Why Murray is best placed of “Fantastic Four” to win Wimbledon
Published:Beyond the vaunted names of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the shortest price you can get on a Wimbledon winner coming from outside that quartet is 20/1.
Tennis’ version of the Marvel superhero team are so dominant in SW19 that only two outsiders have managed to reach the final in the last eight years. For that reason, such lengthy prices on the rest of the field are understandable.
Of the Fantastic Four, it’s defending champion Murray who is best placed to prevail, although his odds of 3/1 with Ladbrokes put him second in the race for the 2014 trophy.
The Brit’s drubbing at the hands of Rafael Nadal in the French Open semi-finals carries no weight on the grass, as Murray enjoys the green surface just as much as his Spanish friend revels the clay.
Having already climbed to the summit of Mount Pressure last season, winning for a second time will be a far easier mental task for Murray.
Djokovic is the man Ladbrokes give the best chance of claiming Murray’s title, at 7/4 odds, but is growing increasingly fragile in Grand Slam finals.
There’s no doubt the Serb is in form having lost just four times in 2014 and claiming three titles, but he’s not won a Grand Slam in five attempts and has lost all of his last three final appearances.
Claiming an astounding ninth French Open title means Nadal arrives in London with the Grand Slam momentum but, just like Superman, the green stuff seems to drain the powers of his racquet.
The Spaniard has exited Wimbledon before the third round in his last two visits and has already stated how difficult he finds the transition from clay to grass.
If the feel of grass under his feet makes Nadal cower, it adds a considerable bounce to Federer’s step.
The Swiss has the ability to throw his season’s form out the window at Wimbledon but at 32 and with one Grand Slam final appearance in the last three years, he shouldn’t be expected to repeat those heroics.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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