The 2017 Wimbledon Championships were no friend of Andy Murray this year. Dodged with uncertainty as the fate of the defending champion of the Gentlemen’s singles lay on his shoulders, Muaray was unable to rally himslef – or his body nad meet expectations.
Tennis lovers are kept an eye out for their favourite players in hopes of a satisfactory win both on the court, and at the bookies.
The issue of who gets to hold the top position in the Association of Tennis Professionals’ ranking of the men’s singles, was considered to be a bone of contention among players, but ultimately it was Murray who was named the top seed at Wimbledon – a first in his career.
He was followed by Novak Djokovic, who seeded second, Roger Federer who was placed third and Rafael Nadal, who was handed fourth. Since the announcement, hype appears to be growing around enhanced odds, offering several tennis supporters additional motivation to be enthusiastic about the game.
Wimbledon is the one grand slam tournament where the seedings do not automatically follow the rankings, with recent results on grass being prioritised in the men’s event.
Taking place at place at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, in London, the main draw matches are being played on Monday and are running all the way through Sunday, the 16th of July. Punters have been doing their research and watching closely to try and figure out from this year’s lineup, who is their best bet for Centre court this summer.
However, as per his own admission, Murray – a two-time winner of the championship – faces the possibility of losing his Wimbledon title, pointing to his performance in the first round of the Aegon Championships earlier this month, where he lost to Jordan Thompson. Being a five-time Queen’s Club champion, Murray admitted that the unexpected defeat was “a big blow” with Wimbledon so quickly approaching.
“This tournament has given me great preparation in the past. When I have done well here, Wimbledon has tended to go pretty well, too. But, if I play like that, I certainly won’t win Wimbledon. I can play better than that,” he told the Guardian newspaper.
Murray faced another setback when, following doctors’ advice, he cancelled a second exhibition game at London’s Hurlingham Club following a bout of soreness in his hip- news which sent his previously high odds to win, plummeting to 40/1. He was due to face Frenchman Lucas Pouille on the court, but on Tuesday morning his management made the announcement.
“Sadly I won’t be ready to play at the Hurlingham, my hip is still sore and I need to rest it,” he said.
Yet, with the decision to step back being only a precaution, plans are still in motion for Murray to play against a soon-to-be announced second opponent on Friday.
Only time will tell how the World No. 1 tennis player will fare in the coming days. The tennis court is a gold mine of surprises, and it is up to the players to uncover the concealed.
Two-time defending Ladies’ singles champion Serena Williams did not return to defend her title, having ended her season in April due to pregnancy.
As with Murray, she would have been a favourite to win- as arguably the best female tennis player in the world, she was the bookies favourite to win from last years event but when news of her pregnancy broke- it paved the way for other favourites to move in. With Serena out of the running, whose favour will the odds be in this year?
