Tennis Betting Odds Preview: “Rafa-Slam” On The Horizon. The 2011 tennis betting season is off with a bang. The Australian Open is always one of the most anticipated events of the year as it’s the first major tournament of the calendar year and the first Grand Slam of the year.
But this year, thanks to the outstanding play of world #1 Raphael Nadal the anticipation for the Aussie Open is more than we’ve seen in decades. It’s not only that Nadal is playing so well but if he wins this tournament he’ll be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win 4-straight Grand Slam events.
That is rare thing indeed and the closest anyone has come to winning a mythic sweep of all four the Grand Slam events in the same season. Anyone familiar with tennis odds action knows just how difficult this is. No one in the modern era of tennis has done this. And even when Laver accomplished his feat (which he did twice) the Slams were only played on 2 services.
And even though the world of tennis betting seems to be in agreement that if Nadal is to win the Aussie Open and win four straight Slam events it won’t be a true Grand Slam as it wasn’t in the same season. But what Nadal has a chance to accomplish is arguably an even greater feat than what Laver did simply because of the variation of services. It’s highly unlikely that Laver would have won the single season Grand Slam had clay courts been involved in the Grand Slam tennis odds action back then.
What’s also impressive about Nadal’s feat is that he’s been able to stay healthy. Nadal plays one of the most physical styles of tennis in the ATP tennis betting action (which makes such a strong competitor on clay) but it also ups the risk for injury.
Nadal has plenty of competition Down Under as well, primarily #2 Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, and it should make for one of the most exciting Aussie Opens we’ve seen in a while. And if you’re looking to wager on this event, with the way Nadal has been playing and with his new and improved serve, it would be very tough to bet against the Spaniard.