Monte Carlo Masters Betting Tips

 

MONACO - APRIL 17: Rafael Nadal of Spain kisses the trophy after his victory in the final against Guillermo Coria of Argentina at the ATP Master Series at the Monte Carlo Country Club on April 17, 2005 in Monte Carlo,Monaco (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal has won the title for four consecutive years, and the defending champion is showing no signs of fatigue or loss of form going into the 2009 season. It is going to take a little bit of magic and a huge amount of clay court skill to dethrone the awesome young Spaniard. He is sure to be the favourite with both bookmakers and punters alike.

Three of Nadal’s Grand Slam wins were at the French Open on clay (2005 – 2008), and in 2008 he won the Wimbledon Championships and Australian Open for the first time, while taking the world number one spot from Roger Federer.

Of his 32 career singles wins, 22 of them have been contested on clay, and of his twelve Masters Series wins, eight of them were played and won on clay. In 2007 he won at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Stuttgart – all clay surfaces. In May 2007 Nadal beat Federer at an exhibition match called the “Battle of the Surfaces” – the court surface was half grass and half clay!

So, when the chips are down, Rafael Nadal is virtually unbeatable on clay, and he is a pretty sure Monte Carlo Masters betting tip.

One man who has the ability and skill to topple Nadal is, of course, his main protagonist, Roger Federer. However, statistics will show that although Federer was deservedly the number one player in the world for 237 weeks in a row, his obvious weakness is his performances on clay which is what led to his demotion to world number 2. To date Federer has picked up a remarkable 13 Grand Slam titles, but the one Grand Slam that continues to elude him is the French Open, played on a clay surface. Of his 51 total career wins, only six have been on clay!

Although the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters will in all probability end up in a Nadal – Federer shoot-out, there are a number of young stars on the ascendancy. Frenchman Richard Gasquet caused quite a stir at the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters, when he trounced Federer in the quarterfinal. The naturally talented Gasquet can be expected to put up a strong performance at the Monte Carlo Country Club in April 2009.

Juan Carlos Ferrero is another young man who has the ability to cause an upset in ’08. He was successful at the Rome Masters in 2001 and won back-to-back titles at Monte Carlo in 2002 & 2003. He is clearly a clay specialist as he also claimed the French Open crown in 2003. Although his form has slumped a tad since the glory days of the 2003 calendar year, it would be remiss to discount his contention at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2009.

David Ferrer, David Nalbandian and Gustavo Kuerten can also be regarded as Monte Carlo Masters possibilities, so too can Guillermo Coria, who won in 2004 – but when all is done and dusted there is undoubtedly one clay court player who stands supreme, and that is Rafael Nadal.


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