Wimbledon: Latest Odds

On the eve of the Wimbledon Championships there have been late shifts in the betting as punters opt for experience and proven success at the All-England Club. Six-times champion Roger Federer has seized favouritism without swinging a racket, replacing Rafa Nadal who was flavour of the month in the immediate afterglow of his latest French Open victory. The Swiss is a best price of 9/4 with Coral as people considered his awesome track record on grass. World number one Nadal may wonder why he is 5/2 with the same firm having won both times he has taken to the courts in SW19 since 2008. Federer won his last trophy in 2009 but the Spaniard was absent through injury.

Novak Djokovic has drifted out to 4/1 with WilliamHill, perhaps because he has never reached a Wimbledon final. A 43-match unbeaten run up to the French Open semi-final is currently not enough to persuade the majority of the betting public of his credentials here. The patriotic surge that greets Andy Murray may be still to come as the Scot’s price remains quite stable. A best price of 13/2 with VictorChandler will surely shorten if the British number one pummels a couple of low rankers over the next few days.

In the women’s draw, the competition looks wide open with Maria Sharapova retaining joint favouritism at 9/2 with Boylesports. The 2004 champion hasn’t been winning Grand Slams anywhere recently but a return to a better level of form and fitness seems to be enough for some. The explanation for the Russian’s short odds is largely explained by health concerns over perennial Centre Court winners, the Williams sisters. Serena is rivalling Sharapova at 9/2 with some firms but doubts over her match fitness may be delaying some bets in her favour. The winner here in 2009 and 2010, the younger sister has barely played since standing on broken glass last year and developing blood clots on her lungs. She is recovered now, but woefully short of competitive action. Venus is in a similar boat after a hip injury, and finds herself 8/1 with totesport.

French Open champion Na Li will no longer slip under the radar so readily after becoming China’s first ever Grand Slam Singles’ winner at Roland Garros. Also a finalist at the Australian Open in January, she may shorten from 10/1 with StanJames if people start to think she can perform similarly well on grass. World number one Caroline Wozniacki must overcome the same doubts at 11/1 with Coral.  The prospects of all the leading ladies were improved by the unfortunate withdrawal of Belgian Kim Clijsters with an ankle injury.

See Wimbledon section for more in-depth analysis.