Wimbledon 2015: Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray head the betting
Saturday 27 June 2015 11:53, UK
We analyse the credentials of the five favourites to win Wimbledon, according to Sky Bet's outright odds.
Novak Djokovic - 11/8 with Sky Bet
The Serb may have failed to live up to expectations in the French Open final but he is still very much the man to beat on any surface right now. Djokovic has already racked up the Australian Open and four Masters titles in 2015 and returns to the All England Club looking to complete his hat-trick of triumphs, having secured his second crown by defeating Roger Federer last year.
Despite the elongated grass-court season, Djokovic opted not to play a full competition in preparation, preferring to recuperate and prepare privately, with a Boodles appearance his only public action on grass. The world No 1 is the 11/8 favourite with Sky Bet but has drifted out from marginally odds-on prior to his Roland Garros loss to Stan Wawrinka, who he is seeded to meet again in the semi-finals.
With the heavy burden of history no longer weighing on his shoulders and form and fitness back in his favour, the Scot is arguably perfectly positioned to win Wimbledon this year. Murray arrives on the back of his best clay-court campaign to date and as Queen’s champion for a fourth time, efforts which see him installed as the second favourite.
It’s difficult to know what to make of the draw, with it throwing up the prospect of facing Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the quarters and then semi-finals. He would go off as favourite against both and ultimately the biggest obstacle standing in his way is the man who has won their last eight encounters and inevitably awaits in the final - Djokovic.
With a 34th birthday just a couple of months away, the seven-time champion continues to defy the norm and returns to south-west London for the 17th time considered as a genuine contender. As if it were needed, Federer reminded us of his surface suitability with an eighth Halle success, his 15th grass-court title in total.
Being placed in Murray’s half has seen his odds drift from 6/1 to 13/2, while a resurgent Nadal would arguably be even worse news for Federer, with the Spaniard leading their head-to-head 23-10 ahead of a potential semi-final meeting. The big question surrounding the Swiss star is whether he can match his rivals over the five-set format, having won just one of the last 21 Grand Slams.
The Swiss No 2 has a handy habit of upsetting the odds at Grand Slams, defying a hefty price again to land his second major title at the French Open. Beating an injured Nadal at the Australian Open was somewhat fortuitous but his triumph over Djokovic in Paris was anything but, producing relentless attacking tennis to penetrate the best defence in the game over and over again.
Plenty will be surprised to see such significant odds next to his name but a woeful grass-court record justifies it, having only made the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time last year. He fell early again at Queen’s this year but writing off the 30-year-old is proving a perilous task, especially with a favourable draw on his side. Djokovic may await in the semis but David Goffin is unlikely to provide much of a test as his final 16 top-seeded opponent, while questions hang over the credentials of potential quarter-final opponents Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic.
Expectations have never been so modest for a man once feared by all on tour. It has proved a humbling road to recovery in 2015 for the Spaniard, seemingly unthinkably failing to win a single title on the European clay swing, raising questions as to whether we’ll ever see his best again.
He bounced back by winning his first grass-court title since Wimbledon 2010 in Stuttgart, but then fell at the first hurdle at Queen’s. As the 10th seed, the draw was always likely to be rough and fears were confirmed with a place in the same quarter as Murray, which saw him drift from 14/1 to 18/1.
