Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 16-14 in the longest 5th set final in major history to win his 6th Wimbledon Title and his record breaking 15th Grand Slam.  He is not ready to throw in the towel yet.  He has plenty more championship tennis in him and he wants to continue his already excellent run of success.  Federer has also reclaimed the title of the number one tennis player in the world.  This Wimbledon seemed a little sweeter since he lost in the finals last year to Rafael Nadal.  Nadal did not participate at Wimbledon this year due to sore knees.  There are some who feel that the true final would have been between Nadal and Federer once again.  However, this takes nothing from Federers victory.  He is one of the greatest tennis players in history.  Serena Williams beat her sister Venus once again in the womans Wimbledon Championship.

In other tennis related news French Tennis player Mathieu Montcourt has died at the age of 24.  He was only recently banned from the sport for betting on matches.  All the authorities in Paris will say is that he died in his sleep and there will be an autopsy performed.  Montcourt had received a 5 week ban and was fined $12,000 for betting on matches.  French phenom Rafael Nadal had rose through the ranks in France playing against Montcourt in the junior circuit.

In the Davis Cup the United States still feels good about their upcoming match against Crotia this weekend.  Andy Roddick has bowed out fresh off of his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon finals complaining of a hip injury.  United States Captain John McEnroe said he will be missed but the team is still full of confidence in their ability to win.  Andy Roddick had helped the Americans win the Davis Cup in 2007.

It has been a rough week in sports.  Steve McNair the great Quarterback for the Tennesee Titans for many years was found shot to death in his apartment.  The motive behind the shooting is still under investigation.  McNair was a tough cookie and played his heart out during his tenure with the Titans.  He won the respect of his adversaries and team mates a like.  His accomplishments of the gridiron wll be long remembered and his kindess as a human being will cement his place in our memories forever.  Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.

It took Andy Roddick almost 4 hours but after 5 long sets he finally defeated 2002 Wimbledon Champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.  Roddick breathed a sigh of relief when he finished this one.  The last time Roddick reached the final four at Wimbledon was back in 2005.  His 43 aces against Hewitt put him there again.  The contest today was easily one of the most exciting sets thus far in the surge for the Wimbledon Title.  Hewitt refusted to go down without a fight.  These two men worked hard both physically and mentally in their quest to move on in the tournament.  In the end Roddick had just a little more than Hewitt could handle and this battle of formal champions concluded with Roddick moving on and Hewitt moving out.

Needless to say the journey for Andy Roddick will not get any easier.  His next foe is 3rd ranked Andy Murray the British hopeful who put away Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to move on in his search of destiny.  Andy Murray is trying hard to become the first British player to win the Wimbledon Title since way back in 1936.  The battle of Andy and Andy will find a lot of the British fans rooting for their guy but Andy Roddick says he will take it all in stride.  After all he said he would use it too his advantage because when the call out Andy he will pretend they are rooting for him.

Friday #2 seed Roger Federer takes on #24 seed Tommy Haas.  Tommy will have the chance to prevent Roger Federer from winning that record breaking 15th Grand Slam.  He knows it is going to be a long hard road.  Roger defeated #22 seed Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 to move on to face Haas.  Haas proved that rankings mean very little as he defeated #4 seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.  Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas have never gotten this far at Wimbledon before.  They are trying to treasure the moment and maintain their poise as they move on against the big guns.

So we will have an American, Britain, Swiss and German in the final 4 at Wimbledon.  Fans have long predicted and expected the final to be between the Britain Andy Murray and the Swiss Roger Federer.  They are favored.  The American Andy Roddick and the German Tommy Haas will do their best to upset the odds.  These men are exactly where they want to be.  This is what they practice so hard too do.  There is plenty of excetement left before the dust clears and a new Wimbledon Champion is crowned.  Who are you betting on?  Are you sure?  Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.

Roger Federer delighted the centre court fans at Wimbledon as he defeated familiar foe Robin Soderling to improve to 11-0 against him in his career.  The last time he beat him was only 3 weeks ago at the French Open where he completed yet another Grand Slam.  Now the 5 time Champion can move onto the quarterfinals in pursuit of number 6.  Federer looked very poised as he never lost a serve and hit 23 aces.  Federer won 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.  The number 2 seed did not have it as easy as he would have hoped but in the end his patience paid off and he was able to advance.

Elsewhere at Wimbledon 5 time ladies Champion Venus Williams defeated Ana Ivanovic when she had to quit due to a left thigh injury.  Her sister Serena Williams moved on as well defeating Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1.  Serena who is a 2 time Champion lost to sister Venus in the Finals last year.  Number 6 seed Andy Roddick never faced a break point and defeated 20th seed Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-3.  On Wednesday Roddick will face 2002 Champion Lleyton Hewitt who had to come back to beat Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-2.

Out of nowhere Ivo Karlovic the 22nd seed eliminated the 7th seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.  Karlovic who has yet to lose a serve in his first four matches will play Federer on Wednesday.  He had 35 aces against Verdasco he will need that type of day to beat Roger Federer.  Novak Djokovic broke 7 times and outlasted Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.  Sela is the number 4 seed.  Today was the hottest day thus far in the tournament with  the court temperature around 87 degrees.  It was not long after Federers win that the roof had to be closed at Wimbledon due to rain.

Who will get to the men and ladies final this year?  Will it be Federer and Murray on one side and the two sisters Serena and Venus on the other?  The odds may be in favor of one or the other but this does not always indicate a victor.  Surprising things can occur at Wimbledon and you never quite know what is going to happen.  But I guess that is what makes this tournament so fascinating.  Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.

The last time a male tennis player won the Wimbledon Title was in 1936 when Fred Perry defeated Gottfried Von Cramm 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.  That moment was frozen in history for British Tennis fans and it is that memory that has offered them solace for over 73 years.  For the first time in three quarters of a century British fans have a reason to be hopeful.  Andy Murray, the young man from Scotland, is one of the top favorites to win the 2009 Wimbledon Mens Title.

There is a vast amount of pressure on Andy Murray right now.  The hopes and dreams of his countrymen hang in the balance of every set he plays.  On Wednesday Andy began his mission to bring the Wimbledon Title back to Great Britain.  His first obstacle, Robert Kendrick of the United States.  This match was not highly anticipated from the standpoint that Kendrick is ranked at 76th.  It was to simply be a warm up for more competitive matches down the line.  It developed into more of a warm up than Murray had anticipated.

After all, in previous matches against one another the Scot had easily defeated Kendrick 6-0, 6-0.  This day however the American came to play.  Although Kendrick played with fire and vigor and with the same determination that took him to 5 sets against Rafael Nadal 3 years earlier at Wimbledon in the end the Scot was to have his day.  Murray lost the second match but kept his composure and never gave up.  His competitor was running the court making amazing returns but Murray stood steady and answered each with his own heart and passion eventually winning the two and a half hour match 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Once again it is noted that on any given day a player or a team can play beyond their potential.  Kendrick played well beyond his ranking and although he fell in the end he earned the respect of his victor and the fans at Wimbledon.  Murray admitted that the match was tough but his confidence in himself was ever apparent.  His next match is against the Latvian hard hitter Ernests Gulbis and you can bet that Andy Murray will not take this match lightly.  The road to the 2009 Wimbledon Title will not be an easy one for Murray but he appears to be composed and prepared for the competition.  This could be the year that Britain has cause for celebration once again.  Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.

Maria Sharapova (9/4) – She’s having a pretty sunny year after breaking Justine Henin’s 32 match winning streak and going on to win the Australian Open without dropping a set. She won the Singles title at the Qatar Total Open. Her first loss of the year was to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open. So it comes as no surprise that she’s favoured by the bookies at 9/4 (general). There are some, however, who inquire after Maria’s shoulder after a spot of bother at the DFS Classic in Birmingham. Also take into consideration the rocky ride she took us on at the French Open.

Serena Williams (5/2) – Knocked out of the Australian Open by Jankovic at the quarter-finals (her fourth consecutive loss in the quarter finals of a Grand slam singles tournament). She and her Sister were then knocked out of the doubles event in the quarter-finals. After the Australian Open she cancelled her next four tournaments. A rocky start to 2008 for Serena, so it comes as a surprise that she is seeded as no.2 to win this tournament. Ladbrokes and Coral have her at 3/1 while Betfair is on 4.3/1. I find it hard to believe that she’s a contender for the final this year.

Ana Ivanovic (5/1) – Ana has shown spectactular performance this year making both grand slam finals and winning the French Open. Now ranked No.1 in the world (partly due to Henin’s retirement) I reckon she’s good value at 5/1 general. Although it would be interesting to see her up against Dementieva (ranked 10th favourite) at Wimbledon as she’s already lost to her twice this year.

Venus Williams (9/2) – 9/2 at Bet365 and BlueSq and 6/1 at Betfair means there’s a lot more contesting between the top few players for the favourite spot than in the men’s event. It would be unwise to disregard anyone in the top four until you’ve really knuckled down to your research. Venus squeezed in a win over Maria Sharapova early on in the year at the Hong Kong Exhibition Tournament but yielded a win to Ivanovic in the Australian Open. It’s a tricky call especially as the bookies rate her 4th favourite.

Jelena Jankovic (14/1) – Its hard to see Jelena come through for Wimbledon especially as she doesn’t have any previous Singles Grand slams under her belt. Her talents lie elsewhere on the clay court or in the doubles event. Betfair rates Jankovic for an unoptimistic 16.5/1 a large margin from the top four seeded. Ladbrokes have her at 14/1.

The quarterfinal tennis odds for the Grand Prix Hassan II are currently available in our Online Tennis Odds. From a strong French contingent competing in Casablanca, Marc Gicquel and Gilles Simon confirmed their berths in the final eight after both won their respective second round encounters. With this last sports betting opportunity to bet on some fine players at BetUS Sportsbook, before the 2008 French Open kicks off next week, here is a look at this all-French affair in the Grand Prix Hassan quarterfinal, complete with tennis odds, online betting lines and free tennis picks.

Grand Prix Hassan II Tennis Betting Line: Marc Gicquel +125 Gilles Simon -165

Match Time: 06:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday, May 22, 2008

Head-to-head Analysis: Lifetime, Marc Gicquel and Gilles Simon are level 1-1. Gicquel beat Simon way back in 2004 in Metz, France (hard), Meanwhile, Gilles Simon defeated Gicquel last year at the ATP Masters Series in Hamburg.

Marc Gicquel (+125) No. 59 Marc Gicquel has had a quiet season this year, posting a lowly 7-9 mark in tournament play. However, he enjoyed a standout performance in Estoril, where he reached the quarterfinal, losing to Nikolay Davydenko. Moving to the challenger circuit to find his form, he reached the quarterfinal in Bordeaux last week. Gicquel lists hard courts (indoor especially) as his favourite surface.

Gilles Simon (-165) No. 36 Gilles Simon enters with a 15-12 mark for the year. In Hamburg and Rome, Simons reached the second round of both Masters Series events and in Estoril he reached the second round as well. On clay, he owns a 3-3 record. Simon favours hard court surfaces.

Grand Prix Hassan II Tennis Prediction: This matchup is a bit of a derby. Neither player owns a decided surface advantage. Nor has either player enjoyed a particularly exceptional overall season or a clay court swing. However, with this largely considered a warm-up event for the French Open and the playing field significantly weaker compared to last week’s Masters Series in Hamburg, then Simon is the better play. He competed in both events and with more success on the ATP, he should come through as the favourite in this matchup.

Grand Prix Hassan II Tennis Free Picks: Simon in straight sets

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For tennis betting fans, there are a host of matches in the first round with good value as the men’s side kicks-off the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open. So to get you started betting on this premier event – the last of the hard court tournaments before the ATP Tour moves to clay visit BetUS online tennis betting.

In 2007, Serb Novak Djokovic became the youngest champion in the 23-year history of the prestigious Sony Ericsson Open. Djokovic defeated Argentinean Guillermo Canas in three sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to win his maiden ATP Masters Series title.

After capturing the year’s first ATP Masters Series title in Indian Wells on Sunday, Djokovic arrives in Miami to defend his title.  BetUS suggests betting on the sizzling Serbian sensation Djokovic as he kicks-off his title defence campaign in Miami; bidding to dethrone the World No.3 Djokovic will be a slew of top players, namely World No.1 Roger Federer and No.2 Rafael Nadal who arrive in Miami in search of a first title this season.  

On the women’s side, Sony Ericsson Open defending champion Serena Williams along with Venus Williams and World No.1 Justine Henin, after skipping last week’s event in Indian Wells, return to tournament action in Miami. In 2007, Serena Williams defeated Justine Henin last year in an epic match, coming from behind to seize the 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. With the women’s playing field deeper than ever in talent, bet on who will lift the title in Miami this year.  

Visit BetUS for Online Tennis betting!!