in Tennis Articles

I know most of the sporting world is riveted right now on the end of the NFL season and the start of another NBA season, but the professional players on the Men's ATP Tour are about to begin swinging their rackets for real, in search of another Grand Slam title at the first major of the year, the Australian Open.

Now, I know that Swiss sensation, Roger Federer has pretty much dominated his sport the way his counterpart, Tiger Woods, has on the PGA Tour, but, at this point, I am not prepared to concede anything to Federer and will go on record to say that there are a handful of players that have a legitimate chance of gaining some ground on him.

Not only is the world's number two player, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, only going to continue to get better, but several other players on the tour appeared to have made great improvements in their respective games as well.

Whether or not that translates into a Grand Slam title at the expense of Federer, who, like Woods, plays his best in the majors, that remains to be seen. However, I fully expect Federer to have a slightly rougher trek this season in the four Grand Slams than he did in 2006. Then again, Federer could run the table - this, as the old saying goes, "is why they play the games.'

Having said that, let's take a look at the favorites to win the 2007 Australian Open and my dark horse selection.

Roger Federer -275

As previously stated, Federer plays his best in the majors, making him an excellent wager in all four Grand Slam events. However, it is very early in the season and Federer may not be at his very best, making the -275 wager not very friendly for a guy on a betting budget.

Rafael Nadal +650

At +650, Nadal is one of the best bets on the board. Nadal has fire in his belly and the drive to continue to get better, particularly on grass where Federer is nearly unbeatable. One statistic most casual tennis fans may not know is that Nadal actually had a better record against Federer on every surface except grass last season, besting him on more than one occasion on hard courts.

Mario Ancic +4000

At +4000, Ancic is an excellent bet - if you think he legitimately has a shot at winning, which he doesn't. Ancic is still too inconsistent to beat the very best players on the tour, although he is getting closer.

Lleyton Hewitt +3000

At + 3000, Hewitt is undoubtedly one of the best bets one the board if he has been working to improve his game these past few months when tennis players generally don't play quite as much. Playing in his homeland will help him immensely, but Hewitt is often easily distracted which is why he is no longer in Federer's league. 'Buyer beware' with Hewitt is sound advice.

David Nalbandian +2500

After watching Nalbandian a lot last season, I think he can legitimately challenge Federer and Nadal this season. At +2500, Nalbandian is a player that could win this thing if he on top of is game and some of the other players aren't on top of theirs, making him a wonderful player to wager on.

James Blake +2000

I love Blake's hustle and he is obviously an excellent player. However, every time I keep waiting for that big breakthrough, I get disappointed. At +2000, Blake is an excellent bet. Again, use caution here.

Andy Murray +2500

I like Murray a lot and think he's one of the players that has a real chance of entering the upper echelon - if he can learn how to maintain his focus at all times. At +3000, the player I patterened my own backhand after, is an excellent wager - and a player that is a legitimate darkhorse to win.

Andy Roddick +1000

After watching how Federer dismantled Roddick in last year's US Open, I'm not sure what to expect out of Roddick. On one hand, I think the hiring of Jimmy Connors was a stroke of genius that will pay huge dividends this season and on the other, I still see Roddick as a player with plenty of holes in his game despite having the game's biggest serve. At +1000, Roddick is a great bet, and if he improves like I think he will under Connors, certainly has a legitimate chance to win this thing.

Richard Gasquet +3500

Gasquet is another one of the players I think has a chance to really gain some ground and possibly enter the ranks of the elite players. At +3000, he is an excellent wager and a player that has a better chance of winning one of the early Slams rather than the US Open or Wimbledon.

Marcos Baghdatis +3500

Baghdatis is another player that I rally enjoyed watching last season, however, I found out what poor condition he's in physically during his riveting match with Andre Agassi during last year's US Open. Baghdatis reminds me more of a NFL linebacker than a ATP player, but if he worked hard to slim down and imrpove his mobility.

Ivan Ljubicic +3000

At +3000 Ljubicic is an excellent player to wager on if you think he has a legitimate shot at actually winning. If you ask me, I'd say wisely save your money on Ljubicic.

Nikolay Davydenko +2000

Now, Davydenko is a player that is definitely worth the $100 wager that could possibly win you $2000. If Davydenko is ready to take the next step into his sport's upper echelon, then this would be the tournament to really make a statement and start the year off on the right foot.

Marat Safin +2000

I really expected big things out of Safin when he beat Pete Sampras to win his first Grand Slam title in 2000, but all I keep getting is one disappointment after another. Safin reminds me of the Indianapolis Colts, or better yet, Marty Schottenheimer.

Darkhorse:

Watch out for Richard Gasquet, a player I watched on numerous occassions in 2006 and one that I believe is really ready to step into the class of the world's elite players in 2007. If someone unwittingly opens the door for Gasquet in the later rounds, I firmly expect the young Frenchman to walk right on through.

My Pick:

I know it's foolish to bet against Roger Federer, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Andy Roddick is going to win his second career Grand Slam by defeating either Federer or Nadal in the final. Besides, at +1000 what have you got to lose anyway?

Check out the BetUS sportsbook to see all of the Australian Open odds and many more sporting event odds.

Eric Williams is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, and Sr. NBA analyst for basketball.com as well as a nationally syndicated freelance writer for both print and online publications.