Australian Open 2012

New Year, New Murray?  Anyone else make a New Year’s resolution to get a new personal trainer? Andy Murray did, only his was eight-times grand slam winner Ivan Lendl. Yours probably wasn’t. And so to Australia for the first major of the year, and the first opportunity to see if the Czech can bounce Murray from being perennial bridesmaid to blushing bride. Historically, this tournament is won by the best player in the world. Unlike at Roland Garros, there can be no complaints about the funny surface. And unlike at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, players tend not to arrive at the competition in mid-season and therefore injured. The big three at the top of mens’ tennis have shared the last... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 14th, 2012
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

ATP World Tour Finals 2011

Like Wimbledon with less grass. Ten years ago this month, the shutters were all set to fall on the white elephant that was New Labour’s Millennium Dome. Quite simply, not enough people were willing to pay good money to go and see exhibitions focusing on the History of Christianity or go and sit in a ‘Rest Zone.’ What the hell was all that about? This week, numerous unsold seats suggest an equal number of people aren’t willing to sit in the O2 and watch Tomas Berdych play David Ferrer. It certainly isn’t progress that’s for sure. One way of recouping your hard-earned tax cash that was spunked all over the dome could be to bet on the ATP World Final... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

Classic Match – 2009 US Open – Roger Federer

As this year, the 2009 US Open Mens Final was played a day later than scheduled due to rain the week before. It was well and truly worth waiting for however. In an epic lasting over four hours, Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer in five wonderful sets of tennis. In the lead-up to the final, Federer was in imperious form, even doing things like this in his semi-final with Novak Djokovic. But having disposed of Nadal in the semi-final (in straight sets), del Potro had the grit between his teeth, and fancied his chances. Federer took the first set 6-3, but the Argentine hit back immediately, taking the second set to 5 on a tie-break. Federer again went... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 11th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

Classic US Open

Pete Sampras vs Marat Safin. The 2011 US Open starts on Monday (wind-assisted this year) but its final is unlikely to be as breath-taking as this classic from 2000. Marat Safin’s finest hour came on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows eleven years ago. Not many gave him a chance against the man with 13 Grand Slams to his name, but he destroyed Pete Sampras in straight sets. Andre Agassi was the number one seed and defending champion, but he got dumped out early by Arnaud Clement. 4x champion Sampras meanwhile had strolled to the final, losing just one set in the process, and started as hot favourite. Safin was frightening that night, in the words of one journalist, “thumping... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 28th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

(Does) Murray’s Miracle Mean More Murray Mania?

Dare we say it? Dare we hope? If you’ve not been following Wimbledon so far, yesterday, Federer was taken out in 5 sets by Tsonga after having been up by 2 sets – something entirely unheard of for the former champion as Roger has never lost a match from that position until now. Another of tennis’ current greats – Rafa Nadal, who Murray is set to face in his Semi-Final, suffered an injury on his foot in an earlier round. In his Quarter Final match against the superbly named Mardy Fish (If you’re not sure why, check out Urban Dictionary’s definition of Mardy), Nadal seemed to be ok, but he had been given a painkilling injection. Nadal has injured this... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

4 Bets To Follow – Wimbledon

Here we go again… It’s that time of year again. From Monday, the British middle classes, fresh from the Royal Wedding, will once again pretend they are all seasoned tennis connoisseurs, backing their latest British hopeful at Wimbledon. Here are four ways to make some money: 1) Andy Murray arrives in SW19 as the number four seed, but he’ll know that a fourth seed hasn’t made a final since Roger Federer began his reign of dominance back in 2003. Murray has of course made the Semis in the past two years and that’s where we think he’ll exit again – most probably at the hands of Rafael Nadal. A Semi-Final exit is a 6/4 shot whilst losing to Nadal is on offer at 7/4... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Friday, June 17th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

French Open Tennis – Like Wimbledon, just more orange

Classic Final – 1999 – Agassi vs Medvedev: Whether you’re all aboard the Djokovic bandwagon (our tip at 11/8 with bet365), or fancy Rafa to rule again (evens at Bluesq), it’s certain that this year’s French Open Champion won’t be a player who just 18 months ago was outside the top 100, consuming crystal meth as if it was a packet of Pringles. That is exactly what happened 11 years ago, when Andre Agassi came back from two sets down to complete a wonderful comeback against Andrei Medvedev. Yet that comeback was merely a microcosm of a far grander one – Agassi was ranked 141 in the world at the end of 1997. Agassi’s passage to the final had been... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
(Posted in: Articles, Oggsblog, Tennis)

Serena Williams to miss out on upcoming tournaments due to foot injury

According to the WTA tour, Serena Williams – the world’s premier female tennis player – will miss the upcoming tournaments in Istanbul, Cincinnati, and Montreal due to ‘a necessary procedure on her right foot’. The foot injury – a laceration caused by a piece of broken glass – is reportedly bad enough to require major surgery. Said injury occurred just days after Williams decimated Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in the Wimbledon finals, resulting in her fourth Rosewater Dish and thirteenth grand slam title overall. This unfortunate injury (and the resultant surgery) will also keep Williams from competing in the year’s final grand slam, the US Open. The decision to have the surgery, though, came out of Brussels, Belgium – just... Continue reading...

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
(Posted in: Articles, Tennis, WP)