Back Murray to overcome injury concerns to land third Wimbledon title
In a year without a major football competition to whet punters appetites, the All England Lawn Tennis Club at SW19 Wimbledon once again takes centre-stage.
The iconic grass courts have become synonymous with some of the finest and most controversial images in sport and from a betting point of view, this year's event has the potential to once again create further history.
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Here is who we fancy to land the men's and ladies singles events.
Men's Singles - Murray the Man
Great Britain's Andy Murray was imperious at SW19 last year. Dropping must two sets throughout the tournament, the Dunblane-born player won his second Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam, when defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets.
Since then, he has gone on to reach no.1 in the world and despite a shaky start to 2017, he found some form to reach the semi-finals in Roland Garros.
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His grass-court preparation has been interrupted to say the least. Beaten by lucky loser Jordan Thompson in the first round at the Queen's Club, Murray has been suffering from a hip problem which at one point, threatened his participation in the grass court Grand Slam.
However, he is convinced that he is now fit to retain the title and the rumours are that he has been practicing very well. The thing with Murray is that if he can just get through his first three or four games without too many scares, then he can essentially play himself into the tournament.
A couple of tough matches early on will test his mettle but also his fitness. That is probably the only worry I have, as on paper, he is the best mover on a grass court along with Federer. Murray's no.1 status is also on the line at this event and he will be going all out to defend his title.
The bookies have installed Swiss legend Roger Federer as a general 2/1 favourite for the event. A seven-time winner of this event as part of 18 Grand Slam successes, the Fed intentionally bypassed the clay court campaign to prolong his career at the top level.
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He put a disappointing defeat to Tommy Haas in Stuttgart behind him when landing his ninth victory at Halle to demonstrate his continued supremacy on those courts.
He was beaten by Milos Raonic in the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year and then was absent for six months having picked up an injury at this tournament.
He won the Australian Open earlier this year and is the form player. However, he is far too short to land this title at 35-years-old.
Rafael Nadal arrives at Wimbledon off the back of completing La Decima - 10 titles on his favoured clay at Roland Garros. However, he has not partaken in a competitive match on grass this season and I always fear for him on this surface now.
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He doesn't move effortlessly on this surface and I think he sometimes find the transition from clay to grass very tough. I'd be surprised if he added to his two titles here this year.
Novak Djokovic played his first grass court tournament except for Wimbledon since 2010 at Eastbourne last week and he played very well to land the ATP 250 title.
He seemed quite pleased that he had actually played that tournament but Djokovic no longer has that aura of invincibility which once made him so feared.
He's got a pretty good draw but could meet Federer in another mouth-watering semi-final. That would be some treat and with Djokovic still not firing on all cylinders, I'm reluctant to back him.
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Other names that deserve a mention include Stan The Man Wawrinka. Diesel was given a masterclass in the Roland Garros final by Nadal and is nowhere near as effective on grass.
I can see him struggling to get further than the fourth round. The name that is increasingly bandied about is Alexander Zverev.
The Next-Gen 20-year-old German won the Masters 1000 event in Rome and reached the final in Halle before being thrashed by Federer.
Canadian Milos Raonic reached the final here last year but has not been in the same form since, whilst Croatia's Marin Cilic is another possible.
He reached the final at Queen's last week and was unlucky not to beat Federer in the quarter-finals at SW19 last year. Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem, last year's quarter-finalist Jo Wilfred Tsonga and former semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov also deserve a mention.
Verdict
In spite of his injury troubled preparation, Murray is simply one of the finest movers on grass to ever grace SW19. He has a kind draw and if he is able to get through the first three/four rounds unscathed, I think he will then rediscover his top grass form.
Murray is 13/2 with Betfair to win the Men's Singles and that is simply too big a price for the defending champion.
I also think Marin Cilic, whose game is well suited by Wimbledon and the higher bounce on offer, is also a lovely shout at 18/1 with William Hill to win the Men's Singles.
Other bets I like include Federer or Murray to win at Evens with Betfair, Federer/Murray final at 11/2 with Betfred, Murray/Djokovic final at 14/1 with Betway and Andy Murray to reach the final at 9/4 with Boylesports.
To win their respective quarters, I fancy Murray to win the 1st Quarter at 5/4 with BetVictor, Marin Cilic to win the 2nd Quarter at 7/2 with William Hilland Novak Djokovic to win the 4th Quarter at 5/4 with Betfred.
Women's Singles- Coco looks each-way value
The women's singles looks incredibly tough to call. No Serena in the line-up takes the edge off this tournament and gives a host of women the chance to gain a Grand Slam victory.
At 22/1, I'm quite keen on the chances of Coco Vandeweghe. Coached by Pat Cash, she should have performed better in Germany last time but she really does relish Wimbledon. A semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January, she has the power and nous in her game to go far in this tournament.
My other two each-way fancies is last year's finalist Angelique Kerber, who despite looking a shadow of her former self this year, retains the game to last the two weeks, whilst I can't resist a small dabble on Venus Williams. She is another player who improves as the tournament goes on and I rate her chances without her sister being here this year.
I quite fancy Kerber to win the 1st Quarter at 9/2 with Boylesports, Vandeweghe the second quarter at 15/2 at 10Bet and Williams to win the 2nd Quarter at 5/1.
Doubles
There are no prices out yet, but in the Men's Doubles, I fancy Bruno Soares and Jamie or the Bryan Brothers to win the tournament and in the Women's Doubles, I like Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova to score.
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