US Open Day 14 Tennis Pick 2026- Women's Final (Saturday 12th September)

Two matches remain the 2026 Grand Slam season in the Tennis world and both Finals at the US Open bring plenty of intrigue into the weekend.

Thirteen years have passed since the US Open Final was played between the top two Seeds and this will strengthen the WTA Tour considering both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are multiple time Grand Slam Champions already.

It is Elena Rybakina who will be taking over as World Number 1 on Monday, but it is Aryna Sabalenka who will enter the Final as favourite having won the US Open in each of the last two years. The top Seed certainly put together the more impressive Semi Final win, although it is Rybakina who has the mental advantage of having won the Australian Open Final when these two met in Melbourne in the first Grand Slam of the season.

Aryna Sabalenka-Elena Rybakina over 22.5 games: The US Open Final is a repeat of the Australian Open Final which was won by Elena Rybakina in three sets.

She will be taking over as the World Number 1 regardless of how this Final plays out, but Elena Rybakina would love to secure a second Grand Slam in 2026 to underline that new position. Fighting back to beat Coco Gauff in the Semi Final will have given Elena Rybakina a confidence boost having dropped the first set in each of her last two wins at the tournament, but she would like to avoid that against the two time defending US Open Champion.

Aryna Sabalenka has not had a bad year on the Tour, but she has set high standards and has clearly not met them.

The top Seed at the US Open has not had a great summer and the lack of success at the last two Grand Slam events would have dented the belief, although Aryna Sabalenka clearly enjoys playing in New York City. She put in a very solid performance to beat Jessica Pegula in the Semi Final and spending fifty minutes less on the court than Elena Rybakina could still be important.

Both players are going to want to work behind the serve- if that aspect of the tennis is not quite at the top level, the rest of the tennis can fall away and that is something that both Sabalenka and Rybakina will be aware of avoiding. Serving well just helps settle any nerves by offering up a few more cheaper points and it is very important to get plenty of first serves into play to avoid offering the other an opportunity to get on the front foot immediately.

You have to expect to see plenty of winners, although the layers are perhaps right to give Aryna Sabalenka the narrow edge seeing as her serve has been in slightly better nick than Elena Rybakina's as the tournament has been winding down. That is not to say Rybakina is serving poorly, but those fine margins may be in favour of the two time defending Champion, who is also very aware of how to win big matches on this court.

It also could be a factor that Aryna Sabalenka has won the last two hard court matches against Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells and Miami since the Australian Open Final defeat. Those wins have just turned the momentum of the head to head after Elena Rybakina had won seven of nine hard court matches between the pair and Sabalenka has to take real confidence from those back to back wins.

Again, that may be the slight edge the current World Number 1 needs to beat the opponent who will be taking over that spot in the Rankings on Monday morning.

However, it would be a surprise if Elena Rybakina cannot push this match and she is a player that looks a big price to win the title here for the first time.

She does not look the type of player who will be thinking about those consecutive defeats to this opponent, but instead Elena Rybakina will just do what she does best and that is serve big and hit big and see where that takes her. The success in the Australian Open Final will also be a big reminder of what she can do against Aryna Sabalenka and this could develop into another scrap between the two best players on the Tour.

A deciding set has been needed in two of the three hard court matches between these players in 2026 and this US Open Final may be yet another that goes the distance.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka-Elena Rybakina Over 22.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 32-22, + 7.16 Units (108 Units Staked, + 6.63% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 14 Pick- Mens Final 2026 (Sunday 12th July)

The Ladies Final looked like it was going to follow the Wimbledon Final of 2025 which ended in very one-sided fashion.

Linda Noskova had so many opportunities to win in the second set, but she just failed to get over the line and all credit has to be given to her for rallying and winning the Championship in the deciding set.

The big question for Noskova is whether she can push on from this success and, at 21 years old, there is every chance she can do that, but the recent Women's Champions have not always been able to do that. This continues to mean that there is every opportunity available for every player that enters a Grand Slam draw on this side and the US Open is going to be another big chance for so many to pick up a Major.

It is over to the Men on Sunday and the top of this side of the sport is very healthy- Carlos Alcaraz holds two Grand Slam titles, but there are serious doubts about when he will be able to return to action having missed the French Open and Wimbledon and also withdrawn from the Canadian Masters.

Alexander Zverev holds the French Open and Jannik Sinner will be heading into this Final as the defending Champion here at Wimbledon.

Opportunities outside of these three players are much tougher to find, although Novak Djokovic will have something to say about that, and it can sometimes make the early Rounds less dramatic compared with the Women's events. Some of the top ATP players will be able to hold their head up amongst the historical giants of the sport, especially if they can continue to churn out the Majors like the Big Three before them, but that is perhaps not the case with the very best WTA players who feel like they are very strong, but lacking the kind of consistency that was last displayed by Serena Williams at her best.

Can Linda Noskova move through and join the elite players on the Tour and kick on from there? That is to be seen over the next twelve months before she opens Centre Court on Day 2 of the 2027 Wimbledon, but the most immediate concern of the sport is finding out who will be opening the main show Court at SW19 on Day 1 next year.

Wimbledon was a really tough tournament for the Tennis Picks, but the last few days have proven to be a really strong bounce back effort and the tournament can be concluded with a profit with a Day 14 winner, or a very narrow loss with a losing selection.

At one stage it felt like all of the work from the opening six months of the season would be wasted and so a slight loss would still feel like a positive from where the Picks were earlier this week, although of course any selection being made is with the belief it can return a winner.

Over the remainder of the month, the European clay court swing and some of the early hard court tournaments will be played before moving into the two Masters events ahead of the US Open.

Sunday will be exactly seven weeks until the final Grand Slam of the 2026 season is to begin and there is plenty of tennis to get through before the US Open gets going in New York City.

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 games v Alexander Zverev: The defending Champion has perhaps not looked at his very best through the run back to the Final here at Wimbledon, but Jannik Sinner will have taken plenty of confidence from the way he was able to beat seven time former Winner Novak Djokovic in the Semi Final.

2026 has not been the season that the World Number One may have anticipated having yet to reach a Grand Slam Final and losing very early at the French Open, but Jannik Sinner is very comfortable on the grass. He has shown that again with another strong run at Wimbledon and Jannik Sinner has an opportunity to win a first Grand Slam since doing that right here twelve months ago, while perhaps underlining his status as the top player in the world.

A real argument could be made that Alexander Zverev is the current best player in the world if he is to back up the French Open success by winning a Grand Slam on his worst surface.

He has previously won titles on the grass, but Alexander Zverev had never reached the Quarter Final at Wimbledon before this season and the French Open success last month has clearly given the Number 2 Seed a real sense of belonging with the very best. You could say Alexander Zverev felt that before Paris, but this is a player who played within himself at key moments in the biggest matches and winning the French Open will have freed the mind.

Jannik Sinner had to come through in five sets in the First Round, while Alexander Zverev dropped a set in the opening Round too, but in the main both players have been pretty comfortable. There will be no excuses about fitness concerns after straight set Semi Final wins and the tennis being played by Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev has been at a level that makes them more than deserving Finalists.

The serve is going to be a big weapon for both Sinner and Zverev and they will need to maintain the levels that has seen them win at least 70% of service points in every match at the tournament. It can be argued that they have not faced someone who can return the ball as effectively as the other standing across the net, but these two players have to focus on themselves and that delivery will set them up to get through plenty of games without too much pressure being applied on them.

Out of the two players, Jannik Sinner has been the more consistent returner, but the Zverev serve can be a huge shot for the Number 2 Seed.

The raw numbers at this tournament have been really similar, but the mental advantage is clearly with Jannik Sinner who has dominated Alexander Zverev since the early meetings on the Tour.

Alexander Zverev had led 4-2 on the head to head, but they have played eight times since January 2025 and it is Jannik Sinner who has won all eight of those, beginning with a straight sets win in the Australian Open Final. That is the sole meeting in the last nineteen months in a Grand Slam event, but they have played in big Masters tournaments and Jannik Sinner will know that he has won all but a single set in the eight matches won by the Italian since the start of the 2025 season.

This simply cannot be ignored- four matches in 2026 have all ended in straight sets wins for Jannik Sinner which includes two on the hard court and two on the clay courts.

None of those meetings have been on grass, but this is a surface on which Jannik Sinner has had a lot more success than Alexander Zverev and the serve has been dominated by the top Seed during the last nineteen months.

In those eight matches played in that time, Jannik Sinner has held 99% of his service games with a single break given away and just 14 Break Points faced. Compare that to Alexander Zverev who has held 71% of service games played and been broken twenty-four times, while facing 49 Break Points and it is very tough to make a case for the French Open Champion being able to follow the likes of Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal in completing the Channel Grand Slam Double.

Alexander Zverev has proven he is going to be a threat to win Grand Slams going forward by becoming the first player to back up his maiden Major success by reaching the Final of the next Slam played, but Jannik Sinner should be the stronger grass court player. He can maintain his dominance of this opponent with another strong showing and Jannik Sinner can win his second Wimbledon title in succession on Sunday afternoon.

MY PICK: Jannik Sinner - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 41-34, + 0.26 Units (148 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick- Women's Final 2026 (Saturday 31st January)

Don't misunderstand, I had been just as disappointed as most with the lack of drama at the opening Grand Slam of the season.

But then it was the turn of the men in the Semi Finals.

And boy, did Friday provide us everything that us fans were demanding and more.

Carlos Alcaraz came through in the longest Australian Open Semi Final on record with the match going three minutes shy of five and a half hours.

You'd have to worry about his fitness ahead of the Final, but the second Semi Final went well over four hours before Novak Djokovic found his way into yet another Grand Slam Final.

I will have more thoughts on that in the Day 15 thread as the Australian Open comes to a conclusion, but first we have what could be a 'blink and you miss it' Women's Final.

Two big hitters are not going to hang around in service games and it should be a decent contest between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina as two players who will occupy the top three places in the World Rankings on Monday morning meet in the Melbourne showpiece on Saturday evening.

Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka: On the pure numbers, you have to consider Aryna Sabalenka not only the World Number 1, but the top player on the hard courts on the WTA Tour.

This is the fourth year in a row that she will be competing in the Australian Open Final and Aryna Sabalenka has also reached the US Open in each of the last three seasons. Four Grand Slams have been won on the surface- twice in a row at both of Melbourne and New York City- but Aryna Sabalenka was denied a third straight success here twelve months ago when upset by Madison Keys.

You would also consider Elena Rybakina's game to work very well on the hard courts and so it is a surprise that she is playing in her first Grand Slam Final on the surface since the 2023 Australian Open.

In fact, you can go even further and state that it is a surprise that she has not reached another Grand Slam Final since that defeat in Melbourne, but Elena Rybakina has been in good form for several months now and there will be plenty of confidence and experience that she can call upon for this Final.

Both players have been in exceptional form at the Australian Open- neither has dropped a set and both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have been particularly effective at protecting the second serve. It is Rybakina who has a narrow advantage on the first serve percentage of points won, but the World Number 1 has been the slightly superior return player.

However, that return game is going to be tested by this Elena Rybakina serve, even in the Night Session when the cooler conditions can make the ball all the heavier to try and hit through the court. That has not prevented the World Number 5 from still having a big impact with her serve and that could be a key to the outcome of this match.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will know that they are going to win plenty of points when the first serve lands and both will want to get on the front foot. That could also mean playing with more aggression on the return of serve whenever a second serve is seen and this has been the one match up that has proven to be pretty challenging for the top Seed.

In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka came from a set behind to beat Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open Final and that meant the Belarusian had won the opening four matches between the players on the Tour and all in three set matches.

She most definitely had the mental edge at that stage, but two months later Elena Rybakina beat Sabalenka for the first time in the Indian Wells Final.

That result has sparked a positive run for the lower Ranked player and the last ten between these two players have ended in six Elena Rybakina wins.

It also includes a run of six wins in the last eight hard court matches, including Elena Rybakina winning two of three last year- both of those wins were on some of the faster hard courts at Cincinnati and then indoors in Riyadh, while Aryna Sabalenka beat this opponent in Wuhan in between those defeats.

Of course the win in the Australian Open Final is one that will give Aryna Sabalenka a lot of confidence, but in the eight matches on the hard courts since then, the World Number 1 has struggled to match the serving qualities of Elena Rybakina. The returning percentage of points won is 10% lower against Rybakina compared with Aryna Sabalenka's average and that is a big difference that keeps the top Seed under real pressure.

Her first serve has not been as punishing in those matches against Elena Rybakina either and the power that the latter can generate means she can stick with Aryna Sabalenka and give as good as she gets.

You have to respect the qualities of Sabalenka in winning multiple Grand Slam Finals and the consistency she has had at all Majors to reach the business end of tournaments over and over again.

Elena Rybakina has struggled for the momentum within Grand Slam tournaments that is needed to go as deep as she would have expected, but that has not been the case in Melbourne and she looks like she can upset the odds.

Twelve months ago, Aryna Sabalenka opened the season by winning the title in Brisbane and then reached the Final in Melbourne.

She has done the same in 2026, but Madison Keys managed to find a way to get the better of Aryna Sabalenka in 2025 and the feeling is that Elena Rybakina's game matches up well enough to help the 26 year old win a second Grand Slam title.

MY PICK: Elena Rybakina @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 36-23, + 12.08 Units (122 Units Staked, + 9.90% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 14 Pick 2025- Women's Final (Saturday 6th September)

The Women's Final is set for Saturday and it looks like it could be a really competitive one. even if there are some doubts about the nerves of the two players involved.

A disappointing Semi Final run for the Tennis Picks has stung, especially with a couple of selections being a point or two away from swinging back in our favour, but hopefully the Final Weekend can provide a couple of winning selections.

Aryna Sabalenka-Amanda Anisimova over 21.5 games: The last time Amanda Anisimova reached a Grand Slam Final, nerves clearly got the better of her and she did not even win a game.

The fact that was in the last Grand Slam and the American has become the first player to lose 6-0, 6-0 at a Major and then reach the Final at the next Slam speaks volumes about the belief Amanda Anisimova must have in her own game.

It helps that she has a strong record against Aryna Sabalenka having upset the World Number 1 in the Wimbledon Semi Final, although it was Sabalenka who won when the two met at Roland Garros in the second Grand Slam of the season.

Nerves have been an issue for Aryna Sabalenka at the business end of Grand Slams this season and it will not be lost on her that all three previous runs have been ended by players representing the United States.

She is the defending Champion here, and Aryna Sabalenka is capable of taking the racquet out of any opponent's hands.

Fatigue should not be an issue for either player, although there are some concerns about the fact that Amanda Anisimova's Semi Final ended in the early hours of Friday morning. That can be tough to recover from, especially with this Final scheduled for middle of the day on Saturday, but the head to head is a big boost for Amanda Anisimova and it should lead to a competitive Final and one that could easily see both players win a set.

There is potential for any straight sets win to also surpass this total set and that looks to be the best play in the women's Final at the fourth Grand Slam of the season.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka-Amanda Anisimova Over 21.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 25-19, + 3.30 Units (87 Units Staked, + 3.79% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 14 Pick 2025- Men's Final (Sunday 13th July)

The Ladies Final proved to be something of a damp squib, but Wimbledon comes to a close with the top two of the Men's game facing one another for a second Slam Final in succession.

Suffice to say it would be a huge surprise if this Final is nearly as one-sided as the Ladies Final on Saturday, especially with both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz looking in strong form.

Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz over 40.5 games: Fans of Men's Tennis have long hoped that a new rivalry would form at the end of the 'Big Three' era and that hope has long been on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz pushing one another forward.

For the second Grand Slam in a row, Sinner and Alcaraz will face off for the title and the pair have combined to win each of the last six Grand Slam titles with the number seven consecutive Slam to be held by one of the two to be decided on Sunday.

There is no doubt that these are the best two players in the world and it'll take a brave person to back the field against either of these two players when it comes to the US Open in September. Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have won three Slams since the Australian Open in 2024 and no one will have forgotten the French Open Final played last month, which was won by Alcaraz in five sets having saved Championship Points and recovered from 2-0 behind in sets.

It is a victory that will give Carlos Alcaraz the mental edge having beaten his biggest rival in five consecutive matches, including in each two Grand Slams. Both victories have been at the French Open, but the Spaniard has also beaten Jannik Sinner at the US Open in 2022.

Being a two time defending Wimbledon Champion means he is a rightful favourite, but it is ironic that Jannik Sinner's sole Grand Slam victory over Carlos Alcaraz came at this tournament in the Fourth Round in 2021.

Jannik Sinner will have some regret about the two French Open losses considering the way the matches played out, especially the Final last month, and the World Number 1 has been dealing with an elbow issue. It is going to add to the challenge, but the performances in the last two Rounds have been very impressive and the Italian will feel a strong serving day will give him every chance of winning this title for the first time and ending the Carlos Alcaraz reign as Champion in SW19.

After that epic Final in Paris, all four of the previous Grand Slam meetings between these players have lasted at least four sets, while the last three have all ended in five sets.

It would be a massive surprise if there are not swings in this Men's Final with both players capable of going through periods of domination.

The fluctuation in the Carlos Alcaraz performances are perhaps higher/lower compared with a steadier Jannik Sinner, but the highs have seen the Spaniard play at an exceptional level. However, it is the lows where Sinner can take advantage and the feeling is that this could be another brilliant Final to watch.

Four sets have to be expected- a straight sets victory for either would be a huge surprise- and you cannot rule out another epic developing here.

Both have been serving very well in the last couple of Rounds and so tie-breakers could be in play again, as they were in the French Open Final, and backing the two best players in the world to combine for enough games to cover this total games line looks to be the right approach to take.

Picking a winner is incredibly tough, but my narrow lean may be with Jannik Sinner to find a way to end his losing run to Carlos Alcaraz and head into the US Open looking to win three of the four Slams played this season.

MY PICK: Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz Over 40.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 6-4, + 2.18 Units (20 Units Staked, + 10.90% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 14 Pick 2025- Women's Final (Saturday 7th June)

The French Open comes to a conclusion this weekend and we should have two quality Finals to watch, beginning with the Women's Final on Saturday.

Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 games v Coco Gauff: Moving into the World Number 1 spot should have been an indicator as to who is the best WTA player in the world, but there have still be some vulnerabilities around Aryna Sabalenka. She has won Grand Slam titles, but has perhaps not been the kind of dominant Champion that most would associate with the clear top player in the world.

Things may be changing after her run at Roland Garros, although Aryna Sabalenka has to get over the line to prove the point.

She reached the Australian Open Final earlier this season, but was upset by an American in that Final and Aryna Sabalenka will be much more wary of the abilities of Coco Gauff compared with Madison Keys.

They are different players- Keys is a big hitter capable of taking the ball away from any opponent she faces, while Gauff has a much more all around tennis style. However, it is a style that has seen Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in a Grand Slam Final before and she is playing with plenty of confidence having beaten the last home hope in the Semi Final.

Coco Gauff will know that this is a much tougher challenge compared with the Semi Final, but she will be confident in the way she is playing. She will need to serve more effectively to just contain the threat that is going to be coming from the other side of the net, but the Coco Gauff movement and ability to get the ball back into the court when seemingly beyond most players can be hugely effective tools on the clay courts.

Throughout the French Open, Coco Gauff has been able to get into return games and put immense pressure on her opponents, and that is something she will feel she can do even against a top server like Aryna Sabalenka. She will have taken some encouragement from the way Iga Swiatek was able to create pressure on the Sabalenka serve, although the win over the three time defending Champion will certainly give the World Number 1 all of the confidence she needs.

As good as Aryna Sabalenka is, there are still some vulnerabilities about her, especially from a mental point of view.

If Coco Gauff can keep the sets competitive, Aryna Sabalenka could be put under some pressure and she has had a number of disappointing results late in Grand Slam events.

However, Aryna Sabalenka has won four of the last six matches against Coco Gauff and that can be a factor.

The serve has ended up being a key weapon in those matches and Aryna Sabalenka may have that edge again in this Women's Final to round out the second Grand Slam of the season. It is unlikely to be a match that doesn't have some swings and roundabouts, especially at the French Open in 2025, but the repeat of the Madrid Final may end up with the same winner and with a similar margin, which would be good enough to cover this handicap mark set.

MY PICK: Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 Games

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick 2025- Women's Final (Saturday 25th January)

Injuries might have been the headlines on Day 13 of the Australian Open, although one of the Semi Final matches was completed and the other ended prematurely.

The fans were extremely upset with Novak Djokovic's decision to pull out of his Semi Final against Alexander Zverev moments after losing the first set tie-breaker, but booing him off the court is not really acceptable behaviour.

Maybe I am getting older, but a dominant, long time Champion and an all time great surely deserves more respect than he was afforded in Melbourne, while it truly feels like something that would not have happened a decade ago.

These days being a troll seems like a big career move for so many, but giving that kind of energy the oxygen it does not deserve has perhaps filtered into society in general. Instead of empathy and understanding, people feel like they own some of the great entertainers of our day and so 'deserve' to be given 'value for money'.

Don't misunderstand the situation, of course you're going to be disappointed if you had paid money to sit on the Rod Laver Arena and the match ended in that manner.

But it is not the first time this has happened and in previous years you would see the injured player given a warm applause rather than the disdain that seems to be reserved for Novak Djokovic, despite his obvious talents and impressive achievements.

Later in the evening, Jannik Sinner moved through to the Final for a second year in a row as he looks to defend the title won last year, but the World Number 1 definitely picked up an injury scare in the third set against Ben Shelton. Fortunately for the Italian, Ben Shelton could not avoid the Unforced Errors that just prevented him pushing the top Seed a little more having served for the first set and come up short.

It should be a good Men's Final on Sunday to round out the Australian Open, but before that we have a big hitting, potentially fun Women's Final to look forward to.

The fan in me hopes for a tight, competitive Final between Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka, although the head is suggesting something a little different.

You can see the train of thought below where the Pick for the Women's Final has been made with just two matches left at the Australian Open in 2025 and with a positive start to the season secured.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Madison Keys: There was a time when Aryna Sabalenka was seen as a player that would struggle to get over the line when it came to the absolute business end of Grand Slam tournaments.

A similar feeling had been around Madison Keys, but the difference between the two players is that Aryna Sabalenka kept getting into those Semi Final spots in the Grand Slams. This gave her the experience to eventually deal with her nerves and find a way through to the Final and then go on and win two Australian Open titles and one US Open.

The World Number 1 is still only 26 years old and the two time defending Australian Open Champion is the favourite to complete a hat-trick of titles here. Over the next twelve months, Aryna Sabalenka is going to be amongst the favourites to win every Grand Slam that she competes in and she certainly looks the clear best player in the world on the hard courts.

When Madison Keys reached the Australian Open Semi Final in 2015 just a couple of weeks before she was turning 20 years old, American tennis fans may have felt the next big star of the sport was beginning to shine through.

However, the career has perhaps not panned out as Madison Keys or her supporters would have expected.

She has reached four further Semi Finals at Grand Slams and also played in the US Open Final in 2017, but there has been a lot of disappointing performances in the Majors around those strong runs. And after losing in the Semi Final here in Melbourne in 2022 and at the same stage in New York City in 2023, Madison Keys really did feel her hopes of winning a Grand Slam were over.

The loss at the US Open really hurt- Madison Keys took the first set 6-0 against Aryna Sabalenka that year, but was beaten 7-6, 7-6 in the next two sets and the World Number 14 was clearly devastated in the press conference.

An upset win over Iga Swiatek has given Madison Keys another chance to finally take home a Major, but she is still going to have to find another level to beat the peaking Aryna Sabalenka.

Madison Keys is going to have to find her best serving to try and keep Aryna Sabalenka under pressure, especially as her own return is going to be tested by the World Number 1. Making a fast start is important just to settle some nerves, but even in that US Open Semi Final that Madison Keys came so close to winning, it was a match that Aryna Sabalenka deserved to win even after dropping the first set without winning a game.

A much more routine win was produced by the Belarusian when these two players met in Beijing on the hard courts at the back end of last year and Aryna Sabalenka is producing at a higher level in this tournament. You have to believe the top Seed is very comfortable on the Rod Laver Arena these days and Aryna Sabalenka will know all about the occasion, which are factors that only strengthen her edge.

Once again, it is Aryna Sabalenka who has the edge on protecting the second serve as well as on the returning numbers and the two time defending Champion should have the qualities to break down Madison Keys in a competitive, but solid enough victory for the World Number 1.

MY PICK: Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 27-12, + 19.40 Units (75 Units Staked, + 25.87% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 14 Pick - Men's Final 2024 (Sunday 8th September)

It has been a tough end to the tournament, but the bulk of the US Open went well enough to mean another Grand Slam with a winning record.

Overall it has been a tough year right from the off for the Tennis Picks after a miserable run at the Australian Open, but there are still a couple more tournaments to come at the end of the season before looking for a much stronger 2025.

Aryna Sabalenka was deservedly the US Open Champion and holds two of the four Grand Slams so many will feel she is the player to beat when it comes to all but the clay courts moving into the new season. She missed Wimbledon this year, else Sabalenka would likely be much closer to Iga Swiatek in the World Rankings with 2000 points separating them.

However, the WTA Race is much closer and there is every chance Aryna Sabalenka can close the year as the official World Number 1 if she can maintain her focus on the rest of the calendar year.

A first time US Open Men's Champion will also be crowned at the end of the tournament and the World Number 1 is looking to match Sabalenka by adding the title in New York City to the one won in Melbourne to kick off 2024.

Jannik Sinner has overcome controversy and continued shady comments from his peers, but this is a big opportunity for Taylor Fritz to take the next step in his career and the hope is that we see a competitive Final on Sunday afternoon.

Jannik Sinner-Taylor Fritz over 38.5 games: American fans have been used to home players performing well at the US Open when it comes to the women's tournament, but it has been a long time since the fans arrived at the last day of this Grand Slam with a home player to support.

The last time any American men's player reached the Final of the US Open was all the way back in 2006 when Andy Roddick made it that far, while the search for a home winner of this tournament has now surpassed twenty years. It is Roddick again who holds that last American US Open Winner tag as far as the men go, but that may all change this weekend when Taylor Fritz enters the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

He deservedly got the better of compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the Semi Final on Friday and the five sets played should not have sapped too much energy. The match was played into a fourth hour, but it was not a taxing one and Taylor Fritz is serving well enough to believe he can win the US Open this year.

Standing in his way is the World Number 1 Jannik Sinner who has overcome some off court controversy to work his way into the Final.

A solid win over Jack Draper in the Semi Final will have given Sinner a boost, although the one concern has to be the wrist issue that needed some attention during the match. He cannot afford to be struggling against an opponent who is playing as well as Taylor Fritz is and especially not with the lion's share of the crowd support also likely to be against the Italian.

This is something that will bother Jannik Sinner a lot less than his wrist and the World Number 1 has also found his serving form, which is a key part of any success a player is going to have on the faster surfaces. Without a doubt Sinner will feel he is the more effective return player of the two on the hard courts, which gives the favourite a real edge, but the feeling is that Taylor Fritz will make this very competitive.

Jannik Sinner's Semi Final win was competitive through the first two sets, but Fritz can certainly play the big points a little better than Jack Draper and that may see him at least earn a split of those sets. The British player had his chances in the Semi Final, and Taylor Fritz is a bit more experienced to just knuckle down when those big moments arrive.

Ultimately you have to believe Jannik Sinner will edge the contest, but Taylor Fritz is perhaps being a touch under-rated with the prices and the spread on offer. The American is going to be able to use the crowd support to just propel his tennis and the serving has been strong enough throughout this fortnight to believe Taylor Fritz can win at least a set even in a losing effort.

The total games line looks just appealing enough to be the better play than backing the underdog with a start and the two players can help combine for a memorable US Open Final as the Grand Slam season comes to a close in 2024.

MY PICK: Jannik Sinner-Taylor Fritz Over 38.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

US Open Update: 26-20, + 4.24 Units (92 Units Staked, + 4.61% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 14 Pick 2024- Men's Final (Sunday 14th July)

The attention of the nation might already have turned to the Euro 2024 Final, but tennis fans will at least have the opportunity to lead into that game by watching the Final of the Men's event at Wimbledon.

It looks like being a really good Final twelve months after Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic met in a five set classic in SW19 and both are going to be feeling good about their chances of success having eased through the Semi Final matches on Friday.

The tournament comes to a close, but the attention will quickly turn to the Olympic Games later this month before the players hop across the pond and prepare for the upcoming US Open which begins at the end of August as is traditional.

We should have some real interest in the Olympic Games with that tournament potentially being the last for Rafael Nadal on the famous courts of Roland Garros, while Andy Murray is another hoping to be fit enough to compete as a Singles player for the final time having missed Wimbledon to his own frustration.

The new Ladies Champion at Wimbledon is Barbora Krejcikova as we have yet another surprising winner of the tournament on the WTA side of things.

She now has as many Grand Slams as Aryna Sabalenka and more than both Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina, which is a real surprise, and Barbora Krejcikova will be heading back into the top ten of the World Rankings on Monday. It might give the former French Open Champion a chance to take some momentum into the Olympic Games back on the clay courts, but for now the Czech player will enjoy becoming Wimbledon Champion as her mentor Jana Novotna had managed to do in her career too.

Now the attention will turn to the big Men's Final between top of the top three players in the World and by the end one of the players will be holding two of the four Grand Slam titles.

Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic over 40.5 games: Twelve months ago, Carlos Alcaraz reached the Final at Wimbledon in somewhat surprising fashion considering he had been beaten relatively early at the French Open. He was the Queen's Champion, which is always a good indicator of the kind of successes a player can have at Wimbledon, but Alcaraz was the underdog against Novak Djokovic, the seven time Champion.

The Rematch is played this Sunday and this time it is the defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz set as the favourite against the former World Number 1.

A lot of Spanish fans will have eyes on this Wimbledon Final before the Euro 2024 Final is played later in the evening and they will be keen to see a Double. Despite not finding his best tennis consistently, Carlos Alcaraz has shown he has the character to come through some difficult moments in his run to the Wimbledon Final.

There is also a real feeling that Carlos Alcaraz has come through the tougher half of the draw with three wins over top 16 Ranked opponents, while the highest Ranked player Novak Djokovic has beaten is the World Number 15 Holger Rune.

Carlos Alcaraz will be the first to admit that even then, his level will have to be picked up if he is going to get the better of Novak Djokovic for a second time in a row at Wimbledon. His serving numbers have really not been up to the standard expected on a grass court and that is going to be tested by arguably the greatest return player in the history of the sport.

The Novak Djokovic return numbers have perhaps not been as strong as we have come to expect, but that might have something to do with a far more aggressive approach taken through this tournament. The knee is not one that Djokovic wants to have to take into long rallies as often as he has been known to do, and that aggression has led to more mistakes and looking to end points quicker than normal.

It is something that will likely have been noted by the Alcaraz team and they will be keen to not give too much away to Djokovic and force him into those rallies that the seven time Champion has been looking to avoid.

One area where Novak Djokovic has had more success is behind his serve with his follow up shot to that opening one looking to get into position to end points as soon as possible. His numbers have been strong throughout his run to the Final and even Lorenzo Musetti struggled to test Djokovic in the manner he would have hoped on this side of his tennis.

Novak Djokovic has only dropped serve five times throughout the fortnight at Wimbledon, whereas Carlos Alcaraz dropped serve five times in just his Third Round match. This might be key to the outcome of this match, as could the fact that Novak Djokovic has won the last two matches against the Spaniard since losing the Wimbledon Final in 2023.

Matches between the players have been intense, but Novak Djokovic has had the edge on the service numbers.

However, some of those numbers are influenced by the match at Roland Garros in 2023 when Carlos Alcaraz completely cramped up under the tension of the occasion. He is a much stronger player now and this has all of the makings of another Wimbledon epic.

There will be plenty of fans hoping the match is perhaps not quite as intense as the almost five hours spend on court last season (with the fear it would potentially begin to encroach towards the Euro 2024 Final kick off), but another four setter has to be the minimum expectation.

Last season there were two sets that ended in 6-1 scores, which could make it hard to cover the total line in this one if it does indeed conclude in four sets.

With the way both Alcaraz and Djokovic are playing, it would be a surprise if we do see those one-sided sets again, especially after their battle at Cincinnati last August.

Novak Djokovic perhaps looks an appealing underdog, but he has not really bettered too many of his rivals so far this season and this is a big step up compared with previous opponents played.

Being slightly more battle-hardened should aid Carlos Alcaraz, but the real expectation is for another very competitive match between players from different generations. They should both contribute to a strong Final in which both players will win a set and that should put this match well on the way to surpass the total games line in this one.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic Over 40.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 21-21, - 5.44 Units (84 Units Staked, - 6.48% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 14 Pick 2024- Women's Final (Saturday 8th June)

We are down to the final four players at Roland Garros in 2024 and there are three players vying for a first title in Paris.

Two are going for a first Grand Slam full stop, but it will be a tough ask in the Women's event with a dominant Champion in the way.

Iga Swiatek - 6.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: You can only be warmed by the infectious smile and the clear joy Jasmine Paolini feels when she is on a tennis court and a strong tournament for Italian tennis has been put together on both sides of the Tour.

On Monday we will have an Italian World Number 1 on the ATP Tour for the first time and Jasmine Paolini's run to the French Open Final has moved her into World Number 7, while an upset on Saturday will mean she will be the new World Number 5 when the Rankings are released following the tournament.

It is a remarkable rise for a 28 year old who had never been beyond the Second Round at a Grand Slam before reaching the Fourth Round at the Australian Open in January. She has won a big hard court title in Dubai, but Paolini had not really been in the best of form on the clay courts before arriving in Paris, despite most feeling this would be her best surface.

That form has counted for little as she has worked her way through the bottom half of the draw to reach the Final, including beating a couple of former Grand Slam Champions on the way. Jasmine Paolini dominated Mirra Andreeva in the Semi Final to earn her place in the showpiece event on Saturday, but another level is going to have to be found if she is going to prevent Iga Swiatek from joining legendary names like Monica Seles and Justin Henin in winning the French Open three times in a row.

It will actually be a fourth title in five years for Iga Swiatek and the World Number 1 has cruised through the draw after facing Match Points in the Second Round against Naomi Osaka. There is little doubt that Swiatek has been the best clay courter on the WTA side of the Tour for some time and she does go into this Final as a massive favourite.

Pressure and tension may be the biggest threat to Iga Swiatek who has produced really strong numbers throughout the tournament with the exception being the win over Osaka in the Second Round. The serve is really functioning well and the Pole has dropped this shot just twice in four matches after losing serve five times in the Second Round match, and that is going to be key for Iga Swiatek to try and keep the pressure on her inexperienced opponent.

You have to credit the grit and the defensive ability of Jasmine Paolini and that has helped her produce plenty of breaks of serve in this tournament, but this is an entirely different challenge, even compared with the multiple Breaks earned against big serving Elena Rybakina.

And the pressure that will be put on the Paolini serve cannot be underestimated with Iga Swiatek having broken every opponent at least four times, except for Naomi Osaka.

That exception was a real one and Iga Swiatek was very fortunate to get through that match against Osaka, but Paolini is not really going to be follow the blueprint left by the former World Number 1. Instead the match is more likely to be in line with others we have seen involving Iga Swiatek throughout this clay court season and the feeling is that she will have too much experience and quality for the Italian to deal with.

Last year's Final was a tighter affair than anticipated, but the previous two French Open titles won by Iga Swiatek have been in dominant victories and she would have covered this line in both.

Make no mistake it is a big line, but a 6-3, 6-2 kind of win has to be expected and the current World Number 1 can underline her status as the dominant clay courter on the WTA Tour.

MY PICK: Iga Swiatek - 6.5 Games @ 1.66 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 21-9, + 15.66 Units (59 Units Staked, + 26.54% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick- Women's Final (Saturday 27th January)

The men's Semi Finals brung the drama in different ways on Friday.

The first of those saw Jannik Sinner crush Novak Djokovic and it was a remarkable performance from the Italian. He did not face a single Break Point and was unfortunate to not win in straight sets, but it was a very impressive performance and Sinner may just be ready to win a Grand Slam title and fulfil all of the potential he has shown.

The second Semi Final was a classic- Alexander Zverev is going to be feeling absolutely sick that he failed to get the job done against Daniil Medvedev having led 2-0 in sets.

He had chances, but Zverev played the big points so poorly in the last three sets, while there isn't much he could have done about the mishit that ended up giving Medvedev Set Point in the Fourth Set rather than the German reaching Match Point. On a number of occasions Alexander Zverev was two points away from really being in control of the Semi Final, but it is the 5-4 lead in the Fourth Set Tie-Breaker with two serves to come, which will really hurt him.

Day 14 is reserved for the Women's Final and it features the defending Champion and a young player looking to become the latest surprising Grand Slam Champion.

My thoughts on that match can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 games v Qinwen Zheng: Ten years after Li Na won the Australian Open, another player from China will be looking to pick up the title in Melbourne. This time it is Qinwen Zheng, who has idolised Li Na, and who booked her place in the Final behind a strong Semi Final victory over Qualifier Dayana Yastremska.

A tough win was secured in the Third Round in a Super Tie-Breaker, but Qinwen Zheng has been relatively untroubled since then. Early nerves perhaps contributed to a slow start in the Semi Final, but Qinwen Zheng deserved her victory in the end as she now takes aim at her maiden Grand Slam title.

In her way is a mighty challenge.

Aryna Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at the Australian Open and the defending Champion is clearly enjoying her time in Melbourne. She admitted as much after earning a bit of revenge against Coco Gauff, the player who beat Sabalenka in the US Open Final, and the level of performance produce by the Belarusian certainly makes her a strong favourite to win another title here.

The serve has been a huge weapon for Aryna Sabalenka throughout this tournament and her controlled aggression on the return has put players under a lot of pressure. If she serves as well as she has been, Sabalenka will be very difficult to contain and the World Number 2 has shown she can be very hard to peg back once she picks up some momentum.

Two top 11 Ranked players have been beaten in the last two Rounds and that will only further the belief in the Sabalenka camp.

We know that Dayana Yastremska is going to be inside the top 30 at the end of this tournament, but Qinwen Zheng could not have handpicked a better run to the Final. None of the players she has beaten have been Ranked inside the top 50 of the World Rankings before the Australian Open began and there is no doubting that this is a huge step up in class against a Grand Slam Champion.

Qinwen Zheng will be confident in her first serve having won almost 79% of points behind that shot in this tournament, although again you have to note that the level of opponent has not really been that high. Over the last twelve months, that number slips to 68% when only considering Zheng's matches against top 10 Ranked players on the hard courts, while the World Number 15 is just 1-4 against top 5 Ranked opponents in that time.

She would not have covered with this number of games in any of those losses to Iga Swiatek (twice), Elena Rybakina or against Aryna Sabalenka, who crushed Qinwen Zheng for the loss of just five games at the US Open last September.

A problem for Zheng is that she has struggled on the return when facing top 10 Ranked players on the hard courts and now has to face arguably the best serve on the WTA Tour.

None of Aryna Sabalenka's opponents in Melbourne have been able to win more than 66% of first serve points against her and the likelihood is that the World Number 2 is going to be seeing a lot of second serves. You cannot take anything away from the run the underdog has had in the Australian Open, but she has only gotten 53% of first serves in play and that likely means having to deal with a lot of pressure from the Sabalenka aggression against the second serve.

On the other side of the court, Aryna Sabalenka gets plenty of first serves in play and she has been very strong at protecting the second serve. That serve proved to be key in New York City where Qinwen Zheng was not able to earn a single Break Point and this really feels like a match that the defending Champion can win.

Aryna Sabalenka showed some real mental strength to come through some rocky moments in the Semi Final and that should set her up very well.

Of course she will have to handle the occasion and the pressure, but nothing in Melbourne suggests Aryna Sabalenka is going to falter now and she can pull away for a very strong win and a second Grand Slam title.

MY PICK: Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 22-49, - 59.54 Units (142 Units Staked, - 41.93% Yield)

US Open Day 14 Pick- Men's Final 2023 (September 10th)

A poor first week has proven to be costly for the Tennis Picks in the final Grand Slam of 2023, but it might have been saved if not for the last couple of days when a number of selections have been wrong.

Ultimately it could have been a lot worse after the start made to the tournament as we get ready to see the men's Final played on Sunday to conclude the event.

After this, the next set of Tennis Picks potentially will arrive at the big events being played in China with the Tour set to return for the first time since the Covid pandemic. The Shanghai Masters is back on the schedule, and we have an ATP 500 event in Beijing and then later in Tokyo.

The WTA Tour will also be heading back to Asia following the US Open and there are some big 500 and 1000 level events to be played in China and Japan. Coco Gauff was crowned as a new Grand Slam Singles Champion, but the Tour needs to begin backing those players a little better and it is no surprise that there are talks to merge the ATP and WTA Tours together.

It says a lot about the WTA that they have only just announced that their Finals will be played in Cancun.

That is for another day and the purpose of this thread is to offer thoughts on the US Open Final to be played on Sunday.

You can read that below as Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic meet for the second time in three years for the final Slam of the season.

Daniil Medvedev-Novak Djokovic over 38.5 games: The 'dream' Final hopes collapsed at the last moment when an impressive Daniil Medvedev beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the last of the Semi Final matches played on Day 12 at the US Open. You can see that Medvedev, a former US Open Champion in his own right, had been seething quietly about suggestions that the top two players in the world were destined to meet in a second Grand Slam Final in a row.

Instead he threw a spanner into the works and Daniil Medvedev will want to prove he is not as far away from Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic as some would think.

Beating both players to win the US Open title would do that, but the World Number 3 will know that this is going to be another considerable challenge for him. Daniil Medvedev has beaten Novak Djokovic in the US Open Final in 2021, but that was a Djokovic that is not nearly as fresh as he is going to be feeling going into this Final.

Two years ago, Novak Djokovic had won three Grand Slam titles, but had looked exhausted at the end of the Tokyo Olympic Games as his bid for a Golden Slam faltered. While he did get to the Final in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic had been involved in a back and forth five set win in the Semi Final against Alexander Zverev and his emotions even got the better of him during the Final as he struggled to compete with the hitting of Medvedev.

This time Novak Djokovic is not playing for a bit of history in terms of a Calendar Grand Slam, but he is chasing a twenty-fourth Grand Slam title which would see him sit alongside Margaret Court on an all-time record number. However, he has looked much more comfortable with that pressure than he looked at times in the 2021 tournament and Novak Djokovic came through a sticky third set to beat Ben Shelton in straight sets in his own Semi Final.

While the numbers have not been dominant, Novak Djokovic has performed at a consistently good level throughout this tournament and it has felt he has been keeping something ready for the Final. He might even have expected that to be against his new rival, Alcaraz, but Djokovic will be glad of any extra energy he has in reserve against an opponent who will be happy to get involved in long, drawn out rallies.

Both of these players will know they need to serve well and that has been the case in recent meetings between them.

Daniil Medvedev won the most recent in the Dubai Final, but that snapped a run of four consecutive defeats to the impending World Number 1. All of those four defeats have followed the US Open Final win in 2021, but matches have been competitive and it has been one or two points that have swung sets and ultimately the outcome of those matches.

Novak Djokovic does lead the head to head at Grand Slam level, but Daniil Medvedev is arguably at his best at the US Open of the four Slams and he is a player that will have a lot of belief in his own tennis.

Two years the Final ended in straight sets, but the level of both of these players suggest we may need at least four sets to separate them in this one and that should see them getting very close to covering this total games line. While the last two matches played in 2023 have both ended in straight sets win, one each for Medvedev and Djokovic, the previous three had all needed the full three sets to separate the players and this is a match that could end up having four pretty long sets at the least.

MY PICK: Daniil Medvedev-Novak Djokovic Over 38.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 14 Pick 2023- Gentlemen's Final (July 16th)

A new women's Grand Slam Champion was crowned on Saturday and not many would have picked Marketa Vondrousova to have been that player rather than Ons Jabeur.

All of the come from behind wins caught up with the higher Ranked player in the Final, but the match up with Vondrousova is clearly a bad one for Ons Jabeur who has lost all three times she has faced the Czech lefty this season.

The wait for a Grand Slam title will go on for Jabeur, but the hope is that Marketa Vondrousova can use this victory at Wimbledon to push her career forward having had it stagnated by injury.

She is back in the top ten when the Rankings are released and Vondrousova is in the top five when it comes to the WTA race.

The key for Marketa Vondrousova will be backing this success up- some recent winners have struggled with the new expectation that surrounds them after a big title win, but others have been able to spark their careers and that has to be hope for a talented young player.

The Ladies Final is in the books, but that leaves what many will hope could be a classic Wimbledon Final when the top two men's players meet one another on Sunday. Conditions should be perfect for tennis on Sunday afternoon and I would be extremely surprised if this is not a top Final with the way Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz approach their tennis.

After finding a winning play in the Ladies Final, I am looking for one more positive pick to end what has been a poor tournament for the Tennis Picks.

We will be moving into a clay court summer for the ATP players before some of the US hard court tennis preparation begins later this month.

There may be some selections made over the next few weeks before the Masters tournaments begin in the lead up to the US Open, but I will be using some tighter margins in a bid to put some positive numbers on the board.

Carlos Alcaraz- Novak Djokovic over 39.5 games: The tournament started thirteen days ago and everyone who had seen the Gentlemen's draw at Wimbledon would have been hoping that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic would meet on the final Sunday of the 2023 event.

The majority of fans have gotten exactly what they wanted and both Alcaraz and Djokovic should have no worries in regards to the amount of tennis played to earn the spot in the Final.

After what we saw at the French Open when an over-emotional Carlos Alcaraz saw his body let him down in the Semi Final as he crumbled in the final two sets, the big question will be how the Spaniard can cope with facing Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon Final. A Grand Slam Semi Final is a stressful time to face arguably the best player of all time, but that stress is going to be ramped up in the Final and there will be a lot of eyes on the Alcaraz side of the court to see how he handles the occasion.

Carlos Alcaraz has noted what happened in Paris and has made it clear that he will try and approach this match differently to make sure he gives himself the best possible chance to win.

Of course the challenge is much different on the grass courts of Wimbledon compared with the clay courts of the French Open where Carlos Alcaraz was set as the favourite. Roles have reversed in this Wimbledon Final and that is not a surprise considering Novak Djokovic has not been beaten on Centre Court since the 2013 Wimbledon Final against Andy Murray.

The four time defending Champion has exuded his confidence in SW19 both on and off the court during this fortnight and it is no surprise that most will expect Novak Djokovic to win the title for an eighth time.

Novak Djokovic has done what is needed in his six wins in the tournament, but there will be chances for Carlos Alcaraz who has already won a title on the grass this year. The serve has been a big weapon for Djokovic, but Jannik Sinner showed there is a blueprint for Carlos Alcaraz to follow, although he will need to execute a little better at key moments where the Italian faltered.

As good as Novak Djokovic has been on the grass courts, his returning numbers at this tournament have not been quite up to the levels he has set in the past. This should be encouraging for Carlos Alcaraz who has been serving well at Wimbledon and throughout the last month on the grass, while the youngster has shown he can play some stunning tennis to work into breaks of serve.

Limited grass court and Wimbledon experience is against Carlos Alcaraz, but he should be reminded of his compatriot Rafael Nadal and what he was able to achieve early in his career on this surface.

The similarities are hard to ignore- Nadal had only won three matches at Wimbledon before reaching the Final in 2005 and pushing the defending Champion Roger Federer in a four set battle. Before this year, Carlos Alcaraz had won just four matches in SW19, but he has shown there is a confidence in his all-around tennis to be effective on all surfaces and he has the game to push the defending Champion in this 2023 Final.

Winning will be tough against Djokovic on this court, but Carlos Alcaraz will have the fans behind him and the two previous matches against the 23 time Grand Slam Champion have been competitive.

Even though he had limited movement in the final two sets of the Semi Final these two played in Paris, the total games reached thirty-five.

This Final should go at least four sets and the assumption is that Carlos Alcaraz will not suffer the same cramps and emotional rushes that he had to deal with in the French Open. That experience should have given him a better understanding of how to approach this match with Novak Djokovic and both of these players have served well enough at Wimbledon to expect this total games line to be surpassed.

MY PICK: Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic Over 39.5 Games @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 58-55, - 8.62 Units (226 Units Staked, - 3.81% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 14 Pick 2023- Women's Final (June 10th)

I've been a big Tennis fan for a long time, but even I was pretty shocked by what I saw in the first of the men's Semi Final matches on Friday.

Novak Djokovic winning a Grand Slam Semi Final is never going to be a surprise and the Serb deserves a lot of credit for his performances in Paris even when not quite looking at his best.

However, the 22 time Grand Slam Champion looked to be in a very difficult position as he fell behind in the match for the first time at 1-0 in the third set and Djokovic soon found himself 15-30 down on serve.

Carlos Alcaraz had been getting the fans behind him between the second and third set as Novak Djokovic took his time off the court and the younger player looked to be on course for a second Grand Slam Final in three Slam tournaments.

And then he was afflicted by cramp.

It was the harshest of learning experiences for Alcaraz who was in such pain that he allowed Novak Djokovic to have a break of serve so he could get some immediate treatment just after Djokovic had held serve. He lost nine games in a row before holding serve at the end of the fourth set and Carlos Alcaraz was merely a shell of himself in the eventual 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 loss.

Credit has to be given to Novak Djokovic for keeping him out there, but I think the cramping had a lot more to do with Carlos Alcaraz' desire to win this big match rather than anything physical that the former World Number 1 was putting him through. It reminded me of some of the early losses Djokovic had himself in his career when some believed he would 'fake' injuries to retire from matches when they were not going his way.

There is no doubt the Spaniard will come again, but he may want to look across the net and try and take a leaf out of the Novak Djokovic book- once perhaps considered someone you could wear down, Djokovic is a machine these days and Carlos Alcaraz will want to be considered the same.

I do think a lot of people will respect Alcaraz for finishing the match, but it was a remarkable ending to his clay court season and his team will be working around the clock to try and work out what exactly happened and how to prevent it happening again.

Novak Djokovic will be the favourite on Sunday, but I am still not sure he is feeling at 100% having had a medical time out for the second time in the French Open. However, if he wins the Slam and ultimately moves ahead of rival Rafael Nadal, the Serb will head to Wimbledon as a big favourite to match Margaret Court's all time record.

And after all of the Covid Vaccine issues of the last couple of years, Novak Djokovic could potentially be heading back to the US Open with another shot at winning the calendar Grand Slam, an achievement that would end any argument for the 'Greatest of All Time' if there is still an argument to be had.

The opponent who will be facing Novak Djokovic for the French Open title is Casper Ruud and the Norwegian must be wondering when he will catch a break as he looks to win a maiden Grand Slam title of his own.

This is the third Grand Slam Final in twelve months, but Casper Ruud will be facing Novak Djokovic after losing to Rafael Nadal here in Paris in 2022 and to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open Final later in the same year.

He was much more competitive in the second Grand Slam Final having struggled to compete with Nadal in Paris (like so many others have done) and Casper Ruud will be hoping his experiences will help him as he tries to stop Novak Djokovic setting a new mark in the men's game for Grand Slam titles won.

That is a Final that will take centre stage on Sunday, but the Women's Champion has to be crowned on Saturday.

One of the favourites has worked her way through to the Final, but Karolina Muchova may be the story in what has been a tremendous Grand Slam tournament for the Czech player. It should mean a better draw at Wimbledon and the US Open, where Muchova is usually more effective than on the clay courts, but this is a big opportunity to win a Grand Slam and I expect her to give her all.

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 games v Karolina Muchova: The French Open Women's Final features Iga Swiatek for a third time in four years and the World Number 1 is a significant favourite to win the title for a third time too.

After a less than impressive second set in her win over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Semi Final, I did have a feeling that Swiatek was playing with one or two nerves. However, that was a kind of opponent who has the power and temperament to try and be very aggressive through her mistakes and I think that did rattle Iga Swiatek somewhat.

It is not expected to be the same kind of match for her on Saturday against an opponent like Karolina Muchova who will look to use variation in her tennis, rather than overwhelming power. That could suit the World Number 1 and I think Iga Swiatek has a big edge over Karolina Muchova on this surface.

You do have to respect Muchova who has had a couple of upsets under her belt in her six wins in Paris at a tournament you would not really expect the Czech player to have her best tennis. The three hours plus spent on court on Thursday is tough for Karolina Muchova, who looked absolutely fatigued when trailing 5-2 in the final set before somehow pulling the victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Czech player served well in the win over Aryna Sabalenka, but she was able to play all of the big points really effectively and that may be more challenging against the defending Champion. Unlike Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek is unlikely to make a host of Unforced Errors to give Karolina Muchova an easy exit from any game where the pressure builds.

In saying that, Muchova will feel she can get a little more out of her return game in a match like this one and there is nothing to lose for the underdog who was almost off the Tour permanently with injuries.

Generally speaking, Iga Swiatek has looked after her serve and the Semi Final was a match against an aggressive return player. I am not sure Karolina Muchova will able to replicate the Beatriz Haddad Maia game plan on this side of the court and it should make Swiatek feel a little less tense than she was a couple of days ago.

Karolina Muchova has beaten Iga Swiatek in their last two matches, including on a clay court, but the last of those was back in 2020. The World Number 1 is a much improved player from those days and I do think she has had the much superior numbers throughout this tournament, although the French Open has been a little unpredictable at the business end of the event.

Underdogs have actually been thriving both straight up and in the handicap mark and that has to be respected, but I do think Iga Swiatek will have the majority of Break Points. That is the start of a winning effort on any tennis court and I do think the experience of Swiatek in Grand Slam Finals may also be a factor as she picks up a third French Open title in four years.

As I said a couple of days ago, Karolina Muchova is rarely beaten easily, but I do think she has had to invest a lot more physically and mentally in this tournament run than her opponent already.

At some point that has to be an issue, and it almost was in the Semi Final, and I think Iga Swiatek can play solid enough tennis to just pull away for a solid win. The Pole has dropped just nine games in the four previous sets played in the French Open Final and she may have enough to secure a good win over a tough opponent in the 2023 edition.

MY PICK: Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 39-32, + 1.98 Units (142 Units Staked, + 1.39% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick- Men's Final 2023 (January 29th)

It felt like she was the best player in the tournament, but Aryna Sabalenka showed extreme mental strength to win her first Grand Slam title from a set behind against the Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina.

This could really be the beginning of a dominant spell for Sabalenka, who will be considered amongst the favourites at Wimbledon and the US Open, although the clay courts will provide the next Grand Slam challenge. Before then, Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to put up some significant Ranking points in the tournaments to be played in February and March and to build on the momentum she has created for herself this month.

Elena Rybakina will also be able to bounce back from this defeat- she is now officially into the top 10 of the World Rankings and has a game that will be dangerous on the faster surfaces in the second half of the season.

The Pick from the women's Final returned another winner to cement what has been a strong tournament and there is just one more match to be played in Melbourne in 2023.

It should be a good one as the men take centre stage on the Rod Laver Arena.

Novak Djokovic - 5.5 games v Stefanos Tsitsipas: Carlos Alcaraz, the World Number 1, has been a big miss at the tournament, but the reality of the ATP Tour is that Novak Djokovic is still considered the best player in the world even when the Rankings have not reflected that over the last twelve months. Not being able to play in two of the four Grand Slam events clearly impacted the Ranking Points, while Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon title where the Points had been removed.

It is fitting that his return to Melbourne has Novak Djokovic once again reaching the Final at the Australian Open, where he has not been beaten since 2018, and winning a tenth Slam here will mean the Serb is once again Number 1 in the World.

However, Stefanos Tsitsipas is playing in his second Grand Slam Final this week having finally gotten through the Semi Final Round at the Australian Open. He has been beaten three times in the Semi Final at Melbourne Park previously, but Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame a couple of nervy moments in his four set win over Karen Khachanov on Friday and will feel plenty confident about where his tennis is as he looks for a maiden Grand Slam title.

And like Novak Djokovic, winning the title here will mean Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the new World Number 1 on Monday morning.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will know the kind of challenge that is in front of him- in his previous Grand Slam Final at the French Open, the Greek player led Novak Djokovic 2-0 in sets before losing in five sets and this is the court that Djokovic has been at his most dominant.

Despite carrying a hamstring issue, Novak Djokovic has been incredibly good this week and I think it is going to take something special to beat him on his return to Melbourne. While he has put together stronger tournaments at the Australian Open in terms of pure numbers, this has still been one of his best two weeks at Melbourne Park and Novak Djokovic has been incredibly strong behind both serve and return.

The test for Stefanos Tsitsipas is going to be how well he can serve- he has held 91% of his service games at the tournament, but I cannot shake off the performance against Jannik Sinner when the Italian missed over twenty Break Point chances in an eventual defeat.

Novak Djokovic is playing at a level where he is not going to be wasteful at the big moments and he broke Tommy Paul seven times in the Semi Final, which means every opponent has been broken at least five times through the tournament. The nine time Champion will have been a little disappointed with one or two loose service games, but Novak Djokovic has a massive edge when it comes to returning numbers between himself and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

This has been a fact that has also been evident in their head to head matches, which have been dominated by Novak Djokovic since losing two of the first three between these players. Since then, Novak Djokovic has won nine straight matches against Stefanos Tsitsipas and has beaten him three times on the hard courts since early October 2022.

The former World Number 1 has held 88% of his service games compared with Stefanos Tsitsipas' 76% mark in their head to head contests, while that edge has been even clearer if you only consider the matches played against one another over the last twelve months. The Tsitsipas serve is one that tends to get a few more easier points out of Novak Djokovic than most and he has won 68% of service points played against Djokovic in their three hard court matches in 2022, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has held 85% of service games played compared with 94% for his opponent.

Some will suggest that is not a massive difference in the percentages, but tennis really is a game of inches and it is a significant number. Novak Djokovic has also been playing at a clearly superior level to most in this tournament and I think he will be very difficult to beat as long as the body can hold up.

It would not be a massive surprise if Stefanos Tsitsipas took a set, but I think Novak Djokovic is going to exert more consistent pressure on the return. If the underdog can continue to produce a 66% first serve percentage, I do think he could push Djokovic, but Stefanos Tsitsipas may eventually be worn down by the mental and physical pressure of the long-time dominant Champion of this tournament and it could end up being another strong win for the Serb.

Novak Djokovic might 'only' be 12-6 in hard court Grand Slam Finals, but he is 9-0 in Australia compared with 3-6 in the United States.

His numbers have, unsurprisingly, been really strong in the Australian Open Final throughout his career and Novak Djokovic has won three of the last four Finals played here without dropping a set.

I can imagine the first set to be competitive, but Novak Djokovic should be able to get on top with his superior return play and I believe he can cover what is another big handicap mark, especially considering the quality of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Both are unbeaten in 2023, but Tsitsipas has had one or two close calls and Novak Djokovic's level looks like it could be too much to deal with over three or four hours.

MY PICK: Novak Djokovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 44-30, + 15.68 Units (144 Units Staked, + 10.89% Yield)