Betting on Djokovic a risk worth taking at ATP World Tour Finals
Published:It does seem slightly insane that Novak Djokovic is not favourite to win the ATP World Tour Finals given the year he has enjoyed, but despite his injury problems he still looks the player to beat in London.
Djokovic won three Grand Slams, ten titles in total and has only been beaten four times throughout the whole of 2011.
The dominance of the world number one has been on the wane in recent months as three of these defeats have come since August, although a shoulder injury can largely be held accountable for this drop in form.
The injury first reared its head when Djokovic had to retire in his Cincinnati Masters final with Andy Murray and it has since impacted his play in surprise defeats to Juan Martin del Potro and little-known Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic was also forced to withdraw mid-way through the recent Paris Masters, citing the injury as the reason, and this is clearly why he is as big as 7/2 in the tennis odds to win the ATP World Tour Finals.
However, recent tweets suggest that the injury is not causing him any current aggravation and his withdrawal in Paris could solely be classed as a precautionary measure.
It is clearly a risk to back a Djokovic victory in London given his troubles and the fact he will have to play five tough games in the space of a week will only put added strain on the problem.
But the Serbian has triumphed in 20 of his 22 meetings with the top ten in the world this season and based on his seasonal form, he will take all of the beating if just 90 per cent fit.
Djokovic is also 6/4 to top Group A and reach the semi finals, where he is placed with Murray, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer.
