Tennis Picks 2022 (April 9th)

A couple of the Tennis Picks returned as losses on Friday, but both players had won the first set in those matches so the feeling was that the research and identification of selections were on the right track.

Thankfully four of the six Tennis Picks came back as winners and that has turned this week around after a horrific 0-4 start.

The four tournaments being played this week are concluded over the weekend, while the Monte Carlo Masters begins on Sunday. That is the next big stop on the Tour, although only for the ATP players with this week being an empty one at the WTA Tour level with Fed Cup matches scheduled next weekend.

I am hoping to put some momentum behind the Tennis Picks into the next week on the tough slog of a Tour by putting together another winning day.

Laslo Djere - 1.5 games v Alex Molcan: Both of these players have put together a strong tournament in Marrakech and there is a real opportunity in front of them to win an ATP Tour title.

Alex Molcan and Laslo Djere are comfortable clay court players and that should make this a close Semi Final.

However, I am leaning towards Laslo Djere to get the better of Alex Molcan having produced the much stronger numbers in the tournament so far. The serve has been a particular weapon for Laslo Djere who has held 89% of his service games played and that has allowed the Serbian to play with the freedom on the return that has led to breaks in 40% of return games played.

Those are very impressive numbers and will certainly give Alex Molcan something to think about if Laslo Djere can produce his best tennis here.

The left handed Slovakian has played well in the tournament, but Alex Molcan is holding 81% of service games and breaking in 27% of return games played in Marrakech. That certainly will need to be improved to win this Semi Final, while I think it is difficult to ignore the fact that Alex Molcan has largely struggled with the step up to take on top 100 Ranked opponents on this surface.

He has beaten a couple of those this week, but Alex Molcan has been forced to dig deep and spend plenty of time on the court in the wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Botic Van De Zandschlup.

That could also be a factor in the Semi Final coupled with the very strong performances that Laslo Djere has put on the board and I do think he can reach another ATP Final on the clay courts. If he continues to serve as well as he has been, I think Laslo Djere will have enough to move past Alex Molcan.

MY PICKS: Laslo Djere - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Reilly Opelka @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

John Isner @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova @ 2.37 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Ons Jabeur @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 9-7, + 1.74 Units (32 Units Staked, + 5.44% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 8th)

There was a moment when the opening selection on Thursday looked to be going the same way as some of the others this week, but the player rallied to make sure they did not blow a strong winning position.

It ultimately proved to be the start of a positive day with four of the five selections returning as winners and has given me a chance of having a winning week over the next three days. We are down to the Quarter Finals at the four events being played this week and all of the Friday selections will be placed in this thread.

Roberto Carballes Baena v David Goffin: Both of these players have produced a couple of solid victories here in Marrakech on the clay courts.

The mental edge may be with David Goffin, who beat Roberto Carballes Baena in Miami last month, but that was a match on the hard courts and the latter is a confident clay court player.

That won't surprise anyone when you think of the nation he is representing, but Roberto Carballes Baena looks to be a little underrated in this one. He has won his matches with a bit more ease than David Goffin has won his and the numbers back that up.

Overall Roberto Carballes Baena has had the better clay court numbers than David Goffin over the last twelve months and he does hold a win over the Belgian on this surface. You also have to factor in the length of time that David Goffin was on the court in his Second Round win over Pablo Andujar compared with Roberto Carballes Baena who worked his way into the Quarter Final with another straight sets win.

Both of these players have had similar serving numbers on the clay courts, but it is Roberto Carballes Baena who has looked to have the superior return game. It just feels slightly off to have the Spaniard as the underdog in this match and I think he will have the edge in the returning department in this match to edge past David Goffin.

Federico Coria - 1.5 games v Richard Gasquet: He is unlikely to reach the level achieved by his older brother on the ATP Tour, but Federico Coria has enjoyed a pretty good couple of years in his own right. The Argentine is at a career best World Ranking and is a solid clay court player who may be able to have some solid runs over the next two months.

The two wins in Marrakech have come in good style this week and Federico Coria is deserving of his spot as the favourite in this Quarter Final.

Federico Coria is getting plenty out of his serve, but he has also been playing the big points pretty well this week and that has seen him improve his break percentage compared with the rest of the season on the red dirt. The level being produced on the return is encouraging and it is a level that Federico Coria will feel he can maintain.

A few years ago Richard Gasquet would have been a real test for Federico Coria and likely would have gone into this kind of match as a significant favourite. The veteran has played well and held himself together at key moments in the ATP Marrakech tournament, but Richard Gasquet may have to step up his level if he is going to win this match.

Richard Gasquet has just about held himself together at key moments in his first two matches here, but Federico Coria represents a step up in class, especially on the clay courts.

The latter has been serving a little more consistently than Richard Gasquet in this tournament and I think that shows up here to help him move through to the Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Roberto Carballes Baena @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Federico Coria - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Paula Badosa - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Ons Jabeur - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

John Isner @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 5-5, - 1.46 Units (20 Units Staked, - 7.30% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 7th)

For the second day in a row, a Pick moved into a strong position before seemingly capitulating.

It is frustrating, but part and parcel of the clay court season- my hope is that I will soon be on the right side of the small margins that are going against me right now.

Roberto Carballes Baena - 3.5 games v Joao Sousa: Both of these players were deserving winners in their First Round matches at the ATP Marrakech tournament, but it is Roberto Carballes Baena who has enjoyed much more consistent success on the clay courts.

Unlike Joao Sousa, this is not the first tournament that Roberto Carballes Baena has played on the red dirt and he has produced plenty of positive results on the clay courts so far this season. Ten wins already have come alongside six defeats, but the Spaniard has played pretty consistently and the numbers are similar to the ones that were produced in 2021.

There is room for improvement as far as the return of serve is concerned, but Roberto Carballes Baena has been slightly stronger behind serve.

He is facing a Joao Sousa coming in off a solid win over Federico Delbonis, but it has been a surprising struggle for this player on the clay courts in recent years. Joao Sousa ended up with a losing record in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the red dirt, but his win in the First Round here in Marrakech may give Sousa a boost in confidence.

Joao Sousa has mainly had issues on the clay courts because of a vulnerable serve and that has put pressure on his return. He handled that in the First Round despite giving up 10 break point opportunities to Federico Delbonis, and Joao Sousa was able to produce 14 of his own, but in recent years the return has been a problem for the Portuguese player.

The head to head has seen Roberto Carballes Baena win the last three between these players and all of those have come on the clay courts. The last of those was played in 2021 and in those matches it cannot be ignored the big edge that the Spaniard has had on serve.

Roberto Carballes Baena has held 79% of his service games played against Joao Sousa in the last three clay court matches between these players, while Sousa is at a 46% mark. The early clay court tournaments can throw up some surprises, but I think Roberto Carballes Baena is very comfortable on the surface and he should be able to back up his First Round victory with another strong performance on his way through to the Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Roberto Carballes Baena - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Botic Van De Zandschlup - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Steve Johnson-John Isner Over 25.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Madison Keys @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-4, - 6.34 Units (10 Units Staked, - 63.40% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 6th)

It has not been the best couple of days to open the clay court season on the Tour.

All three completed selections failed to win- strangely all of those players picked when on long losing runs, which can happen on the clay courts, and that ultimately was the main reason they were unable to cover.

To be fair, two of the players ended up losing outright, but Richard Gasquet did earn his place in the Second Round in ATP Marrakech. That doesn't really matter to me and it comes down to bad picks rather than bad luck to open the events being played this week.

This is only the start of the week so the three losses are a disappointment. Plenty more matches are to be scheduled before the Monte Carlo Masters begin next week.

Tallon Griekspoor - 3.5 games v Pavel Kotov: Strong performances on the clay courts in 2021 has pushed Tallon Griekspoor up the World Rankings, but you can never really tell how a player will perform in his first match on a new surface.

He has at least won a Davis Cup tie on the clay courts this season, but the Dutchman has not played in a clay court tournament since October. Tallon Griekspoor has actually won his last fifteen matches on the clay, but the real test is going to be taking his form on the Challenger Tour onto the main ATP Tour.

That is something we will come to see over the next several weeks as Tallon Griekspoor is in a position to play in some of the big clay court tournaments in the build towards the French Open.

However, that is not really the case in his opening match at the tournament in Marrakech as Tallon Griekspoor opens up against Pavel Kotov. The Russian is Ranked at World Number 172, but he has won a couple of Qualifiers and that has to be respected.

One of those wins did come against the veteran Fernando Verdasco, but Pavel Kotov has not really faced too many top players on the surface. Even then, his numbers have been relatively poor on the clay in 2021 and I do think Pavel Kotov has a vulnerable serve which can be exploited by Tallon Griekspoor.

Serving on this surface can be difficult, but Tallon Griekspoor has an edge with the level he can perform at on the clay and I think he will be able to win this First Round match by a good margin.

Nick Kyrgios - 1.5 games v Tommy Paul: The First Round match in Houston was the first time Nick Kyrgios had played a competitive match on the clay courts in almost three years.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he dropped the first set, but Nick Kyrgios has kept the positive form going by rallying and taking his place in the Second Round. For a long time the clay courts in Houston have been quicker than those these players are going to face when they head to the European events taking place before the US Open and it is the main reason so many American players and those that prefer the hard courts stay in North America for the opening clay court event of their seasons.

Nick Kyrgios has previously had some successes on the clay courts with his serve a big weapon on the surface, but in more recent times he has struggled with his return. That has not been the case overall in 2022 and the Australian looked to be in decent touch in knocking off Mackenzie McDonald in the First Round.

This is going to be a tougher test against Tommy Paul, but the American had to battle through his own First Round match and was a little fortunate that his opponent had to pull out with an injury. Tommy Paul has been an average clay court player in his career, but he did have a decent run to the Semi Final of a one year standalone event in Parma in 2021.

However, I do think Tommy Paul will have a tough time dealing with the serve that Nick Kyrgios has and the latter is returning well enough to earn the edge in the match.

It should be tight considering Tommy Paul's improvement- however, Nick Kyrgios looks to be fully motivated at the moment and I think he can be backed to move through to the Quarter Final in Houston this week.

MY PICKS: Tallon Griekspoor - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Nick Kyrgios - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 0-3, - 6 Units (6 Units Stake, - 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 4th)

The end of the Miami Masters tournament means the end of the early hard court portion of the Tour in 2022.

There is no rest on the Tour though and we are going straight into clay court tennis events being played in North America, South America and Africa this week.

I will have some selections through the week with the biggest event being the WTA Charleston tournament, although the clay courts being used there are usually significantly different to the ones the players will face when they head over to Europe in the build towards the French Open.

Monte Carlo is the next big event on deck and that will begin next week, but this is a week of opportunity for players to build Ranking points and some clay court experience this season.

Yannick Hanfmann v Carlos Taberner: Both of these players will be happy to see the Tour move onto the clay courts, but Yannick Hanfmann and Carlos Taberner are Ranked outside the top 100 and that means working their way through Qualifiers to enter main ATP Tour events.

It makes matches like this one that much more important for them to try and move the Ranking into a position where they can avoid that going forward and this is an open tournament in Morocco as the clay court season begins.

Both have played plenty of clay court tennis already this season and there is little between them in terms of their numbers. Carlos Taberner and Yannick Hanfmann have serves that can be a little vulnerable on the clay courts, but the two players have been competent return players and the feeling is that there will not be much between them in this First Round match.

Over the last twelve months, Yannick Hanfmann has been the slightly superior player when it comes to holding serve on the clay courts against some of the better players on the Tour. In general Carlos Taberner has shown a little more upside and he has won a title on the surface in a Challenger event earlier this month, but it is Yannick Hanfmann who has won their previous two matches on the Tour and that may provide the mental edge in what feels like being a close match.

It has been a couple of years since these two last met and Carlos Taberner is clearly an improved player since then, while Yannick Hanfmann has to be close to being on the slide.

However, with very little between them on the clay courts, that mental edge of having a couple of wins over Carlos Taberner may help the veteran work his way through to the Second Round with a win as the underdog.

Richard Gasquet - 2.5 games v Henri Laaksonen: Two veterans will meet in the First Round in this tournament in Morocco and it is a chance to erase some difficult matches from the mind.

Richard Gasquet is coming off an unproductive time in the United States, but Henri Laaksonen has been struggling all season for form. The latter may appreciate the move back onto the clay courts a little more than Richard Gasquet, especially as the Frenchman has not really played a lot of tennis on this surface in recent years as injuries have stalled the last stages of his career.

Last season Henri Laaksonen produced some solid results on the clay, but he is going to have to step up his level after some poor results and performances so far in 2022. His serve has been vulnerable on the hard courts, while the Henri Laaksonen return has also been struggling to be as effective as he would like.

Being back on the clay should help, but it was the performance on the return which really made Henri Laaksonen a solid player on the surface over the last twelve months.

He should have some success against the Richard Gasquet serve, but I also think the former top ten player will be able to get his return going in a match like this one. Richard Gasquet has been the slightly more efficient return player in 2022 and he is someone who can be effective as a returner on this surface.

The Frenchman has beaten Henri Laaksonen in their previous meeting, which also came on the clay courts, although that match was played in July 2018 and Richard Gasquet is clearly coming to the end of his career. However, Henri Laaksonen is another veteran and that should mean Gasquet still has the quality of tennis to win a match like this and cover the handicap mark set on his way through to the Second Round.

MY PICKS: Yannick Hanfmann @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Richard Gasquet - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2019 (April 12th)

I anticipated this would be a fairly difficult week to make the Tennis Picks as I am really only focusing on a couple of the four tournaments being played.

Like in Charleston last week, I am not a big fan of the clay court tournament being played in Houston, while the options in Bogota and Lugano have not been that appealing so far. The same can be said in Marrakech where I have only made four Picks from the First Round matches and nothing since then.

Next week could be a different story with the first really big clay court event of the season beginning in Monte Carlo and some of the top names will also be back on the courts. Before then I am looking to finish this week with some positive momentum and to earn yet another winning week in 2019.


Jaume Munar - 2.5 games v Benoit Paire: This is the second time Jaume Munar and Benoit Paire are going to meet on the pro Tour and the first time saw Paire crush the Spaniard for the loss of four games in 2015. Much has changed in the last four years since these players met that year in Barcelona and the layers have recognised that by making Munar the favourite in this Quarter Final.

Jaume Munar has beaten Facundo Bagnis and Alexander Zverev to move through the Quarter Final and the win over the Number 1 Seed should mean another rise in his career best World Ranking. Both were deserved wins for the Spaniard and he has been playing the big points very well in this tournament which has helped him through the draw.

The serve has been pretty consistent for Munar on the clay courts over the last twelve months and he is someone who can create some real joy on the return. It is going to be the return of serve which is likely going to make the difference on the day in this match, although Benoit Paire is talented enough to be respected.

Both players are going to believe in the return of serve and Benoit Paire has really been enjoying plenty of success on that side of his game. The Frenchman has won four sets in a row in Marrakech since losing the first set to Aljaz Bedene, but I do think the Munar consistency on the serve is going to see him come through a tough match.

Unfortunately for Paire he is holding serve at 70% compared with Munar's 77% on the clay courts over the last twelve months. That means Paire is under pressure to make his returns very effective and while I do think he will have some chances to break serve, I think Munar will have the majority of the break points and has been playing those moments well enough to deserve an edge.

It would not be a huge surprise if a deciding set is needed, but I like Munar's chances to cover as I believe he is the right favourite and I think he is more likely to win at least one set with a couple of breaks of serve in his favour.


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 2.5 games v Lorenzo Sonego: Expect to see a significant move up the World Rankings in the weeks ahead for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who missed the clay court season, grass court season and some of the hard court season through injury in 2018. He is outside the top 100 of the World Rankings, but Tsonga is a decent clay court player and he has looked comfortable in Marrakech so far.

I expect Tsonga to be tested by Lorenzo Sonego who has come through the Qualifiers to take his place in the main draw and taking advantage to win two more matches to reach this Quarter Final. The Italian has not been a dominant winner, but he has been serving very well and will believe that can help him potentially upset Tsonga.

There has been some consistency with how well Sonego has been serving and he has held almost 83% of his service games played at the ATP level over the last twelve months on the clay courts. That is a strong number on this surface and Sonego has been enjoying his time in Marrakech.

The number that does stand out the most is 31%- that is the number of games in which he has broken serve and Sonego is playing above the kind of level he has produced in the last several months on the clay courts. It is going to be a test for Sonego to maintain that number on this surface considering he has broken in just under 17% of return games at the main ATP level over the last twelve months.

It is a particular test when you think of how well Tsonga serves on the clay courts throughout his career. The Frenchman has yet to be broken in Marrakech and that has allowed Tsonga to take a few risks on the return of serve.

So far this week Tsonga has broken in 23% of return games played and that is a number that is very similar to the usual levels he produces on the clay courts. He has won 35% of return points played so there is definitely room for improvement for Tsonga, but I think his serve will be strong enough to put some pressure on Sonego and see the latter produce one or two sloppy service games.

This could be the difference on the day and the reason Tsonga is able to cover in this Quarter Final and I will look for him to do so.

MY PICKS: Jaume Munar - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-2, - 0.58 Units (8 Units Staked, - 7.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (April 9th)

In previous years I have not made a lot of selections from the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments played in March, but that was not the case this season and two more winning events have been added to what has been a really strong opening three months of the 2019 season.

Last week I felt I needed to have another small break with only two events being played in Charleston and Monterrey ahead of the start of the clay court season which is usually one of my favourite times of the Tennis Tour. I've always had a soft spot for the French Open and the build to that event will begin in Monte Carlo next week which is the first really big tournament played on the European clay courts.

We should see some of the top ATP players in action in Monte Carlo, but this week we have four events being played with two each on the ATP and WTA Tours. The one in Marrakech is the main focus for me this week, although the two WTA events in Bogota and Lugano are of interest one we get into the Second Round and beyond.

The ATP tournament being played in Houston is a clay court event, but it plays much faster than the European clay courts and you see a number of the top American names taking part there and in general dominate that event.


Below you can see my opening selections from the Tennis tournaments being played this week. At the bottom of the thread I have updated the season records after two successful events in Indian Wells and Miami and I am looking to keep the run going this week.


Fernando Verdasco - 4.5 games v Adrian Menendez Maceiras: A return to the Tour after a month off celebrating becoming a father for the first time is in store for Fernando Verdasco who missed both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters events.

At this stage of his career it could be easy for Verdasco to begin contemplating call time and settling down with his family. However marriage and fatherhood has been a real shot in the arm for many players in recent years and seen them rediscover their love of the sport and I think Verdasco is still someone who enjoys competing on the Tour.

Regardless of that, I have made the point that Verdasco can be a difficult person to trust with an ability to blow hot and cold in between sets within matches. A first match back on the clay courts shouldn't be a big problem for him, but he is facing an opponent who has won a couple of Qualifiers to get into the main draw.

Adrian Menendez Maceiras is outside the top 100 in the World Rankings and the Spaniard has yet to really make his mark on the Tour. He has yet to win a competitive match on the main ATP Tour and Menendez Maceiras has gone 0-4 while struggling with both his serve and return.

You would expect Spanish players to be very comfortable on the clay courts, but Menendez Maceiras has not really produced great numbers on the surface. In the last couple of years Verdasco has broken at close to 30% of the return games he has played on the clay courts and I think that kind of level would be very difficult for Menendez Maceiras to compete with.

The relatively long lay off from the Tour is a concern for me when backing Verdasco especially as I can't imagine he has spent too much time hitting balls on the court with a new baby to care for. However I think he can produce the stronger tennis of the two players in this First Round match in Marrakech and I will look for Verdasco to cover a big number against his young compatriot.


Juan Ignacio Londero - 2.5 games v Carlos Berlocq: One of these Argentinian players has just reached a peak World Ranking at the beginning of March, while the other is a veteran who is no longer the force he once was. Carlos Berlocq has made the main draw in Marrakech thanks to a Lucky Loser spot opening up for him after he was beaten in the Qualifiers and he is closer to exiting the top 200 of the World Rankings rather than returning to the top 100.

He faces Juan Ignacio Londero in the First Round in Marrakech and Londero is coming in off a very strong Golden Swing on the clay courts of South America which saw him pick up a title in Cordoba.

In the last couple of years Berlocq has been playing on the Challenger Tour more than the main ATP Tour, although he does not have dominant numbers in those matches either. The return of serve has continued to be a big weapon for Berlocq and helped him make up for what is a vulnerable serve, but there has been a clear dent in those return numbers when the veteran has played in main ATP Tour matches.

Carlos Berlocq has lost both matches played on the clay courts on the main Tour this season and the feeling is that Juan Ignacio Londero has stepped up his play and ready to have another strong push on the clay in the coming weeks. I have seen other players produce strong returns on the Golden Swing and fail to back it up on the clay once we hit this part of the season, but Londero looks to have the game that should have a positive impact in the run to the French Open.

This is the first season that Londero has really started to play main ATP events and he has performed well on the clay courts including taking the title home in Cordoba. His strong record on the Challenger circuit has seen him produce better numbers than Berlocq and so far Londero has taken the form onto the ATP Tour with success.

His serve is a big weapon for him and Londero is holding 80% of his service games on the clay courts, while also breaking in 25% of the return games. It is enough to believe he can hold the edge over Berlocq and I think he can cover the number in a win over the veteran he may have seen while growing up and wishing to become a professional tennis player in Argentina.


Pablo Andujar + 2.5 games v Federico Delbonis: When I was putting my research together for this First Round match in Marrakech I actually though the layers would have this set as a pick 'em. Instead I am a little surprised that Federico Delbonis is considered a fairly strong favourite to see off Pablo Andujar and I am going to be behind the underdog with the start on the handicap.

In the last couple of years Delbonis has been playing at a higher level than Andujar who has been recovering his World Ranking on the Tour following injury issues. That has meant having to play at the lower level of the Tour although Andujar has been successful enough to move past Delbonis as far as the World Rankings go.

The Spaniard has won back to back Challenger events on the clay courts and that amount of tennis has to be a slight concern when going into this kind of match. There will have been limited time to recharge the batteries although Andujar has to be respected for the level of performance he has put together in those wins on the Challenger circuit.

This does look like it could be a close match with Federico Delbonis having a slightly more reliable serve, but Pablo Andujar arguably the better returner taking to the court. The run of wins have to give the latter a real confidence boost while the fact he has won the previous five matches played against Delbonis has to help too.

My feeling is that this is a match that is going to need a third set to separate the two players considering so little is between them. It is the returning of Andujar that I believe can make the difference at the key times though and I will take the games with the underdog and look for him to get very close to winning the match outright.


Laslo Djere - 1.5 games v Lorenzo Sonego: After coming through the Qualifiers Lorenzo Sonego is looking to try and put a deep run together in the main draw of this ATP tournament being played in Marrakech. It is not going to be easy to get out of the First Round as he faces an opponent who has reached a career best World Ranking thanks to the exploits produced on the clay courts in South America during the Golden Swing.

An emotional Laslo Djere won the title in Rio de Janeiro and he backed that up by reaching the Semi Final in Sao Paulo too. Returning to the red dirt should be a good time of the season for Djere who has improved his World Ranking to the point where he would be Seeded if the French Open was to begin today.

The performances in South America were very good from Djere and his numbers were significantly improved on the last couple of years on the clay courts. It does make me a little wary to really believe in Djere and expect him to maintain the standards he set across two tournaments, but I would expect the Serbian to get the better of Sonego.

Lorenzo Sonego is Ranked outside the top 100 although that could change at the end of this week and especially if he can win this First Round match. He has played well on the clay courts, but the majority of the matches have come below the main ATP Tour level and he has yet to show he can produce his best consistently when facing some of the better players on the Tour.

The return of serve has been a real issue for Sonego when he has played on the clay courts in main Tour tournaments and it could be the reason he is not able to win this match either. Laslo Djere has held his serve at just under 80% on the clay courts over the last twelve months and his return of serve has produced breaks of serve in 28% of those return games.

Those are some impressive numbers and I will look for Djere to get off to a positive start in Marrakech with a win and a cover over Lorenzo Sonego.

MY PICKS: Fernando Verdasco - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Juan Ignacio Londero - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Pablo Andujar + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Laslo Djere - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Season 2019 Update: + 56.98 Units (543 Units Staked, + 10.49% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (April 13th)

Wednesday proved to be a really tough day for the Tennis Picks which all began with Andreas Seppi going out despite winning the first set of his match 6-1.

To be honest the two picks I made in the Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Nicolas Kicker matches were simply bad choices on the day as both underperformed.

That can happen but I am looking for a much better day on Friday as we move onto the Quarter Final matches in the four tournaments being played this week. Well that is what the tournaments in Bogota and Lugano would have been hoping but the continuous rain has played havoc on their draw and that means there are a lot of matches scheduled for Friday as players are asked to play twice in one day to get the Singles draw back on track.


I may have Picks from the ATP Houston Quarter Final matches depending on how the markets look, but for now the focus is on three of the four ATP Marrakech Quarter Final matches.

Hopefully Friday the 13th is not a horror day for the Tennis Picks.


Pablo Andujar - 2.5 games v Alexey Vatutin: This is a big Quarter Final for both Pablo Andujar and Alexey Vatutin who will recognise the chance to earn some big Ranking points in this tournament.

You have to credit Vatutin and his path through to the Quarter Final having won a couple of Qualifiers before beating a top 100 and then a top 50 Ranked player for the first time in his career. That will give the Russian some confidence, but I am still not completely convinced about his ability at this level.

At least he won't be playing someone who has been mixing in this company a lot in recent times as Andujar recovers from injury issues that have dropped him down to 355 in the World Rankings. However the Spaniard is very comfortable on the clay courts and he won a Challenger tournament in Alicante last week which will be a huge boost for Andujar.

That boost has been underlined by two dominant wins in this tournament and the numbers have been good enough to think Andujar will have the edge in this match.

Vatutin won't be short of confidence himself and he has produced some good numbers of his own, but I do think the superior clay court skills of Andujar can make the difference in this Quarter Final. I don't think it will completely his way like the win over Andrea Arnaboldi, but I can see Andujar edging two sets in a straight sets win which allows him to progress with a cover of this number of games.


Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games v Gilles Simon: Injury issues have been a problem for Richard Gasquet over the last twelve months, but he can still produce some strong tennis which has led to title wins in that time. On the other hand his compatriot Gilles Simon has been showing signs of decline in the last couple of years and I would expect Gasquet to get the better of him on the clay courts in Marrakech.

Out of the two players it is Gasquet who has made slightly more comfortable progress through to this Quarter Final while he will hold the mental edge having won seven of their eight professional meetings. That won't overawe Simon, but the latter is all about frustrating opponents with his defensive skills and ability to grind out points and that should not be an issue for Gasquet who is very familiar with his compatriot's game.

Gasquet has also shown himself to be the superior of the two on the clay courts by the sheer numbers, although none of their previous eight matches have been played against each other on this surface. While the Gasquet numbers on the clay courts have stayed pretty strong, Simon's have shown real signs of decline in each of the last four seasons.

While his service numbers have remained steady, Simon has just found it slightly tougher in each of the past four years to break serve on this surface where rallies can be drawn out. The Gasquet serve won't make it much easier for Simon if Gasquet is anywhere near his best and Simon's numbers also show significantly weaker when returning against top 50 Ranked players on this surface.

Of course Simon can be a frustrating character who can mentally wear down opponents, but I don't think that happens to Gasquet here. He is yet to drop a set in the tournament and I will look for him to earn a break more in each set of a straight sets win here.


Kyle Edmund - 4.5 games v Malek Jaziri: On first glance I did think this could potentially be one too many games for Kyle Edmund to cover against Malek Jaziri, but he is considerably better on the clay courts than this opponent and I am going to back him here.

Jaziri is going to be a threat if Edmund is not at his best because he won a Challenger on the hard courts last month and he also has won a couple of matches here this week. The first match was a little fortunate for the Tunisian, but he dominated Mischa Zverev even if the German is not exactly a prominent clay court player.

His confidence should be in a good place and perhaps in a better place than Edmund's who had not won a match since his impressive run at the Australian Open before he played in Marrakech this week.

Edmund did dominate Radu Albot in the Second Round and he continues to impress when facing players outside of the top 50 in the World Rankings on the clay courts. He manages to look after his serve very well in those matches which has allowed Edmund to go on the offensive when it comes to the return games and he has produced some strong numbers in that spot.

On the other hand Jaziri's numbers on the clay courts have not been as strong and is a player that struggles to hold and break serve on the surface. He has played well this week, but his performances against top 50 Ranked players on the clay have been tough and the numbers underline that.

He did win their previous match, but Edmund is a much better player than in 2015 when these two played on the grass in Nottingham. A confident Jaziri can cause problems for a while, but I expect Edmund's quality to shine through as he makes it through to the Semi Final in Marrakech.

MY PICKS: Pablo Andujar - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Kyle Edmund - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-3, - 4.34 Units (8 Units Staked, - 54.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (April 11th)

The opening Tennis Pick of the week came back as a winner on Monday evening but nothing really appealed in strong enough fashion on Tuesday.

I am focusing on the ATP Tour so far this week and the two events in Marrakech and Houston being played on the clay courts. A part of the reason is the heavy rain in Bogota and Lugano where the two WTA events are being played which means there are going to be a number of players having to do double duty to get the tournaments back on track.

Later in the week that may have changed and there is some rain forecasted in both Marrakech and Houston, but I would expect the matches to get through the schedule as expected on Wednesday.

The reason I don't like backing players in matches where they have to play twice in a single day is that there is a chance that the focus is lost and maybe they are looking ahead to other tournaments being played. It's different in Grand Slam events or the bigger tournaments that are played, but these are not tournaments with huge prize money and Ranking points to keep the motivation as high as it could be, while the fields in Bogota and Lugano are not the most impressive as far as I am concerned either.

By the time we get to the Quarter Final matches the quality should also improved, although it may be difficult to find angles then too.


I am beginning this thread with a couple of Picks from the ATP Marrakech tournament, and I will add any selections from Houston once the order of play for Wednesday is confirmed.


Andreas Seppi - 1.5 games v Radu Albot: This First Round match has been pushed back to Wednesday to account for the players being involved in Davis Cup action this past weekend.

Andreas Seppi did lose the opening Rubber for Italy against France, but he should be well rested since then and I do think he can get the better of Radu Albot on the clay courts.

The veteran is comfortable on the clay courts, but Seppi's numbers have not been the most impressive but he showed plenty of heart and character in his battle with Lucas Pouille in the Davis Cup. Andreas Seppi has also managed to keep his World Ranking in a decent spot thanks to his performances against those outside the top 50 and his numbers are much stronger when faces those players.

That is what he will be facing when Seppi takes on Albot in this First Round match and it does have to be said that the latter has decent but not spectacular numbers on the clay. The serve has worked well for Albot but he has not returned as effectively as he would have liked and I think that is going to be a key difference between these players.

Seppi has beaten Albot on the hard courts and grass courts previously and I think he can add a clay court win over him here. It does potentially need three sets to separate these players, but I think Seppi will do enough to win the match and he should be able to cover this number even in a competitive win.


Albert Ramos-Vinolas - 4.5 games v Alexey Vatutin: In the last couple of years Albert Ramos-Vinolas has not only picked up his form on the clay courts but he has been able to go deep into some of the biggest events played on the surface.

2018 has not started as effectively as he would have liked when taking in the Golden Swing in South America in February, but Ramos-Vinolas still remains a solid opponent on this surface.

The main reason his results have not been better than they have been is down to the poorer return numbers as he has not taken the chances to break serve. That number is significantly down on the last couple of years on the Tour which has to be a concern, but I also think it is a matter of time before Ramos-Vinolas starts converting a higher percentage of break points which should see his overall break number improve significantly too.

Ramos-Vinolas dominated an overmatched Wild Card opponent in the First Round, but this time he faces Alexey Vatutin who has come through the Qualifiers to take his place in the main draw. Vatutin beat Jan-Lennard Struff in the First Round to keep his roll going but he hasn't played too many players of that quality in his career.

In fact it was only the fifth time he had played a top 100 World Ranked opponent and Vatutin snapped his run of four losses to those opponents. Vatutin had been dominated by those top 100 opponents prior to the win and he is facing someone who is very comfortable on the clay courts in this one.

As long as Ramos-Vinolas doesn't take too long getting to grips with what is coming from the other side of the net I would expect him to win and cover this number of games on the clay courts.


Nicolas Kicker - 1.5 games v Tennys Sandgren: This match has only just got to the level I want to be able to back one of the players involved in the Second Round matches scheduled for Wednesday at the ATP event in Houston.

The layers are anticipating a close match and I have little doubt that Nicolas Kicker and Tennys Sandgren are going to provide a competitive match like when they met on the clay courts in 2017. On that occasion it was Sandgren who won in a three setter, but I think Kicker can get the better of the American in this meeting.

His numbers have been a little stronger on the clay courts although the big question is whether he can serve well enough against an opponent who has not returned the most effectively, but whose own serve will be tough to recover.

That was the only downside to Kicker's comfortable win over Donald Young in the First Round, although his own return was more effective than it has been for much of the season. There is room for improvement for Kicker who has not taken the chances as well as he usually does to break serve and that is likely going to lead to another close match.

Ultimately I think Kicker is in slightly better form than Sandgren who is still to produce a run anything like the one he had at the Australian Open. The American did play well on the clay courts last season which makes him dangerous, but I think Kicker will edge him out here and cover this number of games.

MY PICKS: Andreas Seppi - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Albert Ramos-Vinolas - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)
Nicolas Kicker - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-0, + 1.66 Units (2 Units Staked, + 83% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (April 14th)

I did have a couple of matches that intrigued me on Thursday, but ultimately I decided to be a little more cautious with my picks as the bigger events are yet to come this month beginning with the Monte Carlo Masters next week.

That is the first of three Masters events to be played on the clay courts prior to the French Open, although Roger Federer has reiterated his decision to rest prior to the second Grand Slam of the season. I can't say I blame Federer who has shown the kind of form in the first three months of the season to suggest he could go very close to adding the Wimbledon and US Open titles to the Australian Open he won back in January.

Federer has suggested he needs to rest after winning the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami and he beat some of the best players on the ATP Tour in those events. However Federer is intelligent enough to know that the clay courts are his weakest event at this stage of his career and being able to be fully locked and loaded for the grass and remaining hard court season makes a lot of sense.


Jiri Vesely - 2.5 games v Paolo Lorenzi: This has been a tournament that Jiri Vesely has enjoyed whether it has been played in Marrakech or Casablanca and he is in the midst of another strong run in the event. Two solid wins have taken Vesely through to the Quarter Final and he has beaten Paolo Lorenzi on the two previous occasions they have played one another on the Tour.

Neither of those matches have taken place on the clay courts and this surface is the one that Lorenzi favours the most. The veteran has battled through the first two Rounds in Marrakech but that may have taken something out of the legs of the 35 year old.

As much as Lorenzi does favour the clay courts, he has not produced a lot of strong performances at this time of the season leading up to the French Open. In fact he is just 4-12 between April and May in ATP main draws since 2014 and prior to the two wins he has had in Marrakech this week and I do think Vesely has enough of an edge in the match to come through with a relatively straight-forward win.

There is no doubting that Vesely can be hit and miss and is perhaps underachieving so far in his career, but he does like playing in Morocco. I will look for him to reach his third straight Semi Final in this tournament and will look for him to be too strong for Lorenzi on the handicap.


Philipp Kohlschreiber - 3.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: This does look like a year in which Philipp Kohlschreiber will take a step backwards from his best tennis, at least on a consistent basis. The German is still capable on his day to produce a big performance as he has shown in 2017 already, but Kohlschreiber can be difficult to trust on a day by day basis.

His win over Jeremy Chardy in the Second Round does look a good one on paper as Chardy has been in decent form in recent weeks. This also doesn't look like a step up in level for Kohlschreiber when he takes on his compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff whose game is suited to the faster surfaces more than the clay courts.

Struff has a couple of solid wins this week to move into a rare Quarter Final on this surface at the ATP level. However he is just 3-13 in main Tour matches on the clay courts with the majority of Struff's successes coming in Qualifiers or Challenger events and I think he can be a little loose with his groundstrokes that can be shown up on the clay where patience and consistency is so important.

That is where Kohlschreiber should be a little stronger over the course of the Quarter Final and even if this match goes into a third set he should have opportunities to cover this handicap number. Struff can sometimes capitulate even behind a decent first serve and Kohlschreiber could force his way into the Semi Final behind a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.


Benoit Paire - 2.5 games v Tommy Robredo: It is going to take something special for Tommy Robredo to recapture some of his best tennis at 34 years old and having spent a long time off the court with injuries. The Spaniard had only gone 2-4 in matches in 2017 before his two wins in Marrakech but I am anticipating the run to come to an end on Friday.

Robredo will have to be respected for the manner of his fightback against Grigor Dimitrov in the Second Round having dropped the second set 6-1, but he may need to play even better if he is going to beat Benoit Paire.

My feelings about trusting Paire to produce consistent tennis on a daily basis have been clear in the past, but he has had a couple of solid looking wins so far in Marrakech. That comes off the back of reaching the Final of a Challenger event on the clay courts and he also holds a 3-1 head to head advantage over Robredo which suggests he might be a little too good for the Spaniard in this Quarter Final.

The Frenchman would have plenty of experience on the clay courts through his career and his best results have come on this surface. While he is facing a clay court specialist in Robredo, I think Paire won't mind the match up and can outlast Robredo who had that important win over Dimitrov in the Second Round.

All four of Robredo's losses in 2017 would have seen him fail to cover this number and I am looking for Paire to come through with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win in the Quarter Final.


Sam Querrey - 2.5 games v Thomaz Bellucci: I have been a little concerned with the travelling the top American players in the Singles draw in Houston have had to do over the last few days. The American Davis Cup team were in action in Australia last weekend and would have been crossing a number of time zones before landing in Houston and having to play in a clay court event, not always the favoured surface for players from this nation.

However it does have to be remembered that Houston tends to be one of the faster clay court surfaces and the American players have had plenty of success here in the past. The likes of Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlovic and John Isner have all won titles here in the past and recent years have seen Sam Querrey play well here too without doing a lot when moving over to the European clay court events prior to the French Open.

There is every chance an American will win the title here on Sunday and Querrey has to be amongst the favourites with a solid Second Round win behind him. On a slower clay court you would expect his opponent Thomaz Bellucci to perhaps be favoured to win the match, but Querrey is a solid favourite having dismissed Horacio Zeballos comfortably enough in the last Round.

His serve should cause Bellucci some problems on what is a faster clay court and Querrey has won his two previous matches against the Brazilian without dropping a set. Bellucci has also been in a bit of a rut and he has been fortunate to get to the Quarter Final having needed deciding sets in the last two Rounds.

Bellucci can serve effectively from the lefty stance too, so a tie-breaker is possible, although I think Querrey will have the break points to win this one with a little more comfort. He should have enough to earn at least two or three breaks of serve and can win this match 6-4, 6-4 as he did in the last Round.


Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 games v Steve Johnson: If you would want to create a prototypical American tennis player of the last thirty years, you would think of a big serve and a heavy forehand being the keys. Steve Johnson very much has those two components for his game, but his backhand remains erratic and the clay courts are most definitely not his best time of the season.

He has lost all four previous matches against Fernando Verdasco, including twice before on the clay courts of Houston, and he has won just one of the ten sets they have competed. That might be the match up with the lefty Verdasco going to hit heavy shots into the Johnson weaker side and look to follow it up with solid play around the baseline.

Verdasco serves effectively enough to keep Johnson off balance in this one too and the clay courts should be more comfortable for the Spaniard. Even though the Houston clay courts are a little quicker than the European ones, Johnson still has to work out how to arrange his movement around it and that has led to some problems for him.

Unlike some of his compatriots, the quicker surface in Houston hasn't really helped Johnson who is just 9-16 in main Tour clay court matches including his win in the Second Round here. This is a big spread for Verdasco as the veteran has found it a little harder to bring his best to the court for the duration of any match he plays, but I think the match up is one that he will feel comfortable with and that can see him settle into a strong position.

Johnson might earn some break points of his own with Verdasco's aggressive approach bringing up errors at times, but I will look for the Spaniard to come through with a 7-5, 6-4 win to move into the Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Jiri Vesely - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Philipp Kohlschreiber - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Benoit Paire - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Sam Querrey - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-0, + 4 Units (4 Units Staked, + 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (April 12th)

It has been a few weeks since I last made any Tennis Picks and that was thanks to some awful luck through the Indian Wells tournament which had just frustrated me too far.

The final straw that week was Karolina Pliskova leading 7-6, 5-2 and serving for the match against Garbine Muguruza when I had backed the Czech player to cover a 2.5 game handicap. She was broken not once, but twice serving for the match and eventually took it in a tie-breaker to win 7-6, 7-6, but missed the cover by one game.

That wasn't the only occasion in which the player I had backed had two or three chances to serve out a match, and a cover of the handicap, before falling apart with another notable player being Tomas Berdych that week.

I was fed up and being unproductive which is why I made the decision to avoid making picks from the remaining days at the Indian Wells Masters as well as the then upcoming Miami Masters. That breaks was a necessity in a long season and I am hoping the time off and move onto the clay court season can just reset 2017 which had begun positively before a run of picking players who would get into a winning position before blowing their opportunities.

It was a really tough time, but I am hoping that I can begin to turn this season back around in the coming weeks heading into the French Open and then into the grass court portion of the season. I haven't made any picks so far this week as the tournaments being played as a little under the radar in terms of the fields they have been able to gather, but the events should pick up as we head into the middle of the week.

There are some big events coming up in the last two weeks of April and then two Masters events in May prior to the French Open which begins on Sunday 28th May.


Jiri Vesely - 2.5 games v Nicoloz Basilashvili: It has been a few weeks since either Jiri Vesely or Nicoloz Basilashvili have played a competitive match after relatively early defeats in Miami and no Davis Cup action between that event and this one.

Both are making the move onto the clay courts in Marrakech and this should be a time of the season when both Vesely and Basilashvili are able to produce some of their better tennis. These players had their best results on the clay courts last season, although Basilashvili showed some form on the indoor hard courts back in February.

That is because Basilashvili is a player that will go for his winners anywhere on the court and when he is on his best form he can penetrate the defences of any opponent he faces on the faster surfaces. It isn't the best way to approach a clay court match, but Basilashvili will believe he can hit through Vesely who is not the best defensive player on the Tour.

However I do think Vesely can earn the edge in this match having had a couple of really good runs in this tournament in the past. He has reached the Semi Final here in Marrakech last season and did the same in Casablanca the year before that and Vesely has won 24 of his 58 Tour wins between 2014 and 2016 on clay courts.

The Czech player is inconsistent which makes it hard to trust him fully while Vesely hasn't been in the best form in 2017. Even with that in mind, I do think he is the superior clay court player between himself and Basilashvili and the key is the enjoyment he has had in the conditions in Morocco in the last couple of years can perhaps make Vesely feel a little more comfortable and pull the win and cover.


Jeremy Chardy - 2.5 games v Malek Jaziri: The last fifteen months have been tough on Jeremy Chardy who has struggled to find the consistency on the Tour that his talent should be giving him. He has made a poor start to the 2017 season but the last month might have seen Chardy turn a corner and bring in some momentum to take into the clay court season.

He reached the Third Round in Miami following a Quarter Final run in a Challenger in North America, but it is the two Davis Cup wins Jeremy Chardy produced for France against Daniel Evans and Kyle Edmund that could be most telling. Both of those came in straight sets on the clay courts as he helped France move into the Davis Cup Semi Final and Chardy has shown some solid form on this surface through his career.

The same can't be said for Malek Jaziri who should receive plenty of support in Morocco as he represents another North African nation in Tunisia. His performances in the two Masters events in North America were impressive, but he has not been able to produce his best tennis on the clay courts during his career and Jaziri did lose all three previous matches played in Casablanca.

Maybe the tournament moving to Marrakech can change his fortunes, but I think Jaziri is running into Chardy at the wrong time and I do think the Frenchman can continue his fine form from the Davis Cup in this First Round match. Jaziri did reach the Quarter Final in Barcelona in his first clay court event last year so has to be given his respect, but Chardy should be too strong for him and move into the Second Round with a 6-4, 6-4 kind of margin of victory behind him.


Julia Goerges - 3.5 games v Oceane Dodin: One of the younger players on the WTA Tour who should have a very bright future in the sport is Oceane Dodin, but the Frenchwoman has just struggled for consistency in 2017. Dodin is playing in her ninth tournament in 2017, but this is only the fourth event in which she has secured a win having dismissed the challenge of Su-Wei Hsieh in the First Round.

The level of opponent Dodin is facing goes up significantly in the Second Round though as she faces Julia Goerges who is moving back up the World Rankings having produced some strong runs in a number of tournaments in 2017. The German is about to enter what should be a positive period of the season for her when the clay courts begin, but Goerges is very comfortable on the indoor hard courts too.

Inconsistency from the baseline has always been an issue for Goerges, but when she is flowing she hits the ball very hard and can blow past opponents. She will need to be at her best because Dodin is someone who can serve well and put plenty of pressure on her opponents and Goerges can't afford to play too many loose return games and give Dodin the confidence to earn the upset.

Dodin has just had a few issues staying with players once she falls behind and she has been beaten eight times this season with six of those losses coming by a margin that would see her fail to stay within the number in this Second Round match. The inconsistencies I have mentioned about Goerges has shown up by her tendency to go through lulls in matches which prevents her covering this number of games too often.

However I think Goerges can prove to be a little too effective for Dodin on current form and I will look for her to come through a tough match with a 7-5, 6-4 win.

MY PICKS: Jiri Vesely - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Jeremy Chardy - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Julia Goerges - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)