points played compared with De Minaur's 31% mark and there has been a considerable edge in holds of serve off the back of that.

They did play a competitive match Down Under in the ATP Cup, but that was on a hard court and was still won by Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 a couple of months ago. On a surface that favours the Greek significantly more than Alex De Minaur, I do expect that gap to be slightly bigger at the end of this Third Round match.

Pablo Carreno Busta - 4.5 games v Bernabe Zapata Miralles: After dominating the first set, Bernabe Zapata Miralles may feel he was robbed of the biggest win of his career by Fabio Fognini's outburst that saw the fiery Italian Disqualified in the Second Round. He has never beaten a top 50 Ranked player on the clay courts and the 24 year old will be taking aim at that in the Third Round when taking on a compatriot in Barcelona.

This is a tough looking match for Bernabe Zapata Miralles as he gets set to take on Pablo Carreno Busta who has already won an ATP Title on the clay courts this season. It will perhaps surprise some to hear that I don't think the clay courts are Carreno Busta's best surface having had decent success playing on the hard courts, but the Spaniard is comfortable on the red dirt and his performances over the last couple of weeks have been encouraging.

He only needed a little over an hour to crush Jordan Thompson in the Second Round and Pablo Carreno Busta has produced some solid numbers in his limited time on the clay courts this season. Pablo Carreno Busta didn't play badly on the clay last season either and he has been a solid, if unspectacular, performer on the surface.

The level shown is certainly one that is going to test Bernabe Zapata Miralles, although the Qualifier has a number of wins under his belt that will mean he is confident. I also think the return game has to be respected in this match and Zapata Miralles will know that his opponent is one that can offer up chances on his own serve when he is not at his best, although Pablo Carreno Busta will also believe he can pressure someone who has won less than 60% of service points played on this surface in 2021.

That has largely come in matches against players Ranked outside the top 100 too and his numbers are dented when facing those players inside that number in the World Rankings. Bernabe Zepata Miralles might find the pressure produced from the other side of the net very difficult to deal with and if Pablo Carreno Busta is able to serve as well as he has been in his short time back on the clay he should have a real edge against his younger opponent.

I do think one of the sets will be quite competitive, but Carreno Busta should be able to create the majority of the break point chances and eventually wear down this opponent.

John Millman - 1.5 games v Taro Daniel: Neither of these two players has had a lot of success on the clay courts, but it is a good opportunity to earn a Quarter Final spot and put some vital World Ranking points in the bag. Both John Millman and Taro Daniel are likely to be very happy with the draw after solid First Round wins.

Both victories came in straight sets for these two players, but John Millman made arguably lighter work with his opponent than Taro Daniel. However, the latter is a Lucky Loser so Daniel will feel pretty comfortable in the conditions and also that he has nothing to lose having been beaten once already in Belgrade.

Even then it is hard to make much of a case for Taro Daniel who has long struggled on the clay courts and who has lost all three matches played against top 100 Ranked opponents on this surface in 2021. Taro Daniel has struggled to protect his serve in those three defeats and that has put pressure on his return game, one that Daniel has not been able to handle as the Japanese player has been beaten pretty routinely.

He has held just 71% of service games played on the hard courts in 2021, but that number dips to 54% when only considering matches against top 100 Ranked opponents.

John Millman may not be one of the elite clay courters in the world, but he is a top 100 Ranked player and I think the Australian will also lean on his past successes against Taro Daniel to give him some confidence. The veteran is a fairly steady player overall and John Millman has similar numbers as Taro Daniel both behind serve and return, although four of his five clay court matches have come against top 100 Ranked opponents compared with three of ten for Taro Daniel.

That has to be factored into the numbers, while Millman has a 3-1 lead over Daniel in the head to head. None of those matches have been on the clay courts, but John Millman has had a significant edge in the returning numbers and has created more break points than Taro Daniel in all four matches.

I expect that to be the case again in this Second Round match and I do think John Millman can get past Taro Daniel. His lack of feeling for the clay courts may make this closer than some of their previous matches have been, but I think John Millman should have the majority of chances and in general has been the better clay courter of the two and I expect that to show up by the time it is all said and done.

MY PICKS: Stefanos Tsitsipas - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Pablo Carreno Busta - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

John Millman - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Aslan Karatsev - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-13, - 11.52 Units (42 Units Staked, - 27.43% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2021 (April 21st)

I honestly don't know where the first two days of this week have gone and my time has largely been dominated by other aspects rather than having the time to put down full thoughts on the Tennis that has been played so far this week.

I will be disappointed if I don't get back on top things by Thursday, but for now I will add my selections from the day's play below.

MY PICKS: Ashleigh Barty - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Nikola Milojevic + 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Albert Ramos - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Lorenzo Musetti @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Jaume Munar + 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Cristian Garin - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2021 (April 20th)

I did say I would have a fuller post for the Tennis Picks on Tuesday, but I had a busier day than expected on Monday and once again I will just have to place my selections here on what is a day filled with Tennis matches from the four tournaments being played.

Monday was a little frustrating, but I will have a longer post on Wednesday and will update the totals for the season and the week in that thread.

MY PICKS: Holger Rune + 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Carlos Alcarez Garfia - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

David Goffin - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Roberto Bautista Agut - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Karen Khachanov - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Federico Delbonis - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Laslo Djere - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Laura Siegemund - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2021 (April 19th)

The four new tournaments that are set to be played on the clay courts this week have some very big names attached to them and I do think we will see better tennis as the players get used to playing on this surface.

I will have a fuller post for the Tuesday Tennis Picks, but time has not really been on my side on Sunday.

For now you can see my selections to open the week below.

MY PICKS: Pablo Andujar - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Kei Nishikori - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Nikola Milojevic - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Filip Krajinovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)