Tennis: Djokovic the Favorite for Men’s US Open

He may have hurt his shoulder in Cincinnati but Novak Djokovic is still the man to beat at Flushing Meadows. Al Dannity breaks down the field at the Men’s US Open.

The most watched shoulder in sports
Tennis betting fans should be glued to every piece of news about Novak Djokovic’s shoulder for the next two weeks. Watch his matches, see how he moves. Is there pain? Has he lost some rhythm? These are the questions you need to ask. If the answer to both is no, then there is no logical reason on this earth to bet against the king of kings. The World #1 has lost just twice this year, and one of those was through injury. True, that crucial injury came in his last match but injury retirements used to be the norm for the Serb. Now they are very much the exception and the consistent fitness he has shown in 2011 makes me confident Djokovic can claim his third Grand Slam title of the year.

Fantastic value with Nadal
If Djokovic’s shoulder turns out to be worse than we think, then Rafael Nadal could be the steal of the summer. At +350, Nadal is tremendous value. Remember, this is a player who won at Flushing Meadows last year and already has one Grand Slam title in 2011. Only Djokovic’s otherworldly form has allowed his price to drift out so far. Tennis betting fans should recognise the great opportunity here and seriously consider backing the Spaniard.

Murray can be counted on
Scotland’s Andy Murray has solid form on this surface, winning in Cincinnati last week, and has been consistent at all the Grand Slams this season. He has yet to miss a semi-final at a major in 2011 and there’s little reason to expect a change at Flushing Meadows. Juan Martin Del Potro could pose a problem should they meet at the quarter final stage but there are plenty of bumps along the road Delpo to even get that far. Murray probably won’t claim a maiden Grand Slam title this season but he should make the last four yet again.

Run from Roddick and Roger
I never thought I’d tell anyone to dodge Roger Federer but he offers no value in this tournament. He hasn’t played with the kind of form to make a run to the final seem plausible nor will he be available at good value in the early rounds along the way. Andy Roddick on the other hand has become sadly all too predictable. Roddick simply hasn’t been up to scratch in 2011 and any progress beyond the third round should be seen as a big success for the American.