Indian Wells Tennis Day 12 Picks 2026 (Sunday 15th March)

It did prove to be a difficult tournament to turn around after the two ATP Semi Finals were split 1-1, but that does not mean we move past the last day of the Indian Wells Masters.

The two Finals are both scheduled to be played on the day and both look like they could be very enjoyable for the neutrals tuning in.

A repeat of the Women's Australian Open Final and a Men's Final featuring two of the very best hard court players in the world can only be a positive and my thoughts can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: A repeat of the Australian Open Final will be played in the Indian Wells Final and both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have put together strong runs here.

Out of the two players, Aryna Sabalenka has been producing the higher level of tennis, but she has also struggled to get the better of this opponent.

In the last nine hard court matches between the pair, it is Elena Rybakina who has won seven times including in Melbourne in January. They met three times on the hard courts in 2025 and Rybakina won two of those, while the sole meeting in Indian Wells was also won in the Final by the World Number 3 in 2023.

All of that will give her a lot of confidence, but Aryna Sabalenka will feel she was very unfortunate to lose the Australian Open Final and the performances so far in the Indian Wells conditions will give her confidence in turning that form around. She has found it very difficult to read the Rybakina serve, but it was the World Number 1 who had more Break Points in the defeat in Melbourne and that is another reason Sabalenka can believe she has the game to get the better of this rival.

Aryna Sabalenka has been the much stronger server so far this week and she can certainly contain much of the threat from the World Number 3, although there is always that mental pressure to deal with.

That comes from the fact she has lost so many recent matches against Elena Rybakina, but the latter has not been nearly as impressive as the top Seed. That is not to say that Elena Rybakina has played poorly, but the wins have been in more competitive matches, even if that can sometimes be a help rather than a hindrance.

Both players should produce some good tennis in this Final, but the narrow edge is rightly with Aryna Sabalenka and she may just pick up a big title that gives her momentum to carry into the clay court season after a stop in Miami later this month.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Daniil Medvedev: The win over Carlos Alcaraz will have given Daniil Medvedev a huge amount of confidence and has also maintained what has been a really strong run of form being produced by the World Number 11.

He now takes aim at winning back to back titles and arguably the biggest one anyone can win outside of the Grand Slams when competing for the Indian Wells trophy.

Daniil Medvedev served really well in the Semi Final win and he is going to have to do the same if he is going to put together a rare tournament in which a player beats the top two players in the world in back to back matches.

Beating Carlos Alcaraz means Daniil Medvedev is more than capable of winning this Final, but there will be a lot of respect for the way Jannik Sinner is playing and the World Number 2 produced a dominant win over Alexander Zverev in the Semi Final.

No one is going to be surprised to read that Jannik Sinner has been serving well, but it is the aggressive performance on the return that has proved to be the key to the Italian reaching his first Final of the 2026 season. This week Sinner has broken in almost 40% of return games played and dealing with the very solid Alexander Zverev serve will mean he is not intimidated by what Daniil Medvedev can produce.

Jannik Sinner began his career by losing the first six matches against Daniil Medvedev, but he has now won eight of the last nine matches, including the last three in a row.

Eight wins in a row have been produced on the hard courts and Jannik Sinner would have covered what looks like a big line in the last four hard court matches played in a best of three set format.

During this eight match winning run on the hard courts, Jannik Sinner has held 90% of his service games compared with Daniil Medvedev's 75% mark and that is a significant difference.

Respect has to be given to Daniil Medvedev for the current level being produced, but it is still a little short of the standard being set by Jannik Sinner and the latter can win the Indian Wells title with a solid looking success on the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 12-14, - 3.98 Units (26 Units Staked, - 15.31% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 28th February)

The latest week on the Tour is coming to a close this weekend before both Tours come together in Indian Wells next week.

It has been a really good week for the Tennis Picks with the ATP Dubai and Acapulco Finals set to be played on Saturday.

All of the selections have been from the tournament in Dubai where some of the bigger names have been in action, while the other events being played have seen the top Seeds falling pretty early.

After Saturday, the next selections will be from the Indian Wells Masters, although I am still not sure whether there will be any before the Second Round gets underway, at least on the WTA Tour which is going to be starting on the schedule.

The draw will dictate that, but there is one more selection to come from the ATP Dubai Final, which can be read below.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Tallon Griekspoor: These two players have only met once on the Tour and that was right here in Dubai twelve months ago in a Quarter Final match.

On that occasion it was Tallon Griekspoor who somehow stayed in the match having been the inferior player for a couple of sets, but who then went on to win the match and move through to the Semi Final.

In the first two sets, Griekspoor faced 14 Break Points compared with the 5 Break Points he created and he was gracious enough to admit that he had a bit of fortune on his side.

The World Number 25 stated the same thing after the Semi Final over Andrey Rublev on Friday having overcome significant issues with his hamstring- Tallon Griekspoor admitted that he may have pulled out of the match if he had not won the First Set and then rallied deep into the Second Set Tie-Breaker to come through in straight sets.

Throughout his press conference, Tallon Griekspoor made it clear that the next twenty-four hours were all about recovery as he prepares to play in his second ATP 500 Final and just the sixth on the Tour.

It was the serve that proved to be the big weapon for Griekspoor in his Semi Final win and he will need to be as close as possible to full health to make sure that remains the case.

Daniil Medvedev has been in very good form all week in Dubai and his dominant win over Felix Auger Aliassime underlines his danger.

The return of serve continues to be a big part of the Medvedev success and he has also been using the conditions very well in the tournament when it comes to his own delivery. He had Felix Auger Aliassime under pressure throughout the Semi Final and Daniil Medvedev should be able to do the same against this opponent.

His focus will have to be on the tennis he wants to play and not just expecting a wounded opponent to just crumble in front of him- one of the mistakes made by Andrey Rublev was allowing Tallon Griekspoor to get himself into a rhythm, but Medvedev will extend rallies and wear down the underdog.

The form shown this week gives Daniil Medvedev a big edge, even if Tallon Griekspoor was at full health, and he can win yet another match with a strong look on the scoreboard.

MY PICK: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 8-2, + 5.29 Units (10 Units Staked, + 52.90% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 8 Tennis Pick 2025 (Saturday 8th November)

The ATP Finals are set to begin on Sunday, but there is still one place up for grabs at the tournament which will be decided on Saturday in Athens.

Next year the Paris Masters will be the 'cut off' for the ATP Finals and the draw can then be made with the full eight participants.

The Athens Final features Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti- the latter needs to win to earn his place in Turin, which means so much to the Italian, while it also means the ATP Finals will start with a match from each Group rather than the usual format.

It seems like yet another moment in the 2025 season where the scheduling is a cause for complaint and that is something the Tour needs to get together and resolve next year.

Before we get to the ATP Finals, the WTA Singles season comes to a close on Saturday in Riyadh.

The Final should be a decent one between two players who have met plenty of times on the Tour and who have each won all four matches in the event.

Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka: This has the makings of a pretty fun Final between two big hitting players who will know that they will need to serve well if they are going to win one of the biggest titles outside of the Grand Slam events.

The World Number 1 has shown why she has reached the pinnacle of the sport with some battling wins in the tournament- Aryna Sabalenka has won all four matches, but she has had to battle to get past Coco Gauff on Thursday and had to dig even deeper to see off Amanda Anisimova in the Friday Semi Final.

Playing for a third straight day is something that most tennis players are well accustomed to doing, but Aryna Sabalenka will have to find something in the reserve tank to get her through one more tough challenge.

Her opponent in the Final in Riyadh is Elena Rybakina who has won half of the previous ten matches against Aryna Sabalenka on the hard courts. The most recent was won by Sabalenka in the Wuhan Quarter Final, but Elena Rybakina had won the previous three hard court matches and that includes beating the World Number 1 in Riyadh twelve months ago.

The one concern for Elena Rybakina fans is that the performances have gotten a little weaker in each match played in the tournament, although she has found a way to keep winning.

In the main the reason for that is the serve and that has continued to operate at a very good level.

Elena Rybakina admitted that it was that shot that got her out of some late trouble in the Semi Final win over Jessica Pegula, but she will be confident that she has been serving at a more consistent level compared with Aryna Sabalenka.

In a match up between these players, that serve is going to be a difference maker and Elena Rybakina has shown she can compete with Aryna Sabalenka in that department.

Having a bit more rest ahead of the Final could help and Elena Rybakina has been playing at a higher level in this tournament- she looks like she is focused and motivated to go on and win a big title and Rybakina can replicate the win she had over Aryna Sabalenka here in Riyadh in what could be another three set match between the pair.

MY PICK: Elena Rybakina to Win @ 2.40 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 7-6, + 0.01 Units (13 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 18th August)

You have to believe the organisers of the new look Mixed Doubles tournament at the US Open are just as frustrated with the scheduling of the Masters events this summer as the players and fans.

That tournament was designed to be played in the week leading up to the US Open and the theory behind it is that the top players can all be involved. Looking through the draw, the top names are scheduled to play, but the Cincinnati Final being played on a Monday may mean the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are not able to join their partners in New York City and especially not with the Mixed Doubles set to begin on Tuesday.

They are young enough to play in what will feel like an exhibition setting, but a long Final on Monday may mean rest is more important ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.

The top two ATP players meet on Monday and they are going to be clear favourites to face one another again at the US Open on the final Sunday of that tournament.

It would be the third straight Grand Slam Final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and there would be no doubt that we have entered a new era of Men's tennis if that comes about.

Those two players go out first before the WTA Final featuring Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini and then all eyes will be on the US Open with less than seven days to go before the last Grand Slam of 2025 gets underway.

Jannik Sinner - 2.5 games v Carlos Alcaraz: These two players are clearly the top two on the ATP Tour and it will take a brave person to oppose either winning the next Grand Slam at the US Open.

It was Carlos Alcaraz who beat Jannik Sinner at the French Open and that continued what had been an increasing dominance in the rivalry, but the Italian earned revenge with a very strong win in the Wimbledon Final to prevent Alcaraz from winning for a third straight year at SW19.

After losing five times in a row to Carlos Alcaraz, that win at Wimbledon feels very importsant for Jannik Sinner who has seemingly overwhelmed everyone else barring the Spaniard.

To back up that point, since the start of 2024, Jannik Sinner has lost just THREE hard court matches and he has won all three hard court Slams played in those twenty months. However, TWO of those losses have been against Carlos Alcaraz and the World Number 1 has not beaten him on this surface since October 2023 and so this is another opportunity for Sinner to lay down a marker to his fiercest rival ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.

Despite the head to head record, Jannik Sinner's win at Wimbledon will be one that has helped him overcome the mental hurdle, especially considering he had Championship Points before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open Final.

The match up is clearly a tough one, but Sinner is playing at an incredible level right now and it may be one that is difficult for Carlos Alcaraz to reach on a consistent basis.

There is nothing wrong with the way that Carlos Alcaraz is playing here in Cincinnati and on the hard courts in general, but the match feels more about what Sinner is able to do.

If the World Number 1 serves as well as he has been, he should have the majority of the Break Point chances in this Final and that is key to winning the match. Last year Carlos Alcaraz was the superior return player in the two matches played on the hard courts against Jannik Sinner and the World Number 2 will be inspired to try and lay down a marker ahead of the US Open, but Jannik Sinner showed again in Melbourne how much he has improved and he may just have the momentum to back up the win at Wimbledon by snapping the hard court run of defeats against this opponent.

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: This is a big spread for the WTA Cincinnati Final, but Iga Swiatek has come out of the tougher half of the draw and has looked much more convincing overall compared with Jasmine Paolini.

They did play out a competitive match on the hard courts at the end of last season, although that was after Iga Swiatek had served a suspension and it perhaps meant her rhythm was not quite where she would have expected.

Despite that, Iga Swiatek did end up with the victory and she has since crushed Paolini on the grass courts in the build up to Wimbledon, which was surprisingly won by Iga Swiatek too.

After the early loss in Montreal, Jasmine Paolini may not have arrived with a huge burden of expectation to carry, but this is a player who is willing to dig in and fight for everything she achieves. 2025 has not been as memorable as 2024, at least not yet, but Paolini still entered this tournament as a top ten Ranked player and wins over the likes of Coco Gauff will give her plenty of confidence.

The 29 year old had not been showing a lot of positive form on the hard courts prior to the Cincinnati event beginning- the key this week has been the success behind theserve and Jasmine Paolini is going to have to serve well to keep Iga Swiatek at bay.

That is a huge challenge considering how well the soon to be World Number 2 is playing, although this is a different kind of test for Iga Swiatek. Previous matches have seen her get the better of bigger hitters than Jasmine Paolini, but it is the movement of the Italian that makes her tough to beat, even on a faster hard court.

Iga Swiatek is serving with more authority though and that can see her set up a few more 'easier' points and that can help ease the scoreboard pressure. Instead it may be Paolini who has to deal with that and it also will not be lost on the latter that she has struggled in the majority of matches against Swiatek.

Back to back matches of over two hours is another factor considering the ease in which Iga Swiatek has made her way through the draw and one of the real contenders to win the US Open can head to New York City with a big title in the bag. Covering will not be easy against this handicap mark, but the expectation is that Iga Swiatek will have enough Break Point chances to do that if she maintains current serving levels against an opponent that has struggled to deal with the Pole on the Tour.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 6-8, - 2.63 Units (14 Units Staked, - 18.79% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 22nd February)

The Tour will conclude moving through the Middle East next week in Dubai when the ATP 500 event is played, but the WTA Tour completes the 1000 event that has been played this past week.

The Final involves two young players that may end up fighting it out for Grand Slam titles in the future and both have had very good weeks with big wins behind them.

Before the ATP 500 event in Dubai, the ATP Doha Final is played after two tough Semi Final matches were completed.

Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 games v Clara Tauson: Some of the leading names on the WTA Tour are Grand Slam Champions, but two young players have worked their way through to the Final in Dubai in a big 1000 event.

There is a huge amount of expectation on the shoulders of 22 year old Clara Tauson and 17 year old Mirra Andreeva and the two players have seen off Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina on their way through to the Final. It is Tauson who beat the current World Number 1, but Andreeva's two wins over Swiatek and Rybakina are plenty impressive and suffice to say the two youngsters deserve their spot in a showcase spot.

It is a situation that both teams will believe their player will be involved in at Grand Slam level in the years ahead, but there is some pressure to put a big title in the trophy cabinet. Both Clara Tauson and Mirra Andreeva will know what kind of spark winning a WTA 1000 event could have for their relatively young careers and both are already assured of ending this tournament with a career best World Ranking.

A win for Mirra Andreeva would actually take her into the top 10 for the first time, while a victory for her opponent would push Clara Tauson into the top 20.

Neither player will be thinking of anything other than winning the match and the slight edge may have to be given to Mirra Andreeva and her capabilities on the return of serve.

Take nothing away from the way the two players have been backing up the first serve with over 70% of points won when that serve lands, and they both have a similar success rate in getting the first serve in play. However, Mirra Andreeva may feel she protects her second serve a little more effectively than Clara Tauson has been this week, and overall on the hard courts in 2025, and that may be a difference.

It certainly suggests Andreeva can get into the rallies and show off her superior returning ability and that may just see the younger player find a way to win this match.

Clara Tauson has battled through adversity this week, and that has to be given credit, but Mirra Andreeva showed her character in fighting back to beat Elena Rybakina in a third set decider. You cannot rule out the Dane if she is behind, but Mirra Andreeva can make a few headlines by winning this big title before moving onto the North American hard court events in Indian Wells and Miami.

Jack Draper-Andrey Rublev over 23.5 games: Both Semi Final matches lasted well into the third hour and it is Jack Draper and Andrey Rublev who have earned the opportunity to win the title in Doha.

Both players have also shown plenty of character having come through in three sets in each of the last two Rounds- Jack Draper dropped the first set against both Matteo Berrettini and Jiri Lehecka before fighting back, while Andrey Rublev dropped the middle set in the Quarter Final and Semi Final and won a final set tie-breaker against both Alex De Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime to progress.

With that in mind, you have to think both Draper and Rublev are going to be filled with confidence when they take to the court with a big title on the line.

After an inconsistent start to 2025 either through injury or being out of form, this is a big chance for Jack Draper and Andrey Rublev to just put a spark behind them and push on for even bigger and better things going forward.

The serve has been a big weapon for both Jack Draper and Andrey Rublev this week and this is going to be a key shot again.

Jack Draper has held 93% of the service games played, while Andrey Rublev has done the same in 92% of his service games.

The British player has had a bit more success on the return of serve, but Break Points are going to be hard to come by in this match and there is every chance it is a Final that surpasses this total games line that has been set.

Andrey Rublev may hold the mental advantage having won all three previous matches against Jack Draper, but they have not faced one another since 2023 and the latter has won a set in two of the three matches played. We know Jack Draper is much better than he was back then, but it might be a tough task in breaking down Andrey Rublev's game and this looks like a match that will potentially go long.

MY PICKS: Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jack Draper-Andrey Rublev Over 23.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 7-7, - 0.92 Units (14 Units Staked, - 6.57% Yield)

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)

ATP World Tour Finals Day 8 Picks 2024- Men's Final (Sunday 17th November)

The last big Singles match in the 2024 season will decide the Champion of the World Tour Finals and it is a match that we have already seen in Turin.

Both Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner were playing in the same Group and they will meet with the title on the line on Sunday in what is also a repeat of the US Open Final from September.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Taylor Fritz: After wins over Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon and the US Open, Taylor Fritz dug in to see off the German in a very close, competitive Semi Final on Saturday.

This means Taylor Fritz has surpassed his own expectations of the tournament and he has certainly gotten the mental edge over Zverev, but backing that up and winning the biggest title of his career is going to be another significant challenge for the American.

He may have had a bit more time to rest and recover ahead of the Final, but Jannik Sinner made very easy work of Casper Ruud in his own Semi Final and so that is not expected to be a factor.

There is no doubt that the toughest win that Sinner has had in this tournament was against Taylor Fritz in the Group- he has broken the other three opponents at least three times, but Jannik Sinner was 'only' able to do that twice against Fritz in that match.

What should be noted is that Jannik Sinner had considerably more success on the return of serve against Taylor Fritz than anyone has managed in Turin. Taylor Fritz has won at least 70% of the service points played in each of the three wins this week, but that number dropped to 62% against Jannik Sinner and there is no doubt that the underdog will be under more pressure to hit his marks.

At his best, Taylor Fritz can do that, but he invested a lot into the Semi Final win over Alexander Zverev and the scoreboard pressure could be tough to deal with.

Jannik Sinner has served at a high level all week and he will likely keep Taylor Fritz contained on this side of the court, while building the pressure with his return.

Covering this spread will not be easy, especially if Taylor Fritz wins the toss and decides to serve first.

However, the Italian World Number 1 has found a way to get on top of the Fritz serve for long enough to create the Break Points and, ultimately, move into a position to win the title with a good looking win on the scoreboard. Last season Sinner had to face an opponent he had beaten in the Group Stage in the Final of this tournament and was beaten by Novak Djokovic, but twelve months on and Sinner is the best hard court player in the world who can round out 2024 with yet another strong win on the surface.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Tour Finals Update: 10-4, + 4.46 Units (14 Units Staked, + 31.86% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2024 (Saturday 24th February)

We are down to the last couple of days of the latest week on the ATP/WTA Tour, although three of the four events that have been focused on are actually coming to a close on Saturday rather than Sunday.

The Finals in Dubai, Doha and Los Cabos are all scheduled for Saturday- the former two events are played in the Middle East where Finals tend to be concluded on the Saturday, while Los Cabos have organised a way for their players reaching the business end of the tournament to have a bit of recovery time if they are going to be playing at any of the big ATP 500 events that are set for next week before attention turns to Indian Wells and Miami.

Any selections from the two tournaments in Central and South America will be added when the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals are concluded, while there won't be a selection from the ATP Doha Final.

The lean is with Karen Khachanov there, but Jakub Mensik has overcome the odds and the numbers and is playing with a real belief that could be tough to shake off.

Instead the sole Pick so far is from the surprising WTA Final in Dubai as the focus begins to shift towards a new week once this one hopefully comes to a positive conclusion.

Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: Wins over three top 10 Ranked opponents has pushed Anna Kalinskaya into the biggest match of her career and a real opportunity to back up her run at the Australian Open.

A new career high World Ranking awaits when those are published on Monday morning, but a place inside the top 20 will be secured if Anna Kalinskaya can win the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.

Her opponent is also something of a surprise considering this is one of the top events outside of the Grand Slam events that players on the WTA Tour will play. Jasmine Paolini has perhaps not had as tough a run as Anna Kalinskaya, who has beaten the World Number 9, Number 3 and Number 1 in consecutive Rounds, but the Italian has made her way through the draw against three players who are Ranked higher than herself.

Benefiting from Elena Rybakina's withdrawal ahead of the Quarter Final match will have helped, but it has been a solid year so far for Jasmine Paolini who has cracked the top 20 of the World Rankings.

There is no doubting the level being produced by Jasmine Paolini, but she is going to be facing an opponent who is getting plenty of joy out of her first serve and who has been playing elite tennis from the baseline. Any player that can rally with Iga Swiatek and begin to overpower the World Number 1 has to be given plenty of respect.

Anna Kalinskaya also has a slight mental edge having crushed Jasmine Paolini at the Australian Open last month.

She served with real intensity in that Fourth Round match and the conditions in Dubai are clearly favouring the big hitting produced by the Russian who had to come through the Qualifiers to even make the main draw.

That does mean she has played a lot of tennis this week, but Anna Kalinskaya will have a couple of weeks off after this match and she can put her all into it.

Jasmine Paolini will not roll over and has shown some quality form to reach the Final herself, but she is not quite playing as well as Anna Kalinskaya who has been producing her results against some of the very best players on the Tour. Emotionally this is a step down with the expectation on Kalinskaya's shoulders after being the underdog in the last couple of Rounds, but she has shown she can handle those in the earlier Rounds and can be backed to win the biggest title of her career.

MY PICKS: Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Week Update: 18-13, + 5.50 Units (62 Units Staked, + 8.87% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2023 (July 23rd)

The poor start to the week was always going to be very difficult to overcome, but it perhaps should have been a stronger end to the latest set of tournaments than we have had.

Some of the losses have been in matches where the selections have dominated the Break Point count, but found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and those have been the Picks that have made it very tough to get back on track following the poor Tuesday opening to the week.

On Sunday we are going to have the Finals played at the tournaments that have been running this week and there are some decent matches set to take place.

A big clay court event is coming up in Hamburg next week, but there are also stops in Umag and Atlanta to come as the run towards the US Open begins in the United States.

Late finishes in the WTA events in Budapest and Palermo means those markets have not been created at the time of writing and any selections will be added to this thread on Sunday, at least a couple of hours before those Finals are scheduled to be played.

Pedro Cachin - 1.5 games v Albert Ramos: All of the veteran players on the Tour that have won titles like Albert Ramos have to be respected and even at this stage of their careers they can put in a surge in one week to take home another trophy.

Albert Ramos has won a title on the clay courts in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and the victory four years ago was right here in Gstaad... That will give him confident at the end of a strong week where Ramos has shown his battling qualities by winning a deciding set three times in four victories.

It does mean he has played a lot of tennis compared with Pedro Cachin who has won all of his matches in straight sets and spent considerably less time on the court compared with the Spaniard.

Add in the fact that Pedro Cachin looks to be an improving player on the Tour who has produced solid, if unspectacular clay court numbers all season. His serve has been an important weapon in the Gstaad conditions, while Albert Ramos has had to return well to make up for the fact that his own serve has been a touch vulnerable.

A first ATP Final is going to mean nerves for Pedro Cachin, but his tennis should be good enough to win this match against Albert Ramos. Outside of the Second Round win over Roberto Bautista Agut, Pedro Cachin has broken at least four times in all three other wins in Gstaad, while Cachin has only dropped serve four times all week.

The expectation is that Albert Ramos will test him with the way he has been returning this week, although the lefty is likely to feel the pressure from the returning that Pedro Cachin has also been able to produce.

Controlling nerves is never easy in a first Final at this level, but Pedro Cachin can earn the majority of the Break Points and that can help him win this and cover this mark.

Casper Ruud - 1.5 games v Andrey Rublev: The top two Seeds in Bastad have made it through to the Final on Sunday and this has become familiar for fans of Casper Ruud.

After Wimbledon, Ruud has taken advantage of his clay court quality to win a number of European events on the red dirt in the last couple of years and he is a narrow favourite in the Bastad Final. That may be down to his clay court expertise, but also the fact he had a much more straight-forward win in the Semi Final compared with Andrey Rublev who needed three sets to beat Francisco Cerundolo in a tough encounter.

It took considerably longer than Ruud's Semi Final win, and Andrey Rublev had to win the second Semi Final which means less time to prepare for the Final.

He did win the first four matches against Casper Ruud on the Tour, but three of those were when Andrey Rublev was Ranked considerably higher than the Norwegian. However, all three clay court matches between the pair were won in those four matches and Andrey Rublev will certainly have some confidence behind him knowing that is the case.

On the other hand, Casper Ruud will be feeling pretty good that he has won their last two Tour matches on the hard courts of the Tour Finals. He has also reached the French Open Final twice since losing his last clay court match to Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud has been serving very well in Bastad this week, which could be key to the outcome of this Final.

As well as Rublev has been serving, he has not been as effective on the return in this tournament compared with Casper Ruud and the anticipation is for a competitive Final to have the narrow inches landing in favour of the top Seed.

Casper Ruud has only gone 2-2 against top 20 Ranked opponents this season on the clay courts, while Andrey Rublev has a solid 5-1 record in that same situation.

Three sets in this Final would not be a surprise and the sets should be competitive, but Casper Ruud can find a bit more energy to win the big points at key times to just earn yet another summer title on the red dirt.

Kateryna Baindl - 1.5 games v Maria Timofeeva: Just a few words on the Budapest Final with the markets now completed and a selection made.

It has been a remarkable week for the 19 year old who has entered the draw as the World Number 246 and a Lucky Loser, but Maria Timofeeva has been winning behind tight margins. She spent well over three hours on court in her Semi Final and has played a lot of tennis already this week, while Timofeeva has faced seven more Break Points than she has created in her last two matches.

Playing the big points well is clearly a good sign, but Maria Timofeeva has not shown a strong tendency to do that before Budapest and it feels like an outlier rather than a general rule when it comes to her tennis.

It is expected that the younger player will have chances in this match as Kateryna Baindl hsa not been serving at a really high level in this tournament. The Ukrainian had to win two matches on Saturday after her Quarter Final had been rained out the day before, but Baindl has been returning well this week and that should see her earn the majority of Break Points.

Of course that doesn't mean she will take them, but the play is backing Baindl to come through in three sets and do enough to cover this mark.

MY PICKS: Pedro Cachin - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Kateryna Baindl - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 13-15, - 6.02 Units (56 Units Staked, - 10.75% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Picks 2023 (March 19th)

Most of the ATP and WTA Tour participants would have made the journey across the United States from Indian Wells to Miami as the next Masters event on the calendar begins on Tuesday with the WTA First Round, but four players remain in California.

Both Indian Wells Finals are to be played on Sunday and both look like they could produce a lot of fun tennis for those attending.

I was a touch disappointed with the 1-1 return for the Tennis Picks on Saturday, although it was perhaps a fair reflection of the performances of those selections.

Daniil Medvedev could have easily covered the big line against Frances Tiafoe having missed a number of Break Points to move into a position to do that, although Carlos Alcaraz did have to fight through a very tough match against Jannik Sinner, which could have gone the other way.

It has still been a very strong tournament for the Tennis Picks and finishing off the right way on Sunday is all that I am thinking about now.

Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 games v Elena Rybakina: A rematch of the Australian Open Final will take place on the hard courts of Indian Wells when the WTA Final is played and you could make a case for Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina to be two of the best three players in the world.

Not many are in stronger form than the reigning Australian Open Champion and Elena Rybakina would be a top four Ranked player if she had received the Ranking points from winning Wimbledon last year. I think both will feel they can have a massive impact at Wimbledon in July, assuming Sabalenka will be allowed to compete this year, and these head to head matches throughout the year on the Tour can provide a mental edge if they are to come up against one another in those big Slam matches.

At the moment Aryna Sabalena has the edge over Elena Rybakina and I think she will frank that with a win in this Final.

Both are big hitters who want to get on the front foot, while the serve is a potent weapon for the two players.

I am not surprised that so many of their previous matches have needed a deciding set when you consider how important a single break of serve can be in matches between them.

Aryna Sabalenka has had the better of the returning numbers this week and that was the case in Melbourne back in January- I think that is likely to be the outcome of this one as Sabalenka closes in on the World Number 1 Ranking a little further.

Carlos Alcaraz v Daniil Medvedev: After eighteen months where Daniil Medvedev has not kicked on as far as it looked was possible, he is looking for a Masters title at Indian Wells which will have him back amongst the very top players on the ATP Tour.

Winning the title will not improve his World Ranking, but it will give Medvedev confidence to take into the next Masters event in Miami and maybe even for the clay court season if he can win on what he considers to be a slow surface.

The World Number 1 Ranking is on the line for Carlos Alcaraz and a win would take him back past Novak Djokovic- the Spaniard missed the Australian Open which was won by Djokovic, but the absence of the latter for these two American Masters events have opened the door for Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the clay court season when he may be considered the favourite alongside Novak Djokovic to win the next Grand Slam event at the French Open.

His return to the hard courts could not have gone much better and I do think the conditions will suit Carlos Alcaraz more than Daniil Medvedev. The numbers from the tournament have backed that up with Alcaraz getting a bit more out of his return as he looks to square up the professional match head to head with Daniil Medvedev at 1-1.

The highest Ranked player beaten by Medvedev at the Indian Wells tournament has been Alexander Zverev, the current World Number 14, but Carlos Alcaraz has seen off Felix Auger-Aliassime (World Number 10) and Jannik Sinner (World Number 13) and still produced the stronger numbers at the tournament.

Both are extremely confident hard court players, which has to be respected, but I think the conditions are more favourable to Carlos Alcaraz and he can find a way to come through as the favourite in the ATP Final.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 23-14, + 11.01 Units (75 Units Staked, + 14.68% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 25th)

The four tournaments being played in three different venues will come to a conclusion on Saturday as the attention has firmly turned to the end of the grass court season.

Everything culminates with the third Grand Slam tournament of the 2022 season as Wimbledon is set to begin on Monday and it looks like we will have two largely dry weeks in South West London.

I will have fuller thoughts on the two draws and potential winners in the Day 1 Picks for the tournament that will get underway soon, but this thread is focused on the conclusion of the warm up events with four Finals scheduled to be played on Saturday.

After a mixed Friday, I am only focusing on the two WTA Finals to be played in Eastbourne and Bad Homburg before my own attention also shifts to Wimbledon. It has been a solid week for the Tennis Picks and one I am looking to round off with a flourish.

Petra Kvitova v Jelena Ostapenko: The two time Wimbledon Champion has come into form at a good time, although I am never convinced that winning a tournament in the week prior to a Grand Slam is the best timing. In saying that, Petra Kvitova needed to pick up some confidence and I am a little surprised to see her set as the underdog in the Final in Eastbourne.

I have to credit the defending Champion Jelena Ostapenko for producing a strong week and she has long been an effective grass court player. The former French Open Champion has a big, aggressive game that is well suited to the surface and Jelena Ostapenko has enjoyed considerable success on the grass courts.

Her numbers have backed that up in recent seasons on the grass, but there is no doubting how much Petra Kvitova enjoys playing on the green stuff herself.

The consistency has been lacking over the last twelve months, but Petra Kvitova has found her serve this week and she has some strong wins behind her. The Semi Final victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia is particularly impressive considering how well the Brazilian has been playing on the grass and Petra Kvitova will feel her serve can at least contain some of the aggressive returning that will be produced by Jelena Ostapenko.

She is also getting plenty of first serves in play to make things a bit easier, while Jelena Ostapenko's first serve percentage will need to be significantly improved to avoid having an aggressive Kvitova get after the second serve. If the firsts are landing, Ostapenko can play first-strike tennis in a Final that should see both players looking to get on the front foot and pile the pressure on their opponent.

I do think that is where the high percentage of first serves landing will give Petra Kvitova an edge, although Jelena Ostapenko has been the stronger returner of the two.

Jelena Ostapenko looks to be peaking in time for the Final, but Petra Kvitova has only faced two break points since her Third Round win over Katie Boulter. I think that is key to the outcome of this one and I think Petra Kvitova will overturn a tight loss to Jelena Ostapenko from their sole meeting in 2022 which came on the hard courts in Dubai.

The Czech lefty was unfortunate that day, but I think she is playing well enough to earn the edges in this Final and can win as the underdog.

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 games v Caroline Garcia: The benefit of having a walkover in the Semi Final will have helped Bianca Andreescu in winning this Final, but I also think she has been playing the stronger grass court tennis of the two competing.

I am a little biased towards Bianca Andreescu as a big fan of her tennis, but her numbers have backed up a decent run on the grass courts and I think she could have a strong impact at Wimbledon next week. That will be the focus for the Canadian, but she will also be aware that Angelique Kerber used a title win here to reach the last four at Wimbledon last year and so winning the Bad Homburg tournament could be a huge boost for Bianca Andreescu.

She is up against Caroline Garcia who needed almost three hours on court to win her Semi Final on Friday, while it cannot be ignored that the fortune has been on the side of the Frenchwoman in her run to this Final.

I have to credit Garcia for playing the big points as well as she has, but the margins are tight and she will need to overcome some fatigue, emotional and physical, to be able to win the big points in this one too. Running out of energy will be a tough obstacle to overcome for Caroline Garcia against someone like Bianca Andreescu, while the serve will have to be working as it has been in the last couple of Rounds.

Caroline Garcia has saved twenty-four out of twenty-eight break points faced in her last three matches, but it is hard to imagine her continuing to get out of those jams consistently. In the Final she will be facing a player who has found at least three breaks of serve in every match played on the grass in 2022 and Bianca Andreescu has put a lot of pressure on her opponents by winning 46% of return points played on the surface over the last month.

Her own serve can be a little inconsistent, but Caroline Garcia is not exactly the most dominant of return players and I do think Bianca Andreescu can contain her threat. In her three wins here this week, the former US Open Champion has only been broken three times and has faced just ten break points, which is fewer than Caroline Garcia had to face in just her Quarter Final match alone.

With the additional time to rest, Bianca Andreescu looks like she has all the tools to win her first title since that aforementioned US Open in 2019 as the Canadian begins her climb back to the kind of level she belongs amongst the very elite of the WTA Tour.

MY PICKS: Petra Kvitova @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 33-26, + 6.06 Units (116 Units Staked, + 5.22% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 19th)

A wet day in Birmingham means both Semi Finals and Final at that tournament will be played on the same day, but the other events have all managed to get through their Saturday schedules.

We have all of the Finals scheduled for Sunday on the same day the last events before Wimbledon are set to begin. I won't have any Picks from the First Round matches that will get those events underway on Sunday as first I concentrate on ending this week with something of a flourish.

Daniil Medvedev-Hubert Hurkacz over 23.5 games: Despite the ban that is going to prevent Daniil Medvedev from playing at Wimbledon, the current World Number 1 has continued to shine on the grass courts. He will be playing in his second Final on the surface in two weeks and will also be competing in Mallorca to make sure the Ranking points are put in the bank before the move onto the hard courts in the build towards the US Open.

I would not be surprised if Daniil Medvedev decides to play a tournament or two in July to make sure he doesn't lose any match sharpness before looking to defend the Grand Slam title he won last season. For now his main focus is making sure he continues to perform at a high level on the grass courts, although Daniil Medvedev will also be looking to be much more competitive than he was in the upset loss last week in Hertogenbosch.

This has not always been the best match up for Daniil Medvedev having split four matches with Hubert Hurtkacz over the last twelve months. The first one of those was played between these two in an epic match at Wimbledon that lasted five sets and there really has not been much between two solid servers.

It has been a strong week for Hubert Hurkacz who has upset Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Quarter Final and then come from behind to beat Nick Kyrgios in the Semi Final. The character and mental strength shown by Hubert Hurkacz to win the match against the Australian without breaking serve once is going to be a huge factor in how far he can go at Wimbledon again, and I do think he has the serving power to keep this one competitive even in a two set loss.

Both of these players have produced very strong serving numbers in their run to the Halle Final and that is backed up by the fact that Daniil Medvedev has held 97% of his service games and Hubert Hurkacz has held 94% of his . You can't ignore the fact that Medvedev has faced a lot more break points than Hubert Hurkacz, but he has played the big points well and has held 88% of his service games played in the four matches against this opponent.

Daniil Medvedev has a huge advantage when it comes to the returning numbers in Halle this week, but Hubert Hurkacz is confident with his serve and has held 90% of his service games against the World Number 1. I do think there will be at least one tie-breaker needed in this one and the matches have been competitive enough to see three of the four needing a deciding set to determine the winner.

That is a real possibility in this Final and I do think both can be confident in the serving they have been producing for this match to go pretty long and cover this total set.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev-Hubert Hurkacz Over 23.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Matteo Berrettini - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 26-25, - 4.04 Units (106 Units Staked, - 3.81% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 12th)

A solid return on Saturday has given me a chance to end the first grass court tournaments with a winning record, but there are four Finals to get through before these events can be placed in the books.

Much bigger events are coming up next week with the tournaments in London, Halle, Berlin and Birmingham offering up big Ranking points and deeper fields than we have seen this week. It is also the week when the majority of the top names will play their last events before Wimbledon begins later this month.

Matteo Berrettini v Andy Murray: If you were solely concentrating on the names in the draw, seeing Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini in the Final of this grass court tournament in Stuttgart would be no surprise.

However, there are circumstances around both players that has perhaps led to this being a surprising Final.

Matteo Berrettini missed the entirety of the clay court season and there may have been some match rustiness to shake off when playing here in Stuttgart. He did reach the Final of Wimbledon after winning the big title in Queens last year, but even then you may have felt that the Italian would need a little bit of time to round back into the kind of form that has seen him become one of the top names on the Tour.

On the other side, Andy Murray chose to miss much of the clay court season in order to prepare for Wimbledon and he is very comfortable on the grass courts. He was a beaten Semi Finalist in a Challenger event in Surbiton last week and we have yet to see Murray really put the wins together as he has in Stuttgart, but he has upset a couple of opponents on his way to this Final.

It will give Andy Murray confidence and the serve has been improved since his wobble in the win over Alexander Bublik and it is so important for Murray to try and pick up cheaper points. He is facing someone who has not always been the most effective return player, but Matteo Berrettini has the kind of serve that can see him roll through service games and build scoreboard pressure to break down an opponent.

We all know how good a return player Andy Murray can be and his numbers have been stronger than Matteo Berrettini's this week, although he did only win 24% of return points against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Italian is a stronger server than Tsitsipas and he will feel he can put Andy Murray under more pressure and make enough returns on the second serve to win this match.

Last year Matteo Berrettini crushed Andy Murray at Queen's Club in London on this surface, and it was a day in which the former returned very well to back up his big serve.

This should be a close and competitive Final, but I have to give a very slight edge to Matteo Berrettini who looks very happy on the surface and he can win a match that could go the distance before both players head to London.

MY PICKS: Matteo Berrettini @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 19-15, + 3.62 Units (68 Units Staked, + 5.25% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2022 (March 20th)

The Indian Wells Masters comes to a conclusion on Sunday with both ATP and WTA Finals set to be played on the same day.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: A World Number 6 should have played in a WTA 1000 Final before, but Maria Sakkari will be doing that for the first time on Sunday. She has become a consistent player at the top of the WTA Tour, but it also underlines the feeling that the Tour is lacking serial winners at the moment when a player can reach those heights in the Rankings without playing in the Finals of the biggest events.

She has reached the Final at the WTA 500 level earlier this season, while Maria Sakkari may be quite content with the potential match up in this Final against an opponent she has largely gotten the better of in their previous meetings.

Iga Swiatek did snap the losing run to Maria Sakkari by beating her earlier this season and it has been a very strong tournament for the former French Open Champion. The slower conditions in Indian Wells have suited her, but Maria Sakkari has looked very happy here too and I think it has the makings of a quality Final.

Both players will be very happy with their level- Iga Swiatek has had the edge with her returning numbers, but Maria Sakkari has served really well throughout the tournament and has yet to drop a set.

In their three matches in 2021, Iga Swiatek was unable to deal with the Maria Sakkari serve and was beaten in all three in straight sets. Two of those defeats came on the hard courts, but the Polish player did get the better of Sakkari in Doha last month and that will give her a real mental boost.

On that day it was Iga Swiatek's return which proved to be the difference between the players and she has won around 7% more points on the return than Maria Sakkari in this tournament. The Greek player has been really good behind the serve in the tournament, but I do think Iga Swiatek will be much happier with the match up after beating this opponent in Doha in the Semi Final.

Emotionally I am expecting Iga Swiatek to cope with the experience a little better than Maria Sakkari, who will know all about the lack of big titles, and I think that will lead to a win for the higher Ranked player.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2021- WTA Finals/ATP Finals (November 17th)

The WTA Finals is due to be completed on Wednesday and that will put down a period on the 2021 WTA Tour, while the ATP World Tour Finals will be two thirds of the way through the Group Stage.

There is still some Davis Cup tennis to be played, but most players will just be glad to have an opportunity to rest up and get ready for another long season on the Tour. Hopefully 2022 will prove to be a much more familiar looking calendar for the players and that should mean a more consistent year for the Tennis Picks which will likely resume at the Australian Open in January.

I am still focusing on trying to have a strong week and make sure this month ends with some good returns, but there is work to do towards that goal.

Novak Djokovic - 4.5 games v Andrey Rublev: Both of these players have gotten off to winning starts at the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin and the winner of this one will virtually assure themselves of a place in the Semi Final. That is the minimum that Novak Djokovic will have expected of himself going into the tournament having won the Paris Masters, while Andrey Rublev has a big opportunity after upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening match.

The expectation is that both of these players will work their way through and Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev produced some top tennis in their opening Group matches. That will be encouraging for their chances the deeper they go in the tournament, but it would be a mistake to look too far ahead.

Novak Djokovic made a slow start in his win over Casper Ruud, but he dominated after dropping serve early and it could have been a more comfortable day in the office if he had taken his chances in the first set. He did exert his quality on the return of serve in the second set though and the conditions didn't really bother the World Number 1 as much as it has seemingly had an effect on others at the World Tour Finals.

He should be challenged much more in this match by Andrey Rublev who has a very good serve and who will be plenty confident after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas. The poor end to the regular season may have contributed to the underdog status that Andrey Rublev had going into the match, but he has been a really strong hard court player and the serve can be followed by big groundstrokes that could see him put Novak Djokovic under pressure.

The difference between the players is likely going to be the significantly more confident return game that Novak Djokovic has compared with Andrey Rublev. As I have mentioned, the poor end to the regular season means Rublev may still be battling his own confidence even after the win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and I think the World Number 1 can win this first meeting between these players.

Andrey Rublev does hold plenty of top ten wins on the hard courts in his career and I do think the Russian has the kind of game that can take the racquet out of the hand of his opponent. Doing that against Novak Djokovic is an altogether different kind of test and I do think the return game of the top Seed will put Andrey Rublev under pressure.

His serve was effective in the win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev can be strong behind this shot as proven by his numbers over the last three seasons on this surface, but a first meeting with Novak Djokovic can be an eye-opening experience. The form has simply not been that good in the last few weeks and I think Novak Djokovic is playing with a real motivation which can help him win a second match at the Tour Finals and he can also cover this wide looking mark too.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 games v Casper Ruud: An opening defeat at the Tour Finals is not fatal, but losing two matches in a row makes it very difficult to progress to the Semi Final. That means there will be some pressure on Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud when they take to the court on Wednesday evening, although both players have been bullish about their chances of having a real impact in the tournament.

It has not been the best end to the season for Stefanos Tsitsipas and that has to be a concern for his fans. Three losses in a row should not have dented the confidence too badly, but I do wonder if the long season has taken a toll on the Greek player who will have perhaps been expecting more from himself.

Winning Grand Slams is the kind of level that Stefanos Tsitsipas feels he should be operating at, but he came up a little short in that regard. He does look to be a much more competent hard court player these days though and it has been another season in which Stefanos Tsitsipas has shown an improvement on the returning side of his tennis on this surface.

We did not see anything like his best tennis in the opening match, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has to know that he is going up against Casper Ruud, a player that has struggled when he has played the top players of the Tour and especially on the hard courts. The youngster is improving and he showed some toughness to hang with Novak Djokovic through the first set in his opening Tour Finals match, but Casper Ruud couldn't maintain his level and was eventually seen off pretty comfortably.

Casper Ruud may be the fresher player, despite the really long season he has been involved in, and that may give him the chance of the upset, but he has to show he can compete with the top players. That is a mental hurdle for him to overcome on the hard courts and Casper Ruud's numbers in the opening match were not very encouraging even though he earned a tie-breaker in the opening set.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was largely outplayed by Andrey Rublev, but this feels like a match against an opponent who may be a level below the Russian.

In their sole previous hard court match, Stefanos Tsitsipas won pretty comfortably and it was a considerable edge behind the serve which proved to be the difference maker. I think that could be the case in this match too and I am looking for Stefanos Tsitsipas to bounce back and earn the win to give himself a chance of progressing to the Semi Final.

Garbine Muguruza + 2.5 games v Anett Kontaveit: In most weeks on the Tour you only play an opponent once in each tournament, but that is not the case at the Tour Finals to conclude the season.

This is the second time Garbine Muguruza and Anett Kontaveit are playing one another over the last four days, but this time the trophy is on the line. It was the Spaniard who won when they met in the Group and it was that win which has taken Garbine Muguruza through to the Knock Out Rounds of the WTA Finals and she has won three matches in a row.

In each of those wins, Garbine Muguruza has shown an improvement and she looks to be peaking at the right time to win the WTA Finals. One of those was earned against Anett Kontaveit and it was that victory that helped Muguruza out of the Group Stage, although by that point Kontaveit had won both matches and had guaranteed her passage through to the Semi Final.

Both players deservedly won their Semi Final matches, but Garbine Muguruza managed to do that in a much quicker time and without the drama that accompanied Anett Kontaveit's win over Maria Sakkari. Garbine Muguruza has had a few more hours to recover too and I do think she is one of the top momentum players on the WTA Tour and will be very difficult to stop now she has reached the Final with three straight wins behind her.

The win over Anett Kontaveit in the Group will have given Garbine Muguruza confidence and she has served really well in the last couple of matches. That is going to be very important for her again, but we did see Anett Kontaveit produce another strong performance out of her own serve in the win over Sakkari in the Semi Final.

Anett Kontaveit has been the more consistent player behind the serve in the tournament, but Garbine Muguruza has found a real rhythm on that shot. The key to the outcome of the Final will very much be which of the two players is able to keep themselves together mentally and be able to find the big serves when they matter the most.

I really don't think there is much between the players- Muguruza may hold a narrow mental edge, but Kontaveit is playing about as well as she has at any time in 2021. She did blow Garbine Muguruza away in Moscow, but the conditions here and the support of the crowd look to be favouring the Spaniard.

I will not be surprised if we need to see three sets to determine the winner and I do think the game being given to Garbine Muguruza may be a little more appealing than backing either to win outright. It could go very long in the form both are displaying, but I think Garbine Muguruza is in very strong form and continues to show positive improvement in each passing match here.

One more progressive step should be enough to secure the title and I will back Garbine Muguruza with a start on the Handicap.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Garbine Muguruza + 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Olympic Tennis Day 9 Picks 2021 (August 1st)

The Tokyo Olympics are concluded for the Tennis tournament on Sunday with the Men's Gold Medal match and I do think it has the potential of being a good one.

Karen Khachanov + 3.5 games v Alexander Zverev: The Gold Medal has been decided in the Women's event and the Bronze Medal in both the Women's and Men's event was also played on Saturday. That leaves the Sunday clear for the Men's Gold Medal match between Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov as they look to secure the biggest title of their careers which could spark more to come at Grand Slam level.

The challenge in the Grand Slams is different in the best of five set format, but this Gold Medal match has changed format back into the best of the three set format. That should aid both Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov, although the pressure of winning a major title is something they will be relatively unfamiliar with.

Alexander Zverev has experienced playing in a US Open Final and that should help him massively in the Gold Medal match. He did blow a strong opportunity to win that Slam last year, but the German is coming off a confidence boosting win over the World Number 1 and he is going to head into the Final as a significant favourite.

The tournament has been a really strong one for Alexander Zverev and that will further the belief in the player that he can win this Gold Medal and perhaps use it to spark further success on the Tour. Alexander Zverev's serve is a big weapon, but the conditions have suited him in Tokyo when it comes to the return and that makes him very dangerous.

However, I don't think you can draw a line through the chances of Karen Khachanov who had a very strong win in the Semi Final and looks to be at home in the conditions himself. He has spent longer on the court than Alexander Zverev, but Karen Khachanov has had a couple of days off and the comfortable win in the Semi Final will have given him ample time to refresh and get ready for the biggest match of his career.

Like Zverev, Karen Khachanov has been really strong behind his serve and I think that gives him a chance of the upset. The Russian has also been impressive on the return and his head to head with Alexander Zverev will certainly offer further encouragement.

It has been a couple of years since these players last met on the professional Tour, but Karen Khachanov has won the last two matches to pull himself back to 2-2 against Alexander Zverev. Both those wins have come on a faster hard court than the one that they will be playing on in Tokyo, but they are two wins that will give Karen Khachanov a lot of belief in his ability to knock off the favourite.

Over their three previous hard court matches, Karen Khachanov has held in 88% of service games played against Alexander Zverev compared with the 64% mark of the latter. Karen Khachanov has dominated the break points created in the last two matches between the pair and I do think the Russian can be backed with a start to at least keep this one close.

I think he can take a set which would give him the chance of the cover and Karen Khachanov is worth siding with in this Gold Medal match before all the players move across to North America for preparation towards the US Open.

MY PICKS: Karen Khachanov + 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Olympic Game: 25-18, + 4.06 Units (88 Units Staked, + 4.61% Yield)