Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals: Rafael Nadal vs. Robin Soderling

London , England – The opening match between Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling on Monday is perhaps the most intriguing of the first cycle of Round Robin matches. Their clash is compelling because it is the first-time they will meet since Soderling handed Nadal his first-ever defeat at the French Open.

How will the reprisal of their French Open clash go down? Will Nadal get his revenge – many think it is his due? Will the indoor hard court specialist Soderling (yes he has an edge on this surface) frustrate Nadal a second consecutive time? These are just some of the many questions experts are tossing about.

Nadal heads into this match with a 3-1 lifetime edge over Soderling. On the 2009 term, they have split two meetings. Nadal opened their account with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-0 victory over Soderling at the Rome Masters R16. Soderling levelled the score when he beat Nadal 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2) in the French Open R16.

Tennis Betting Line: Rafael Nadal -150 Robin Soderling +110
Match Time: 09:00 A.M Eastern Time Monday November 23, 2009

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Tennis Betting Verdict: It is no secret these two players do not like each other. Nadal showing such a sentiment is more significant as the very popular Spaniard always seems to have a good thing or two to say about his opponents. That he has nothing good to say about Soderling, and has even spoken out against him, speaks to the very depth of Nadal’s lack of respect Nadal for Soderling. You can well imagine losing to Soderling at the French Open then didn’t go down well with Rafa.

All this makes for the perfect ingredients for revenge. The question is whether Nadal is in the kind of form to see through revenge. Most would say no. He has done well since returning to the ATP action – more than well, in fact reaching no less than the quarters of each and every event. But he has struggled against the top ten players. And that is the case against him.

Robin Soderling is making his debut at the London Tour Finals and something tells me he would like nothing better than to prove his win over Nadal was not a one-off. And what a stage to prove it on should he do so.

The market is undecided on this match. While they tip Nadal the favourite and Soderling the underdog, the very proximity of their odds suggests they think this match could go either way. And they are not wrong. There is value whichever way you slice this match. Most likely, it will come down to which player is the better player on that day. For my part, I am backing Nadal not only because I suffer from a bit of fan-idolization but because he is the proven player over time.

Tennis Free Picks: Nadal in three sets -150

Additional Props:

Rafael Nadal to win 2 - 0 +135
Rafael Nadal to win 2 - 1 +300
Robin Soderling to win 2 - 0 +250
Robin Soderling to win 2 - 1 +350

Tennis Props picks: Nadal 2-1 +300