The Rod Hull Tennis Trading Diary

Shirtless Iranian Men?

2011-08-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

I found this old classic on my computer just now, when a certain Betfair forum poster posted a screenshot to complain about market suspensions in Verdasco v Karlovic but the silly boy forgot to empty his google searchbox text!

Oh how we laughed.

Update for Carlos...

2011-02-04T15:04:00.001-08:00

Seeing as Carlos has had a bit of a seethe on the Betfair Forum for some reason, saying I try to say I am honest????? and never post screen shots of more than £10????? as if these are bad things on a blog???

I don't know. He seems to be a bit crazy but I thought I would post another update with todays matches on as they have just finished, with 5/6 ending with a screen shot of above £10 so that matches his "criteria" that he seems to require for this.

Enjoy Carlos, I hope the "above £10" screen shots make you happy.

Update for comments...

2011-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

Just another quick update from missed matches for the comments posted. The 26th Jan matches were in the last post with screenshots and 27th-28th of Jan are here.

Like before I don't think I'll update for a while as I don't have many interesting things to say that will fill a blog on a regular basis.

Good luck with your bets and trading...

Update for Swebih...

2011-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update for Swebih on the Betfair forum as he was asking for an update. I decided to pretty much stop the blog (again) as the last comments got me thinking.

They were asking for posts on strategy and discipline etc and after having a think about it I realised that I can't do that. I can't write good articles and posts on those subjects and this will more than likely turn out to be a profit and loss blog which are usually pretty boring unless there are some posts about the actual bets or trading that they are doing.

I don't have time to do write ups about every match I now get involved in and all I am really doing is laying someone when they reach low odds if I don't think they are a 1.01 train.

I would end up repeating myself so often and it will end up being boring for you and for me.

I won't delete the blog and may post regularly again in the future as some of you may remember that I change my mind about what I am doing every few months!

Good luck with all your bets and trading, I hope you make shit loads of money this year!

Thanks Builders...

2011-01-26T04:14:00.001-08:00

I would like to say a thank you to the builders who decided to start drilling next door at 9:30am.

Due to Kvitova bottling the big game and not turning up against Zvonareva I had resigned to have a losing day today despite clawing a little bit back on Murray.

I was woken up by the drilling and after lying in bed for about 20 mins I realised I wasn't going to get back to sleep so got up to see Ferrer/Nadal from early in the second set. I jumped aboard the Ferrer train as it was clear Nadal couldn't move 100% and what was even better was the drilling stopped about 5 mins after I got up!

A lovely finish to the day and finishing with a little green made me happy. I think tonight I will get involved in play with the WTA matches. I think Li can beat Woz but ther will be a few flip flops in the match so will wait to get involved.

Aus Open Quarter Finals...

2011-01-25T08:38:00.001-08:00

I had a nicer green on Li but got involved again in the second set, thinking Petkovic would take the set but Li broke back again and I managed to scrape a little green still.

Joker went out to 1.4 when a set up and a break down which was a massive over reaction to his contacts problem. I took some of that and greened out at low odds again. I didn't want to lay at low odds with him as he has been playing so well that I couldn't be confident he would drift.

I wanted to lay Woz as I thought she was too short at 1.17 against Schiavone, despite Schiavone playing the massive match a couple of days earlier I thought she could still cause problems and break Woz's serve. I ended up sleeping though after watching most of Fed which I also didn't get involved in. I was looking to maybe back Fed should his price rise but he was class and I certainly wasn't going to lay him when ahead the way he was playing.

I think Vera will be a lay tonight, I can see her winning but Kvitova has a good chance to cause some problems and she will probably trade higher. Murray I will back in play if he drifts and I will watch A.Rad, possibly laying Clijsters pre match and look to trade.

Aus Open Monday Morning...

2011-01-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

A profitable day which should have been so much better. I was watching and concentrating on the Sod match so much I forgot to green out on Pennetta. Sod was duly delivering a nice win but I need to keep an eye on all matches.

Two other little trades on the WTA matches, Zvonareva I had a little back of when a break down in the first set, I didn't think she would lose and would break back not long after. A.Rad I let run a bit longer and should have greened out at the end of the first set for a nice profit, instead Peng broke back and leveled. A.Rad got the break in the deciding set and that was me done for the night.

I was hoping Clijsters lost the first set tie break this morning as she would have been value to back but she won so I didn't get involved in this match.

Aus Open Sunday Morning...

2011-01-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

No early match trading as I was drinking last night but did get up for football an hour early and had two good trades. First was a quick one in the Kuz match, this was 5-5 or 6-6 I think and started with laying Kuz when she had 0-30 on Schiavone's serve, Schia came back to hold and it was a quick green. I watched the rest and wanted to get involved again but I knew as soon as I laid someone who broke you could almost guarantee that they would have held to win so I just watched and didn't re-enter the market.

The other was a lay of Sharapova, she was far too short and her serve was going to be under massive pressure and when Petkovic started putting heavy ground strokes in to the corners this would put Masha under even more pressure to get first serves in. This was more 50/50 and I would have probably even made Petkovic favourite.

Sharapova was getting her arse kicked from the start and I was going to let it run the whole way but when Petkovic was broken serving for the match I greened out at around 1.05 as I had to leave to play football then.

All in all another good day, I'm happy with how it's going in recent days.

Aus Open Saturday Morning...

2011-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Quick post this evening as I've been drinking after winning at football today...

A good day, only the one loss and that could have been a big win. I laid Stosur and was about to let the lay run in the tie break for a bigger win, I greened out and then backed Stosur at 3.5 as this was too high playing at home a set down.

When Stosur had break points near the end of the second set I went back to think about the first set where being brave enough to let it run would have been a much bigger green so this time I said I would let it run.

I did and Kvitova came back to hold and then broke Stosur to love. I had to take a loss and I didn't mind too much, some time a match like that will result in a nice green and that was also the only loss of the day. I was just sat there laughing to myself as I redded out after the way it went.

Aus Open Day 5...

2011-01-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

Some more profit but the two big losses were very annoying. I laid Almagro and Wawrinka when a set up but as soon as I done that (like Stepanek the other day) their opponents just went down pathetically. I didn't red out at first as it's a 5 set match but it's the wrong decision for me to lay after 1 set in ATP, I just can't get it right.

WTA was a much better night and I always seem to do better with that. Sevastova was a fantastic value at 1.75 and I didn't read anyone that was on Manesieva. The last few times I have laid Sharapova she has gone on to win and cost me money and last night I didn't think Goerges had the game either physically or mentally to outdo her in a Slam so I backed her from the off.

She broke early but I was hoping for her to consolidate her break before greening but she was broken back. I topped up a little when she lost the first set and greened out after Masha broke her early in the decider.

I also laid Henin and took the early green after Kuz broke her and I said the other day I think Kuz could be the surprise package this year and go quite far in what is a very open Slam.

I will be trading less matches over the next two days as I play football Saturday's and Sunday's so need to get some sleep through the night.

Aus Open Day 4...

2011-01-20T10:31:00.001-08:00

I didn't enjoy last night very much despite ending in profit. It was a night littered with mistakes and bad decisions and I think I was lucky to end up green.

I failed to research lots of the matches properly and made stupid decisions like backing Llodra, Jankovic, laying Petrova just after she was broken as I opened the market late.

Then there were the ones like laying Cornet after winning the first set only to see here win 6-1, laying Stepanek just before a complete breakdown and he feebly lost from there on.

I think because matches are 5 sets I have not been redding out so tonight I think I will only get involved in play or if I do get involved from the start make sure I research properly before betting.

Aus Open Day 3...

2011-01-19T07:23:00.001-08:00

A decent day in my first full night choosing matches instead of grabbing whatever matches I could at the start and end of the day.

The losses I can't complain about, on second thoughts I may have done them differently but laying Sharapova nearly paid off as she was gifting break points to Razzano but she just couldn't take one.

Laying Berdych against Kohl could have been the one I would have done differently but I was just hoping for a 0-30 or 15-40 to get a quick green but it wasn't to be.

Bartoli was broken to love as soon as I laid her and was then bageled. The stats looked pretty even so after the first break in the final set I thought she was worth a back. I hadn't been watching but did read (after betting) that she was carrying an injury but how many times have we seen her "injured" only to win with ease in the end?

Best result was the lay of Wickmayer which I ended up letting run as she was never going to win that match. Sevastova was getting everything back and even short balls Wick was putting in the net. If Wick did get the ball back then Sevastova was just putting it in the corners and Wick had no answer to it.

Happy with my man Nishikori too, like I said before I am a big fan of his and 1.5 on Mayer was far too short for a 5 set match so had a nice green there too.

Robredo was my tipping comp pick and I thought he would have too much for Fish overall so that was not a bad green to pick up and the others like Petkovic and Tipsa were quick in and out trades. Petkovic lost the first set 6-2 so could have waited longer but I was off to bed and she was getting deuce on Keo's serve early on so thought it would safer to green out and leave it.

Looking forward to tonight now, with plenty more matches to watch and hopefully trade on. Good luck everyone!

Tonights Setup...

2011-01-18T17:24:00.001-08:00

Thought I would post a screen shot of my set up as I trade this evening. I am not getting involved in more than three matches at a time otherwise it's too hard to keep track of.

I am watching one on tv, one on the scoreboard and one on bf video usually. As you can see I started with a back of Robredo and lays of Mayer and Kulikova. Kulikova I had just greened out on as Cheepers took the first set, I don't care what anyone says but 1.3 on a WTA players ranked lower than 100 is crazy no matter who they are playing.

I am hoping for Robredo to pull it back a little and taking some green but I can see this going 5 sets against Fish. Nishikori is looking decent enough against Mayer who is playing terribly so I will be watching this and continuing to let it run and get a bigger green as possible.

Anyway, back to it, good luck with your bets tonight everyone!

Aus Open Day 2...

2011-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

A loss today but could have been a green day. I backed Seppi when he lost the first set as I didn't think Clement would walk it but he started terribly in the second set and when he went a double break down at 0-3 I redded out and took the hit. I was off to bed not long after and didn't want to leave it running. It was annoying to wake up and see he came back from two sets down to win but that's how this game goes sometimes.

With Ivanovic I backed her at 2.1ish, at 4-5 I think as I thought this would come down to nerves and Makarova has choked before. She really had my nerves going as she held from 0-40 not once but twice.

When the market goes against me then back to level, against me then back to level again I have to be getting out at level from now on, or even a small loss. I was hoping for a 0-30 on Makarova's serve towards the end and I suppose it was a bit of greed that kept me in the market.

Squeaky ended up throwing it away and this loss will hit her hard after rebuilding her confidence over the last few months of last season.

With the Bandy match I woke up and expected all the tennis to be finished for the day but it was 4-3 final set so watch a couple of games and looked at the stats to see Hewitt had had around 27 break points but only taken 5 of them (I think).

I laid Bandy when serving for the match @ 5-4 as with that many break points over the match there was a very good chance of Hewitt getting more and 1.28 was too short for me, this wasn't 30-0. Hewitt duly broke and I got a quick green and left the market and unfortunately couldn't stay around for the end of the match as I had things to do.

That win made it a bit better but still a loss which isn't good but as long as I learn something then I don't mind them too often. Today I learnt it will be better for me to get out of a market that goes against me and back to level, against me and back to level instead of being patient and waiting for a greening opportunity it's sometimes the safest option.

I am now off of work for the rest of the AO so should be able to get plenty more trading done most days. Let's hope for some nice wins!

Aus Open Day 1...

2011-01-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

I managed to get involved in a few matches this morning and ended the day with a profit so I'm happy. I started with a lay of both Dokic and Simon. Dokic was @ 1.03 and a break up in the second set and she is always at risk from self imploding and messing up any lead she has, even with the crowd behind her.

She went on to win so the hit is taken on that match. The Simon/Lu match I put a lay in on Simon @ around 1.28ish, when Lu was serving at 5-6 first set to reach a tie break. He got the tie break and won the set pushing Simon out 1.9ish, maybe above evens.

I traded out and then backed Simon as he has been in good form recently. When he broke I greened out and didn't get involved again, Simon went on to win of course.

Henin was a lay in my book just after seeing Mirza serve the first game, she seemed to hitting well and Henin usually struggles with a few service games. I was in and out, in and out of this match, trying to get to used to the Geeks Toy a bit more and when Henin broke and was then serving for the first set I was about to red out but I currently had around £16 red on Henin and £188 green on Mirza and redding out would leave me around £13 red on both so decided to let it run and take the hit if need be.

I decided to get involved with the Groth/Wickmayer match and started with a back of Groth, she has been playing well and with the crowd behind her I thought she could give Wickmayer some trouble. After Wickmayer won the first set I did actually top up a tiny bit as Wick drops a set on many occasions.

Wick broke again and I should have redded out but just had a feeling Groth would not lose in two easy sets at home. When Groth broke to make it 2-2 second set she had the momentum so a tiny little top up again and then thankfully she went on to lead 5-2 where I then greened out just in case.

On my TV I then saw Mirza had won the first set so I was glad I let that run a little longer and went all green on that ready to head off to bed. I could have ended up with very little green as I seriously considered redding out on both Groth and Henin but patience paid off here, if it wasn't WTA I probably would have gone red but in the end a good morning.

I have a few things to do tomorrow afternoon so not sure how much time I will have first thing to trade as I need to get some sleep before being up at 1pm. I'll try and find a quick opportunity on an in-play game but it all depends how the matches are going.

It's almost time...

2011-01-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's almost time for the AO to kick off. I should be able to catch a few morning matches when I come home from work and from Tuesday night onwards I am off for the rest of the Slam so will have plenty of time to trade lot's of matches I hope.

I have withdrawn £180 of the profit as I am now heading to Prague for a friends stag do in March so I think that's a nice thing to get from the profit so far this year. I have never been there so looking forward to it!

I am also using the Geeks Toy to try some trading now so will see how that goes. I had tried it before but didn't look into it too much and didn't realise it had the ladder interface which I used to use on a different software. I will be giving the ladder interface a go with the greening up facilities so will try and post a few screen shots of that but it will probably be more of the days total from Betfair.

Peng v Mattek Sands - Hobart...

2011-01-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

What a crazy match so far. I started by backing Mattek Sands after two service games. She was 2.1, got broken and went to 2.5 then broke immediately back and someone left 2.3 up there so I took that.

She was then broken again and I topped up a little @ 3.05. Carnage ensued as Mattek was broken 5 times in her 6 service games. Peng was getting broken too but she won the first set and I laid a little of Peng @ 1.25. I needed Peng to reach 1.55 to get a minimal green and Mattek has turned it around as I type and has just taken the second set 6-1. I greened out @ 1.85 at around 4-1 second set and am glad I got out of this car crash alive! ha ha

The Last 7 Days...

2011-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

The last 7 days have brought a good amount of profit from the size of the bank and a good strike rate too.

I have misjudged a couple and a couple just been wrong about but most of the time I have made pretty good choices. I think one thing I can improve on is having faith in players I am a fan of (Nishikori). Instead of continually thinking they will pull it back when a trade goes against me I need to realise that they are losing and get out of the trade earlier if I can.

I'm happy overall so far though seeing as I haven't been trading since early last year I think it was and I am certainly enjoying this more now that I have to watch the tennis and keep up with the form and news etc rather than just do the bets and check the results with no interest in what is actually happening.

Looking forward to the AO now, it's almost here and we should see some great matches like in previous years.

Bartoli v Zakopalova - Hobart...

2011-01-13T01:18:00.001-08:00

I had a feeling Bartoli may have tanked this so had to start with a lay when I saw her at a crazily low 1.28! It seemed to me like she was trying everything to lose this at times but then also going on the attack at times (albeit a lot rarer).

Zakopalova seemed to be able to win every rally from the baseline and when she wasn't making errors she won 14 points in a row to break Bartoli when she was 40-0 on her serve, then held to love and then broke Bartoli to love.

I chose to green just in case she did wake up and decide to play but very happy with the end result. No more trading this morning for me, it's time for bed after working all night!

Kerber v Sands - Hobart...

2011-01-13T00:50:00.000-08:00

Little interest lay @ 1.02 to see if Kerber could pull a game or two back, just whilst Bartoli is on to the side. She was broken again so got out and will just watch Bartoli (Kerber has 2 BP's again now though as I write!).

Giraldo v Bellucci - Auckland

2011-01-13T00:04:00.001-08:00

I had chances to trade around 1.55 but was waiting, hoping Bellucci would break. He didn't and he decided to get broken instead. I topped up the lay a little to bring the average down to 1.12 but he couldn't get a BP let alone break Giraldo's serve so have to take the hit on this one.

Errani v Peng - Hobart...

2011-01-12T23:35:00.001-08:00

Errani seems to be tanking to go to the AO but she will probably make a hard job of it being WTA and all.

I put a quick lay of just £10 liability on Peng @ 1.05 and was looking for a nice green. Then I saw how much had been matched, not much, so just traded out at 1.08 for a little green instead of leaving money in a match with out much money in.

I managed to get a lay of Giraldo @ 1.26 a set up, although it took a while to get matched on that one, it kept just sitting at the front of the queue before drifting to 1.4 - 1.5.
I am waiting to green out of that now although I may not wait to see if Bellucci takes the second set and green up with just 30 ticks ish, I'll see how it goes as I am watching now (on a slow stream with sound quite a bit behind the pics).

Ferrer v Kohlschreiber - Auckland...

2011-01-12T14:42:00.001-08:00

Just this match before I head to work tonight and I went for the back of Ferrer @ 1.59. Kohli has dropped a set in both his matches so far but has been hitting some decent shots so it must be just a lack of concentration. Kohli doesn't have a good record on hard against the top ten, even the top 25 and he did get 15-40 on Ferrer's serve but failed to take it.

Ferrer broke after having numerous chances that Kohli saved and it was really only a matter of time before he broke. All green before work and may catch a bit of Giraldo/Bellucci in the morning depending on rain delays etc. That match has three sets written all over it so should have a good chance for a trade.

Haase v Isner - Auckland...

2011-01-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

What a fuck up I made here. I rushed a lay on Haase when I saw he had won the first set @ around 1.35, then looked at the stats (big mistake waiting there...) and saw Haase was averaging a bp on every one of Isner's service games whilst not letting Isner having one himself in the whole match.

I then swapped to Haase and Isner went and won the tie break to put me up shit creek. I then saw Haase was @ 2.12 and Haas 2-1 was at 2.28 so thought as it's very unlikely that one will retire I will take the Haase 2-1 and lay off right away on Haase @ 2.12.

After I had done this it started messing up my calculations trying to figure out what odds I needed to go all green with now I had open bets in two markets. I was wishing I never got involved (very tired after long night shift!) so put a lay of Haase 2-1 to get that green (at 2.02), it was matched. Then all I needed was Isner to hit 1.38 and I could get out with minimal green.

He did, and I did. Thank god. I will only be doing match odds from now on and always check the match stats before getting involved in play. It didn't help that the scoreboard froze before the tie break in the second set either.

Oh well, lesson learnt, green on both markets and off to bed now. I won't be getting involved with Clijsters (Aza has BP in first game atm) so I will see what I can find tonight before work again.

Hanescu v Almagro - Auckland...

2011-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick trade before going to work tonight. Almagro was 1.15 a set up and that was too short in my opinion. I laid him and was hoping for a quick break or 0-30 to green out.

Hanescu had 0-30 but when it went to 15-30 I thought Hanescu would mess it up again like he did at the end of the first set when he let Almagro back in to win the game from 15-40. I removed my liability at 15-30 but he did go on to break so got a decent enough green on both players considering I only used £15 starting stake as it's very close to having to leave for work and didn't want normal stake caught up in a position I couldn't exit.

Clement v Malisse - Auckland...

2011-01-11T00:22:00.000-08:00

I got back from work to find Sydney and Hobart suspended due to rain. Not what I wanted to find as I miss enough matches this week due to work as it is.

I saw Malisse and Clement were in the second set, Malisse won the first 6-4 but Clement was leading in the second 4-1. Clement was a little higher than SP (I think) and I thought he was a value back for a few reasons. He made the final here last year losing to Isner so does well here and would be motivated.

Malisse had also just flown from Chennai after playing all the way to the final including 2 three setters in the SF and Final. Then the flight to a different time zone, playing on a different surface as well and I thought it must catch up with him.

I backed Clement at 4-1 (maybe 4-2, not 100%) and he won the set. He was already around 1.6 after winning the set but I thought he would get further ahead due to the above reasons. He held serve in the third set and then broke Malisse to take a 2-0 lead.

He hit 1.15 which was good enough for me to green and it was perfect timing really as Malisse broke back immediately. I do like it when it goes your way like this!

Russell v Bellucci - Auckland...

2011-01-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

This screen shot doesn't tell the final story of this match. I started by laying Bellucci at 1.44 as he had only won 3 of his last 18 matches on hard court in straight sets and Russell had also qualified here so had the extra practice on the surface and would probably be a bit sharper.

Bellucci started well, breaking him in the first set and before winning it and then getting an early break in the second set too. I topped up the lay at the end of the first set at around 1.09 which reduced the average odds to 1.31. When Bellucci broke in the second set he dropped to 1.02 and I was about to let it run when I went to work but decided to put a trade in at 1.4 just in case Russell pulled the set back.

He did and even got a break in the third set so it was matched and I actually finished with a profit of £6.27 on that match.

Hanescu v Anderson - Auckland...

2011-01-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Anderson has been playing well recently, had a good run last week and is enjoying his tennis. Hanescu CAN play well but has not beaten anyone in the ranked higher than #75 in the last year and hasn't played much this year. I started backing Anderson and he duly broke on Hanescu's first service game so got a nice early green before I head off to work.

End of Day 10th Jan...

2011-01-10T08:42:00.001-08:00

A good day that I am happy with, especially as I am not around for most of the matches due to work. There are two matches starting at 10pm tonight so I can hopefully get something on there should research show they are worth getting involved in (and that they actually start at that time, unlike Groth).

Also, a few matches in the morning could be an option depending what time I get back from work again. From next Wednesday I am off so should be able to get involved in a lot more matches at the AO as I don't go back until after the Slam.

Bartoli v Safina - Hobart...

2011-01-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Bartoli was a back against Safina. Safina has not played for a long time, has lost lots of her last matches on hard and trails the h2h 2-0, both on hard court too although they were back in 2007.

I even topped up a little at 3-0 as it looked like Safina was not going to get anywhere. Bartoli was hitting winners, moving well, serving well and with Safina being so rusty only a major choke from Bartoli (which isn't unheard of) could get Safina back in this.

Berlocq v Kohlschreiber - Auckland

2011-01-10T00:25:00.000-08:00

Kohl was 1.09 ish I believe pre match and he burned me so many times last year and in the past that it had to be a lay. He lost the first set and didn't seem to be able to serve to save his life!

I greened out in the second set when he broke as he was starting to look a bit more consistent than Berlocq and sure enough he won the set and Berlocq was nowhere in the final set, losing 6-1.

I also had a losing trade on Kleybanova but forgot to take a screen shot as I was making my breakfast. I thought it was worth laying her in the final set against Schiavone as she isn't in great form but she won convincingly. It as around a £13 loss and will be up in the final screen shot of the days total.

Also backed Bartoli who is leading 5-0 in the first set against Safina at the moment.

Larsson v Groth - Hobart

2011-01-10T00:21:00.001-08:00

A minuscule profit made here but all pre match. It had this down to start at 22:30 on Betfair's Live Scores page so because I leave for work at 23:00 I wanted to get a little trade in if I could.

I started with a lay of Groth but when it didn't go in-play I refreshed the live scores page and found it to be starting at midnight. Quick exit trade and luckily she had drifted a tick or two so didn't make a loss.

Lucky really as it was a bad shout to lay her as she won 6-1 6-3 so would have been a bigger loss.

End of Day 8th Jan...

2011-01-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

Very quick post this evening as I am off out. I had little, quick trades on a few matches, a made a pound or two profit in total and won't be around until matches tomorrow. Maybe some early morning ones depending what time I am back.

There are lots of games through the night and over the next day or two I hope to get a bit more done.

End of Day 7th Jan...

2011-01-07T12:45:00.001-08:00

A good day today. Profit was made from 3 of the 4 matches I got involved in and can't really have any complaints about the Nishikori match, just had a bit too much faith in him as I am a fan but a green day so all is good.

If I am around I will be laying Wickmayer and hoping for a quick green, maybe 20 ticks or so as I think she should win this but has been taken to three sets already and Arn will be brimming with confidence after her last two wins. I may just go smaller stakes laying Wickmayer and let it run even if she goes ahead, hoping for three sets and then the chance to green out but if Wick wins in two I take the hit (hence smaller stake).

I'll have a think about that and see nearer the time if I am around to trade. I won't be touching the Sod or Roddick matches and as long as the Wick match isn't too long I hope to be up for the Kvitova match in the morning. Malisse match shouldn't be too much trouble for me to make either but I don't think I'll be around the rest of the day or night.

Edit: Basically I have done my research and I will be BACKING Wickmayer instead of laying her now. Good luck if you are betting/trading this match.

Wawrinka v Haase...

2011-01-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

I was thinking of laying Stan after he struggled at times the day before against Goffin but I wanted to see how he would start first. I went out when it was delayed with rain and came back just to see him lose the first set.

I wanted to watch a little of the second set to see if he was up for the fight and to me it seemed he was so backed him around 2.12 I think it was and a few games later he broke and started playing like he can. I wanted to green just in case he lost concentration instead of letting it run.

He is currently 4-1 up in the final set so fingers crossed he holds on and I can take the bigger green.

Tipsarevic v Nishikori

2011-01-07T08:37:00.001-08:00

Like I said yesterday I am a fan of Nishikori and Tipsarevic was a lay here for me. Nish can beat him in the rallies if his backhand is firing and there wasn't much between them early on.

Nish seems to hit many easy shots in to the net though and Tipsa took the first set 6-4. I was thinking of redding out right away but gave Nish a second chance to pull it back. He broke in the second set and I thought with momentum he could grab the second set but he started (for some strange reason) to run around his backhand and start hitting forehands (his weaker shot) letting Tipsa break back right away.

I no longer wanted to risk Nish getting the comeback because if he running around his best shot to hit a weaker shot then he isn't thinking right to pull back from a set down in my opinion.

All red, take the hit, move on.

Nadal v Davydenko

2011-01-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

Nadal HAD to be a lay for me. Despite many saying 1.38 is a great price especially after winning in two against Gulbis, Nadal IS still suffering from a fever, illness whatever and it will take it's toll after a while.

Add to that the opponents he is facing are getting tougher and Davy has been playing well this week, also winning the last three meetings against Nadal. Nadal should surely trade higher.

He broke and I considered redding out but thought the match would catch up with him which it did. I greened out after Davy won the first set and could have had a much better green had I waited as Nadal was struggling then and was broken early in the second set.

Thing is, in the past these things have gone against me, after waiting for a bigger green so better to be safe than sorry and have a green on both players bigger than my stake to very happy.

Tsonga V Federer

2011-01-07T06:54:00.001-08:00

Tsonga looked like he was upping his game a little so I put a lay on Fed at 1.06. I was hoping he could get a break or maybe a break point for a quick green as he was getting a few points on Fed's serve.

A tight game was followed by two love service games and he is still yet to get a break point so thought better safe than sorry and get out a tick higher for a tiny green. I didn't want to see Fed break Tsonga as then it would pretty much be game over and whole stake lost.

End of Day...

2011-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

I finished the day with some profit from the matches that I was around for. It could have (should have) been more after messing up the Nadal match and I also had a little lay of Davydenko against Karlovic.

I thought if Karlovic was holding he could get a 0-30 or BP on Davy's serve and I would get a quick green but Davy held and then broke to love. Karlovic wasn't getting anything so redded out and took the hit. No complaints, shouldn't have under estimated Davy really especially after Karlovic has been out for so long but Karlovic did serve well in his previous match.

Nadal V Gulbis

2011-01-06T10:03:00.001-08:00

I am very pissed of with myself for messing up on this match. Like last year I shouldn't start doing more than one trade per match, I'm not good at it. I started by laying Nadal @ 1.26. Gulbis had taken a set off of him three times and Nadal had a fever so should have traded higher.

He went as high as 1.7 ish and when he came back in I greened @ 1.47 to give a nice green on both players. Then I started trying to get more green by doing more trades and it went against me. I was looking a few pounds loss on both until Gulbis got the break point and Nadal drifted to 1.09.

I was out with green on both but very very annoyed. Greening up then leaving it has always worked best for me. Some people make very good money doing lots of trades but it doesn't work for me, I make wrong decisions.

Falla v Nishikori

2011-01-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

There are not many matches I am around for due to work but wanted to have a look and maybe get involved in this. I am a big fan of Nishikori and think if he can stay fit he can become a very good player, especially with Gilbert helping out on the coaching side.

When I saw Falla a set up and Nishikori was @ EVS I wanted to initially wait and see how he was playing. I looked at the stats and they were not too different among the points won on serve etc except Nishikori had had many more BP opportunities and being a good fighter would sure get more.

I backed Nishikori and he duly broke that game (touch of luck) and then took the set. I was thinking about greening out at around 1.4-1.45 but then in the first game of the third set it kicked off!

Falla should have been 40-15 but the umpire called it 30-30. A bit of an argument ensured, Falla hit a ball out of the court in frustration. He was then broken right away. Fall was fuming, smashing his racket to pieces before Nishikori held easily in the second game.

Falla had then given up completely, making no effort at all to keep the ball in play and had basically given up. I greened out after Nishikori starting making lots of errors, lots of double faults so I thought better to be safe than sorry.

Back to Trading...

2011-01-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Well the losing day that I predicted came, there were several losing matches that took a chunk of the profit away and after originally having doubts about following this system again I am going to stop.

It may seem like a bit of a rash decision but when following the system I seem to lose track of tennis. I never keep track of who is in form and who is not, I don't really watch too many matches as I have no need to trade out at all, I simply place the bets and check the results and I don't enjoy it.

I traded a few matches last night, Gasquet, Davy, Pavlyuchenkova, Goerges and Wickmayer and made profit on all. It would get frustrating watching a stage 2 or 3 system bet start turning against me and wanted to trade out but not doing it because I needed to let it run for the staking of the system.

This is more fun, I'm learning more and I can still make money (I hope). Screenshots don't have to be blurred anymore as I have no system to cover and I can write a few posts with match screen shots giving my thoughts etc so hopefully it may be a bit more interesting for people to read should they choose to.

I have currently backed Nishikori which has had an interesting turn, Falla losing the plot but I will post about that afterwards. There will be less matches of course now due to working nights and most matches being on when I am working but I do have a week and a half off for the AO so should get some good time trading then.

Quick Update from Qatar...

2011-01-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

A few quid profit from the days matches and along with this mornings matches leave me heading in to tonight's matches with a total of £390.24. Last year I often told of when I had a feeling a losing day would be upon me and I have that feeling now...

Perhaps it's because it's been quite a while since using this method and and it has so far won everyday but let's see. Now I have a few losses I can start to look at introducing the recovery process with my staking and seeing it grow even more or drop a bit.

With three losses in a sequence now getting written off instead of split down (I didn't want to go for 4 in case the hit was too big a chunk of the bank) I can see a loss (of 3 bets) taking maybe only a few days to recover, maybe a week so I am happy with that.

John McEnroe expects Federer-Nadal rivalry to last several more years

2011-01-03T23:44:00.000-08:00

John McEnroe says he expects the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to last at least a few more years before a new face breaks through the top ranks of men's tennis.

The two players have dominated nearly all the Grand Slams and controlled the world No. 1 and No. 2 rankings in recent years. Both players have won all four majors, with Nadal completing his trophy collection by winning the U.S. Open for the first time in September — his third consecutive Grand Slam title after wins at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Speaking on the sidelines of an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong on Tuesday, McEnroe said, "there's no reason to believe ... that these guys aren't going to be around for the next couple of years."

================================

I can't put all screen shots up as it will mean taking screen shots from both the normal and AUS wallets a couple of times a day so I have put up the AUS wallet from yesterday and a current total (some matches are still in play).

A good couple of days and the few underdogs that came up as selections were all winners including Becker beating Verdasco and Safarova beating Peer who I believe came back from 2-5 to win 7-5. Safarova has a great record as underdog going 12-13 in the last year including some nice priced wins against Wozniacki (5.7) and Pennetta (4.2).

The current total (with £7.95 in play) is £380.36 so even if the current bets lose we have seen the bank grow almost 10% in a few days. From £400 and upwards the bets will have higher stakes as I compound profits and hopefully see it continue to grow.

I'm off now as there are more bets to place for today's Qatar matches and then time for some sleep before checking tonight's bets later today. Good luck if you are having a bet today.

Murray convinced early Australian arrival a wise strategy

2011-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Andy Murray, a finalist at the 2010 Australian Open, is convinced that his preparation is enhanced by playing the mixed teams Hopman Cup, where he and teenage partner Laura Robson lost a title bid 12 months ago on their debut.

Murray took a chance in 2010 as he renounced the ATP start-of-year week in Doha, instead coming to Perth for the eight-nation Hopman Cup, now more that two decades old.

The round-robin mes and women's event has the attraction of giving players at least three guaranteed singles and the same number of mixed doubles matches. But Murray needed to take a deep breath when he gave up Doha after winning the event in 2008 and 2009 and reaching the final in his first appearance the year before.

The 23-year-old Scot arrived in western Australia at the weekend after several training weeks at his hot-weather base of Miami. But 25 degrees Celsius in Florida cannot compare to 40 degrees in Perth, despite the fact that the event is played indoors at the Burswood Dome.

'It helped my net game a lot last year playing here,' Murray said Sunday, a day before he and Robson open against Italy with Potito Starace and French Open winner Francesca Schiavone. 'I played eight matches - four singles and four doubles.

'I played in Doha a few times and played well there, but then to come over and not be used to the conditions and not play that well at the Aussie Open - that's why I came over again.

'It's good to get you in shape at the beginning of the year and also the conditions here, on the off days to practise outdoors, make a huge difference going into the Australian Open.'

Murray called his 2010 Hopman start 'the perfect preparation for the Aussie Open.'

He added: 'I came over again early to get used to the conditions, so I hope I can play better in Australia. Last year the Open was one of the best events I've played in my life, I played some of my best tennis.

'But I'll have to play even better if I want to win because Rafa and Roger are playing so well now. I think there are a lot of guys that can win it, but I think they're obviously the two favourites.'

=====================================

A solid day for the system with a few more picks from the start of tournaments. I cannot believe that Kleybanova lost, some people would have been burned on that but if you choose to back at 1.07 or what ever she was then losses like that will hit you hard.

Early signs show a few more matches that qualify as the tournaments get fully under way tonight.

Djokovic Convinced Me To Play...

2010-12-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

Former number one and 2008 Roland Garros champion Ivanovic said on Thursday that after last playing the eight-nation mixed team event in 2006, she is pleased to be returning to Perth for the opening tune-up for the Australian Open.

“I’m very excited about this, coming here, there is a lot of potential to do really well,” said the 23-year-old, who ended a two-year trophy drought this past autumn with WTA victories in Linz and Bali.

“Novak has been asking me to come back ever since the first year we played here.”

Ivanovic is well used to summer condition in the southern hemisphere, arriving in Australia from Europe in time for Christmas with her parents. She and men’s number three Djokovic teamed for Serbia in Perth five years ago, with Ivanovic winning two of her three singles matches in group play.

“There are lots of great players out there but it’s been a little bit shaky, it’s been up and down,” she said of a women’s game currently without a dominating player with the decline of Serena Williams and number one Caroline Woznbiacki still without a Grand Slam crown.

“A lot of players have been fighting injuries and haven’t played that many events, so I think if you can start good and be consistent you can get really far next year.”
With her ranking having risen to 17th after sinking to 68th in the years since her Paris Grand Slam title, Ivanovic feels poised for a rebirth in the sport.

“I want to get back to the top ten and hopefully win another slam,” she said. “Winning a Grand Slam is something I can never forget. If I had to choose I would always choose a Grand Slam over number one ranking. I have potential to win some more and it would be a good start next year.”

“I think I’m on the right way. I work really hard but consistency is the main thing. You have to perform good week after week and also match after match. You have to recover well and then get your game up because you have lots of tough opponents. In a Grand Slam you have to win seven matches and there are no easy matches anymore — from the first round on you get tough opponents.”

Ivanovic showed her potential in the 2008 Australian Open, where she reached the final four months before winning Paris. But with her post-Paris form drop, she only managed the third round in 2009 and the second round a year ago at Melbourne Park.

“My goal now is to get to the second week (of a Slam). I feel good about my game and my fitness at the moment but I just don’t want to get too excited about the possibilities or how far I can get. “It’s very important to just set realistic goals and aim for the second week, then take it day by day. I think it’s all about confidence.”

Perth play begins New Year’s day with Australia (Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik) facing Belgium with seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans.

=================================

A little bit of profit to start the season off with and it's a slow process but should be good to see the process in action over time without any other distractions now. I have high hopes for this system and am really looking forward to the proper tournaments starting to get some more selections.

Soderling looked in great shape yesterday beating Tsonga, hitting some cracking passes that were just inch perfect. Baggy had chances to pull it level for a tie break and the miss on MP was just horrific to watch.

Perhaps he has spent too much of the off season working on fitness and not enough time on the court? There is no point being fit and getting to every ball if when you get there you are making errors. It may take him a few weeks of match practice to make an impact now, who knows?

I hope everyone reading this has a great New Years Eve tonight, it may take a day or two to recover before I post again! :)

Tomorrow It Begins.....

2010-12-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here it is! After stopping the system betting in September I am happy to finally get on with some tennis betting again tomorrow. The balance I will be using is just over £350 so let's see how it goes.

Something I noticed whilst looking at my spread sheet is that there were about 4 (I think) sequences that I broke down, usually in to 4 or 5 smaller amounts to then recover over a period of time when matches qualified for it.

Of these, there were not many that qualified and were recovered in the (approx) 2 month period in which the bank doubled twice.

This has now lead me to changing slightly the way I will be doing it. I will still be effectively chasing the losing bets but after 3 losing bets, instead of breaking the loss down I will just wipe it off and carry on without worrying about it.

Because it didn't do any big damage to the bank I think long term this will be better and less chasing should mean more profit, after all, the bank doubled twice in two months without recovering any of these broken down losses in large amounts.

For tomorrow it's both favourites so hopefully we get off to a good start! It's good to have the tennis back and good luck with all your bets should you be getting involved tomorrow!

P.S. I haven't done too badly this week, but I've been waiting for the tennis like a mad man!

Update...

2010-10-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to say I won't be carrying on with this blog until the new season starts in January. I hope you are all winning lots of money in recent weeks!

Vesnina v Kudryavtseva

2010-09-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

Vesnina had steamed in a little from 1.5 ish down to 1.41 at the start. What I thought was crazy was that all she done was held serve in the first game and she was down to 1.28. Time to lay.

Kudry held her service game and Vesnina was back up to 1.43. All green nice and early.

A lot of the time I will only do one trade and as soon as I am all green I will leave that match but I kept watching in case another opportunity came up.

At the start of the second set Vesnina took an age to hold serve with many deuces. When Kudry went 30-0 on serve she was looking in complete control so I backed her at 1.49.

She duly went and broke Vesnina to love so I put a lay in at 1.24 to go all green again. It was matched and it was good timing as Kudry was broken back right away.

That will be all for this match now so I will just watch the rest and enjoy it, getting back in to the swing of things. I may put some the withdrawn money back in in a week or two depending how this goes as it's only really a safety measure in case I am so rusty I make lot's of mistakes.

Still need to find the groove...

2010-09-25T01:39:00.000-07:00

I still need to find my way with exit points. It's been so long and I should really use this time to use smaller stakes until I get used to how well the players are playing again.

I had a chance to get out with a ten tick profit on Gasquet by backing him during the tie break but Robredo missed his shot and Gasquet went on to win. This is a prime example of me knowing I should have got out with a smaller profit that I was hoping for as this would have been better than taking a loss.

Nobody ever went broke taking a profit did they? I paper traded the system and I think it's the right decision to leave it for a while as it would have been a loss of approximately £43.

I will only be around for the Vesnina match this morning as I will then be out playing football so I hope I can get a little green which I will take as early as I can just to help find my feet with trading again.

Vesnina and Date Krumm...

2010-09-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

I got in from work and saw Szavay was 1.14 despite being on serve. Date Krumm is a battler and although she hasn't had the good results she got when she first came back she could still cause problems and I thought it was worth a lay. She ended up winning the set on the tie break and I greened out before the third started.

I laid Vesnina just after she was broken at the start of the 2nd set. I have seen her lose concentration on serve so many times so I layed her and was hoping for Niculescu to hold and then maybe get a couple of points on her serve again. She held and also had a bp on Vesnina's serve but I was brushing my teeth, came back and Vesnina had held serve and then broke Niculescu.

This was bed time for me after working so I redded out after missing the chance and took the loss.

A change up for a while...

2010-09-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am not happy using this system at this time of year with such a lack of motivation in the players it is costing me money. I will from now on only use this system in bigger tournaments where motivation will be high and previous good results can hopefully be repeated.

For a while I will start trading again, using the stats that I used to use to trade in play. Matches will be less now as many of them are on when I am at work and it will take me a while to get back in to the groove of things. I have not really concentrated on watching too much tennis for around 6 months since I started this system so I need to get clued up with how players have been playing.

I will have to take it slow of course until I find my groove again and use small stakes until I get used to trading again. I have taken out £200 to keep back in case it goes wrong early on and I will keep £232.08 to trade with.

I will try and put up screen shots of the trades and explanations of my thinking behind them when I can.

Chilean tennis player Gonzalez to have hip surgery

2010-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)—Chilean tennis player Fernando Gonzalez says he’ll have hip surgery and expects to be out up to nine months.

Gonzalez said Wednesday on his website that he will have surgery on his right hip on Oct. 4 in New York. He said his doctor said knee surgery is also a possibility.

Gonzalez has been out sidelined for much of the year. He attempted to play in the recent U.S. Open but retired during the third set of his first-round match.

===============================

Another mug performance lost £23 and I am still not too confident about how this is performing at this time of year. There are still too many players not putting effort in in my opinion and it's still costing me.

I may have to break down losing sequences in to smaller parts as I will have a proper seethe if I start to recover and come across more tanking or mugs performances from players who have little or no motivation.

Swiss tennis stands at the crossroads

2010-09-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

written by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch

Following Switzerland’s 5-0 thrashing by Kazakhstan at the weekend, the president of the Swiss Tennis Association wants answers from Roger Federer.

The loss meant Switzerland were relegated from the World Group – the 16 best teams in the world – to the zonal group Europe/Africa. The draw to see who they’ll have to beat in 2011 to return to the top tier will be held on Wednesday.

“We need to have an answer [from Federer] – is he going to be part of the team or not?” René Stammbach, president of Swiss Tennis since 2006, told swissinfo.ch. “Any answer will be respected and accepted – but we want answers.”

The world number three pulled out of the Davis Cup encounter, which was held in Astana a week after his semifinal defeat at the US Open.

Stammbach blamed the 5-0 loss on a tired Stanislas Wawrinka – who had just reached the quarterfinals of a grand slam event for the first time – and a strong Kazakh team.

However, while this Swiss disparity between individual success and team failure is nothing new – even with Federer they dropped out of the World Group in 2007 – Stammbach has ordered team captain Severin Lüthi to talk to Federer and find out where he stands.

“At the end of the day it’s always going to be his decision – we don’t have a contract with him. We’re just depending on his good will. If he wants to defend the colours of the country, that’s up to him,” he said.

“It’s not that we absolutely want to force him to say ‘yes’. We can’t expect that from him. But we would like to know what the goal is in his head – is it still to reach the semifinals or finals of the World Group or even win it?”

If that were the case, Stammbach said they would do everything to help achieve it.

“But if the goal has changed – and his actions lead me to believe it has – then I think we also have to readjust the goal. We cannot go on travelling with 17 people to a zonal group match. It’s not in proportion to the goal. That’s what we need to clarify,” Stammbach said.

So has Federer played his last Davis Cup match? “Possibly yes, hopefully no.”

Unfulfilled potential

The irritating thing for Swiss fans is that in theory Switzerland could win the Davis Cup. A country only needs two world-class players who want to play for their country, and in Federer and Wawrinka, Switzerland has two Olympic gold medallists.

Bearing in mind that an athlete like Federer comes along once a century, there’s a feeling that the past few years have been wasted – Switzerland hasn’t fulfilled its potential.

“I completely agree,” Stammbach said. “One reason is that Federer now has a family and he obviously wants to spend more time with them, which is absolutely understandable. And he’s still concentrating on his ATP career – you have to just accept that.”

The Swiss Tennis president personally thinks that players who benefit from the association’s support when they are young owe it to the association to play in the Davis Cup tournament when they are older.

“When I was elected four years ago, I introduced new contracts to everyone in the squad – there are about 40 people we support directly either by money or practice facilities, coaches and so on. If they don’t play [Davis Cup], they have to repay all the costs we have invested in them, which is about SFr120,000 ($119,500) per person per year.”

Disappointment

Since 2006 Federer has played in three out of nine Davis Cup matches. Is Stammbach disappointed by that?

“If the question is isolated, the answer is yes. If you look at it in a broader context, then I am still disappointed but it is understandable. Don’t forget what he has done for tennis in general and tennis in Switzerland in particular – how can you be angry with a guy like that? No one else has done so much for tennis.”

He points out however that for Swiss Tennis the Davis Cup is just “one part of a mosaic”.

“Our main aim is to make sure that more people are playing tennis in Switzerland. We have 200,000 members – we want to get 250,000-300,000 in the next five years. That’s our ambition, and the Davis Cup as a window helps to achieve that goal, but there are other things that are as important as the Davis Cup.”

He also credits Federer with helping increase the number of junior licences for boys by more than ten per cent.

“That doesn’t say anything about the quality, but what we have to do now is invest money to ensure that there will be a post-Federer period – and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

“The seeds have been planted. Now we have to be patient.”

So the future of tennis in Switzerland is bright?

“Well, with all the money in the world the British – they have Murray but they haven’t produced two top ten players like we have. Money doesn’t guarantee anything, but at least you can try.”

====================================

Another quick update before all the WTA matches go on through the night when I will be at work. A good day today from the matches that qualified and clawed back some the losses that have occurred over the last couple of days.

More days like this and it will be up to where it was before in no time. There has been no pictures for the WTA so won't be able to see any of the early morning ones anyway so it's just carrying on as usual and do the bets without watching.

It's certainly less stressful this way anyway.

The balance is now at £441.42

Another Bad Day...

2010-09-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

Another bad day over the weekend although most of the loss bar £3 came from one bet so that has now been broken down and will be recovered over time. The two bad days have cost about 15% of the bank so it's not disastrous, just annoying.

I can't wait for the better players to get involved instead of all these mugs that can't finish a game off but I still need to bet on these matches as they were included in the research.

It's been a very slow month of progress since reaching £400 and it's only slightly over that amount now after 3 weeks of wins and losses. I hope I can just get a few decent days in to claw back some of these losses, sometime this week starting today would be good!

Super Sabrina the teenage tennis star...

2010-09-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

Possibly one for the future here?

DETERMINED Sabrina Federici has targeted a career as a British tennis star after becoming the UK’s top ranked 14-year-old.

Sabrina is still on a high after becoming the Nike Junior Tour UK National Masters Champion for her age group at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

And she has now qualified for the Nike International Masters at the Club Med on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas in December.

Sabrina recently helped England to victory in the Four Nations Championship at the Welsh National Tennis Centre in Cardiff.

Although she lost to Scottish rival Alice Keddie, she later found out that her ranking at under-16s had risen to number three in the UK.

It continues the St Joseph’s High School pupil’s meteoric rise in the sport after she only started playing the game late in her life compared to modern tennis greats.

According to her mother Susan, she did not pick up a racket until she was seven years old.

But the youngster, who lives in Westhoughton and practises at Bolton Arena every day, has never had to be nagged to work on her game.

“We have never pushed her,” said Susan. “She is completely self motivated and loves playing the game. Her dad sometimes jokes that he wishes she had never picked up a racket because running her to all the tournaments she plays in is quite hard work.

“But Sabrina is determined to get as far in the game as she can and, if she doesn’t make it as a player, she’ll probably coach.”

The family’s glamorous sounding name comes from her Paris born father Claudio, whose parents are Italian and moved to Bolton when he was six.

===================================

Another frustrating day as most of the profit from yesterday ended up being lost. The slow progress is so annoying and I have to keep saying to myself that it is long term I have to think and I can't win everyday.

I think as long as the balance is higher after a month then things are good as sometimes there are slow periods of growth.

The mug tennis is still going on and there are some more Davis Cup matches to get involved in so all I can do is dust myself off and go again. I won't be watching any tennis today as I am out playing football today and then going to see Jimmy Carr Live tonight so won't be around and I'll have to just hope it's a good day!

Hewitt survives four-set scare

2010-09-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Lleyton Hewitt has given Australia the perfect start in their Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Belgium in Cairns with a four-set win over little known youngster Ruben Bemelmans.

It was far from easy though as Hewitt struggled to a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 2-6 6-4 win over world No.191 Bemelmans, who was a late replacement for the injured Steve Darcis.

Hewitt broke early to seize control of the opening set, but despite a difference of over 150 ranking places, the young Belgian broke back and actually held four set points before it went to a tiebreaker.

The Australia's experience shone through in the tiebreaker as he took it 7-4, but it was far from convincing from the former world No.1.

Both players held serve with ease in the second set until the 12th game when Hewitt forced two break/set points, of which he converted the second to take the set and a stranglehold on the match.

But Bemelmans, who has played just four ATP Tour level matches for one win and three losses, wasn't about to throw the towel in just yet as he broke the Hewitt serve three times on his way to a comfortable third set.

Hewitt regrouped in the fourth set and looked on track when he broke Bemelmans early on only for the plucky Belgian to dig deep and break back in the seventh game.

The match was halted for an extended period of time after a spectator succumbed to the heat and needed medical attention, but that didn't stop Hewitt as he broke to close out the match in three hours 16 minutes.

Carsten Ball takes on Olivier Rochus in the second match as Australia looks to return to the World Group for the first time since 2007.

Meanwhile, Darcis' participation in the tie appears all but over after a medical examination on Friday morning confirmed he had small tear in his right shoulder.

===========================

At last some decent profit. It was four faves that came up as selections from yesterday evening/night matches and they all came through. The matches were at different stages of sequences but Arvidsson was the latest stage and she came through in 3 sets to beat Lucic.

It's taking a bit longer to double the bank this time. With it taking a month exactly first time then 24 days to double it again, since then it has been just over 3 weeks I think and it's only gone from £400 to £495.43. It's not something to complain about of course and it's better than going down but it does seemed to have slowed down.

I think this is clearly from the quiet USO second week where selections were very few and now this week there was only two tournaments and not many qualifying matches again. I hope (and expect) it will pick up again when the indoor tournaments start and try and get the bank growing at a decent rate again.

I'm also hoping/setting a target of around March or April next year to have a decent amount in the bank to enable to with draw, pushing 5 figures or even into 5 figures if it has a good start to next season, well I hope for that or I'll be completely bust!

Now then, a nice woman to look at.....

Rohan Bopanna not to figure in Davis Cup doubles

2010-09-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

US Open finalist Rohan Bopanna will not figure in the doubles event of the Davis Cup World Group Play-Off tie against Brazil here on Friday as the team has decided to stick with the tried and tested duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

"We are sticking to our world best combination of Leander and Mahesh for doubles. We have lot of options. We have an hour's time to bring in changes in fielding players for matches. You should understand Rohan has to play two singles ties," non playing captain S P Mishra told reporters here.

Bopanna partnered Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi to the runners-up trophy in the US Open last week.
Mishra said India has the home advantage though Brazilian singles players are higher ranked.

"We have the home advantage and our players are used to playing here and they should perform well. In Davis Cup, ranking does not matter," he asserted.
He said a 2-0 verdict on the first day would be a dream and the Indians would try hard to achieve that.

"We have to win at least one, if not both matches at the end of the first day."
Indian and Brazil tennis players said neither team has any distinct advantage and have equal chances of winning the tie.

Speaking to reporters, Brazil team captain Joao Zwetsch said though the Indians have the home advantage, the visitors are well prepared and have got acclimatised to conditions.

"We expect a close finish on all three days. We know India is a strong team. But we are preparing hard.We are happy about our preparation for the important tie. All our players are in good shape.

"We are ready to break the jinx of having missed out on chances since 2003. We had to be ready for taking our chances without missing them," Zwetsch said.
Having higher ranked singles players Thomas Bellucci and Ricardo Mello was a positive point in their favour, Zwetsch said.

He said each match would be an emotional game.
"We have to convert our superior rankings on court and win the matches to be in the World Group", he said.

Bellucci rejected suggestions that the Indians have an edge on hardcourts and said Brazil favour clay surfaces for their matches.
"I have in the last three years, particularly this season, won many matches on hard courts. I have got good results and hope we play good on this hard court here", Bellucci said.

Asked whether teh hard court was slower, Swetsch said it was similar to the US Open court.
"Our stars mostly are baseline players and they are comfortable playing here and have adjusted well to the conditions," he said.

======================================

This is a complete mug week of tennis so I am just glad to be not losing. The screenshots may be overlapping, I'm not checking, just clicking on "from yesterday" and printing as there is tennis on most hours of the day at the moment.

The players motivation will be at a much lower level from here until the rest of the year as most have got their best results from lower competitions so just won't want to be there.

This may be a testing time for the system so fingers crossed it can keep it's head above water and although I know the growth will probably be much slower as long as it keeps growing I will be very happy.

Nadal reluctant to talk about Federer record...

2010-09-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

From Reuters...

With the U.S. Open trophy tucked safely under his arms and the world of tennis at his feet, Rafa Nadal answered the one question everybody was asking with a shy grin.

"I think talking about if I am better or worse than Roger (Federer) is stupid," he protested. "Because the titles say he's much better than me, so that's true at that moment. I think that will be true all my life."

Federer, 29, has a record 16 grand slam championships, but the 24-year-old Nadal made his ninth grand slam triumph something extra special.

The 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia for his first Flushing Meadows win made Nadal the seventh man to claim all four of the sport's grand slam titles, and the first since Rod Laver 41 years ago to close a season with wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. championship.

The question, however, still remained.

Almost from the moment he stepped onto the court as a teenager raised on dusty red Spanish clay courts, Nadal has been answering the same question: Was he going to be the greatest player of all time?

Nadal's New York performance made a huge statement.

After piling up five French Opens, two Wimbledons and an Australian Open the hard-hitting left-hander had set his sights firmly on the final jewel in the grand slam crown.

He improved his serve, honed his volley and nurtured his fitness to triumph at a Federer stronghold where the Swiss had won five titles and reached six successive finals.

"It was an amazing feeling," beemed Nadal. "I played my best match in the U.S. Open at the most important moment, so I am very, very happy for that, for sure.

"To win in here in the U.S. Open I think is the more difficult tournament for me to play, more difficult conditions to adapt, to adjust my game on this court, for the balls, for the court, for everything."

With Nadal sweeping through the slams, it is easy to forget the turnaround the Spaniard has made.

Last year his chronic knee problems were so bad it kept him from defending his Wimbledon title. An abdominal problem weakened him at the U.S. Open, and his physical woes were so bad he quit his quarter-final at the Australian Open in January.

"Life changes sometimes, no?" said a philosophical Nadal. "Ten months ago (it) seemed like I was never gonna be the same. Now, seems I gonna be one of the greatest....

"When you come back, you are ready to value how difficult it is win titles and how difficult is to be there all the time."

Nadal understands how quickly things can change in tennis and in life, but he served his rivals a dire warning in addressing the state of his game.

"For me the most important thing is try to keep serving like I did during this tournament," said Nadal, who lost only one set in the championship.

"If I can do it, it is gonna be a big change for me and my tennis career, because if I have those free points that I had during all this tournament, (it's) gonna be different for me.

"I can play more aggressive. I can play with more calm when I am returning.

"After that, I can improve everything: volley, keep improving the volley, keep improving the position on court, being more inside the court.

"I improved a lot since last year, but never is enough. I am not a perfect player, so everybody can improve."

Even with improvement, Nadal was loathe to speculate on catching Federer.

"We will see what happens in the future. I am not a genius."

==============================

A mixed few days but I have come out on top over the last few days (since Sat night the screenshot is for) so can't complain. I managed to watch the Final last night up to the rain delay and missed the rest which was a bit annoying as I didn't get to enjoy it as I hoped I would but never mind.

I am happy that there are more matches available to bet on now with some WTA matches each day and I should get more than the 1 or 2 picks each day that I have had since the middle of last week.

There will probably be many mug matches, many chokes and the usual WTA action that makes it so fun but frustrating at the same time to watch.

Williams optimistic despite US Open defeat...

2010-09-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

From Reuters...

Venus Williams fell short of a happy ending to her storybook run at the US Open after her vaunted serve deserted her in the semifinals against defending champion Kim Clijsters on Friday.

Despite the disappointing 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat, the 30-year-old said she was confident she still had a lot of tennis left to play.

"I definitely feel like I'll be back next year," Williams told reporters. "This is what I do and I feel like I played great tennis even with minimal preparation."

Williams, who was aching to add a third US Open crown nine years after collecting her last, had not played a match since Wimbledon due to a knee injury but yet was agonisingly close to reaching the final.

After winning the first set 6-4 while losing only five points on serve, the seven-time grand slam winner reached a second-set tiebreaker against the Belgian before she suddenly wobbled on serve to start a slide to defeat.

Back-to-back double faults handed second seed Clijsters a big edge in the tiebreak and Williams never recovered after losing all four points on her serve to drop the decider 7-2.

"Obviously in the tiebreak I wasn't able to play as well as I wanted," the American third seed said. "I had too many errors, and she played some good tennis. I just wish I could have played the bigger points a little better."

Williams said the wind bothered her during her serves in the tiebreaker, but added: "Regardless, I've got to get it in and start the point.

"It's extremely disappointing not to be able to win this match today."

After winning her previous five matches in straight sets, and carrying the Williams family banner alone in the absence of her injured younger sister Serena, Venus had hoped this might be her return to Flushing Meadows glory.

"I may have lost the match, but that's just this match. There will be others," she said.

"I feel like as long as I'm striking the ball well, I'm gonna keep playing. At this point I'm striking the ball well, so there is no end in sight at the moment."

=================================

Just the one bet yesterday, it was a stage 1 bet and it was a winner. I caught a little bit of Woz/Vera at the start of the second set but was out most of the night so missed the rest and the whole of the Venus match.

I had a feeling Woz was a little short, I was expecting around 1.6 but thought she would still win regardless so it was a bit of a shock to see Bepa win in 2.

No surprise to see Kim end Venus' run, she is top class on hard court and should have enough to beat Bepa in the final.

My balance is now up to £463.58. Progress but slow progress with the low amount of selections each day.

Russia may struggle to replace golden generation...

2010-09-09T23:37:00.000-07:00

From Reuters...

When Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova won grand slam singles titles in 2004, the women's tour was awash with talk that a long period of Russian dominance was in store.

In the 26 grand slams since Myskina won the French Open, Russia has been represented in 15 of the 25 women's finals and captured five more titles along the way.

When the US Open began, Russia still had 16 women inside the world's top 100 and 11 of the year's titles on the women's tour have been won by Russian women.

But their presence at the very top appears to be dwindling with Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva, in her first US Open semifinal, the only Russian woman in the top 10.

That compares to a high-point of seven at the end of 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Even in May of this year, five were in the top 10 but injuries and loss of form have seen things change.

Olga Morozova, who reached two grand slam finals as a player and was a leading coach in the former Soviet Union and in Britain, said part of the problem was cyclical.

"I think on the girls' side it was a golden generation with (Anna) Kournikova and all these girls who are still playing now," Morozova said. "To find these kind of girls again in these kind of numbers will be difficult."

Morozova believes the current crop of female players in Russia have talent but perhaps lack the belief and the desire to make it to the very top.

"(Maria) Kirilenko, Alisa Kleybanova, they are good but they are not tough enough to take the weight being on top of their shoulders," Morozova said.

"I think (young Russian players) are really satisfied with what they get. They win a tournament and they get $60 000, it's a good living and I think they are happy with this."

Morozova said Russia still has a big pool of talented youngsters but the standard of coaching and the convenience of the facilities did not match those elsewhere, particularly in Europe.

According to Morozova, the club system that brought through the likes of Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and others has largely disappeared.

But she did offer a glimmer of hope for the current crop of Russian girls, with world number 22 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova perhaps the best of the lot.

"If Pavlyuchenkova will get herself in good condition there is something there," she said. "She is very talented, she is strong, she is big, she has a good serve.

"I think she is capable but she just has to work hard and has to do what (Caroline) Wozniacki (the US Open number one seed) has done."

=================================

Just the one selection again yesterday, like the day before and gladly another winning bet. It's topped the bank up again and the balance stands at £461.28 after starting with £100 on July 7th.

Still very few selections each day and I can't wait for the next tournaments to start now to get a decent amount of bets on for once!

The Civil Rights of Tennis...

2010-09-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is a decent report from World Tennis Magazine written by Cynthia Lum.

Wow, had a wonderful free morning. Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils was the only match I was really interested in and they were scheduled second match on after 1 PM. I’d been wanting to see the exhibit at the International Center for Photography, so took this opportunity to have a nice leisurely look at their current exhibit, “For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights ”

The exhibit deals with the way the media, through photography, film, and television, can influence and play a role in shaping history and culture in modern society.

As you enter, there is a film clip of celebrated African American photographer, Gordon Parks, loading film in his camera. He considered his camera his “Weapon of Choice,” an empowering tool to be used to influence social change.

In the section on black sports hero’s and how these positive images in popular magazines helped instill racial pride to a group of people who had been the subjects of discrimination, and degrading stereotypes, there is a wonderful interview with Althea Gibson from a 1957 Sports Illustrated where she appeared on the cover.

Powerful and sometime disturbing photos of the of the leaders of the civil rights movement, are stark reminders of where we were just 50 years ago.

The film clip of Malcolm X being interviewed and asked about his last name was great. There are also clips from famous entertainers, including Nat King Cole, The Supremes and a host of others.

I find this exhibit especially relevant right now when intolerance is once again rearing it’s ugly head in the USA.

Next stop was lunch under the shade of huge trees in Bryant Park, entertained by life piano music. This is truly wonderful. I love the reader’s area, where there are books, magazine, and newspapers to to peruse.

I arrived at the site, around 2 PM and prepared to shoot the Djokovic-Monfils match. Walking through the press room, still carrying visions of the civil rights movement in my head, I am reminded of the internationality of our sport. People from around the world, working together.

As I sat in the photo pit, I kept thinking how great it is to have the privilege of participating in an event with no social barriers, the only measure being how well you train, and compete. There was Monfils, a Frenchman with Caribbean heritage, playing against a Serbian, who incidentally, speaks five languages fluently.

Novak is also hosting children of the 911 victims at the Open. Coming from a war torn country himself, he wanted to reach out to these young people. He said he is not talking to them about the past he just wants to give them a special experience.

“We’re trying to enjoy. We’re young. They’re young. They’re trying to enjoy their life, and they came to tennis,” he said. “So this is the positive message. We don’t want to, you know, get back in the past. What already happened, happened. It’s life.”

A famous Serbian tennis star, giving American children a special day. This is a perfect example of how the tennis tour can and show the world that people of all completions, can help one another and make this a better place for everyone.

======================================

Just the one bet yesterday, a stage 2 and a winning one. The balance is now up to £456.78. I caught the end of the Vera match and a bit of the Monfils match but missed the rest due to work. I always think Monfils could do that little bit better if he didn't try the crazy entertaining shots and just try to win. I missed all of Woz/Cib and Federer's match but they won in straight sets and I'm not even sure how troubled they were.

Four Favourites Yesterday...

2010-09-07T23:58:00.001-07:00

I had a dilemma at the start of yesterdays matches and had to make a decision that could have been vital for the bank. Both Youzhny and Querrey met criteria for me to continue with a stage 3 bet and usually I would go with whatever match is first.

Due to the small amount of matches at the moment I considered backing Querrey as the stage 3 and Youzhny starting with a stage 1 as Sam was higher odds by quite a bit and the risk would be much smaller.

I had a good think but just felt more confident by risking more on Youzhny to make the stage 3 bet. Robredo had only got through his last two matches by his opponents retiring and had never gone further than the 4th Round here before.

Thank fully it paid off as Youzhny won in 4 and the small stage 1 bet on Querrey was a loss. Phew.

Venus and Nando were both stage 2 bet qualifying matches to cleared up two outstanding sequences and it finished a good day with the balance now up to £451.97.

It's even slower progress for the rest of this week with less matches by the day and the bank will surely grow quicker when the smaller tournaments are on and there are 3 or 4 tournaments during the same week where plenty of ATP and WTA matches are available to bet on should they qualify.

Mats Wilander Q&A...

2010-09-07T02:25:00.000-07:00

By Vicky Hodges, Telegraph.

Juan Martin Del Potro beat Rafael Nadal and then Roger Federer to win last year’s US Open. Can you see another player outside the world top four repeating the feat this year?

I think the only one that could do that would be Robin Soderling. He has been in two finals already, and he has beaten Nadal on clay, he has also threatened Federer last year at Wimbledon and the US Open in the past. So despite him being outside the top four I think he’s the only one that could actually win it.

Are you surprised Andy Murray is yet to win a maiden grand slam?

I’m not surprised at all, he’s not good enough to win a grand slam yet at least what he’s shown so far he’s not good enough. He is improving but he’s not anywhere near to being the finished product and he’s not anywhere close to being as good as he can become, and he’s not close to being the player he will become either - that’s my point of view. He will become a better player every year he plays as long as he can stay motivated.

Federer believes he still has a few more grand slam titles in him. Would you bet against him?

I think he has more titles still in him, as long as he’s willing to change his game slightly which he’s doing right now, trying to be more aggressive and shorten the points. As long as he’s open to the idea of evolution in his game then definitely, he knows he’s not perfect and it’s all about the process of change.

Do you think the women’s game gets an unfair press? How can it be strengthened further to draw the viewers/spectators?

I think the women’s game is stuck in a position whereby we need a couple more players that need to step up their game, the bar has been raised very high by the Williams sisters and I think that there are some players such as Kuzetsova and Sharapova who need to up their game and challenge the Williams sisters, then I think the ball can start rolling again in the women’s game again. I think players are relying too much on maintaining their game instead of focusing on improvement. Take Nadal he’s won eight majors and he’s by no means the finished product and will continue to improve. Your game stalls when you assume you’re the finished product.

Do you still hit every ball when you’re watching the games from inside the TV studio?

Yes I hit every ball, absolutely. Every ball, it makes for a very tiring watch!

Any on-air gaffes you’d care to forget but are willing to share with us?

I’m never really aware of mistakes I’ve made when I’m commentating or on TV, I’m sure they happen sometimes and I guess it makes for a more interesting experience!

If you could turn back the clock would you change anything about your tennis career?

No absolutely not, I don’t have any regrets about anything I’ve done in my life I learn from my mistakes and without mistakes I wouldn’t be where I am today.

How do you think you would’ve fared against Federer/Nadal in your prime?

All I can say his thank god I’m not 25 years old!

What’s been your tennis highlight of 2010?

The match between Soderling and Federer in the quarter-finals of the French Open. It was a brilliant match very attractive for both the viewers and commentary. Federer saying that he was happy to lose like that, admitting he was beaten by the better man on the day, and that he couldn’t play any better. It was a memorable moment. I think these are defining moments for Federer and of 2010.

================================

A loss with the first bet of the day and a feeling of another big losing day came over me. Luckily the other bets were all winners so it finished with a minimal profit for the day.

I still think it will take beyond this week to claw back recent losses purely because of the low amount of matches but I'll try and see if I can find a match that matches criteria for a later stage bet and if I'm confident enough then I'll go for it.

Hewitt to lead Australia against Belgium...

2010-09-06T02:37:00.000-07:00

from hindustantimes.com

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt will spearhead Australia's bid against Belgium in the Davis Cup World Group playoff in Cairns later this month, Tennis Australia said on Monday. Hewitt heads the Australian team which also includes Carsten Ball, Peter Luczak and Paul Hanley. "We are
confident that we have a good strong team capable of winning our way back into the World Group," team captain John Fitzgerald said.

"We have been building toward this tie all year and will be well and truly ready to go by the time we hit Cairns."

Hewitt, who was bounced out of the current US Open by Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the opening round, is looking for a new coach after splitting with Nathan Healy.

The winner of the World Group playoff in Cairns in north Queensland on September 17-19 will be in the competition's elite for next year.

The Australian Davis Cup team defeated Japan 5-0 in the Asia Oceania Group tie in May to progress to the World Group playoff.

==========================================

A loss yesterday, the biggest for a while but still only a small percentage of the bank. I don't think I am going to enjoy the rest of the US Open now betting wise as there are less and less matches each day meaning less selections, with maybe just a few bets each day and probably a day or two with no bets it's going to be frustrating after a losing day, especially if there are more losing days this week.

A little profit...

2010-09-05T10:37:00.001-07:00

I've been out playing football Saturday and this morning so very quick update now. A little profit yesterday on a mix and match day.

High school tennis players double as refs — honestly...

2010-09-04T02:43:00.000-07:00

By Ray Brewer, Lasvegassun.

Jeremy Mann remembers watching the tennis ball fly toward the back line.

The ball had such spin and velocity that Mann couldn’t tell if his opponent’s shot landed in or out of play. So, the Palo Verde High tennis player did what he considered the right thing: He called the shot in to give his rival a point.

But this wasn’t your typical point.

It was match point of a crucial doubles match during the state finals last fall against Coronado High School. Mann easily could have ruled the shot out of bounds, likely not heard any complaints and given his team a point.

Instead, the Coronado doubles team rallied to beat Mann and his partner, taking a crucial point in what was a back-and-forth final. Palo Verde eventually prevailed 10-8 for its fourth state championship in the past six years.

As for Mann, win or lose, he’s happy with his decision.

“You don’t have time to think whether you are making a bad decision,” said Mann, a 17-year-old senior. “It’s a split-second decision. That shot was probably out, but it was too close to call. You have to be honest ... There is nothing worse than a cheater.”

Like the championship, all Nevada high school tennis matches are played without an umpire or linesmen. That puts the onus on the players to call their own lines — and athletes typically put the integrity of the sport ahead of their desire to win.

It’s easier said than done, with plenty of opportunity for conflict. But coaches and players report few problems with this long-standing tradition. Players calling their own lines is the practice on the junior circuit of the U.S. Tennis Association, a more competitive league several high school players participate in when the prep season ends.

“There aren’t too many sports in high school where there isn’t a referee,” Palo Verde coach Zach Brandt said. “But it’s never been a big issue. The children have been real good at solving their own problems.”

Forty Southern Nevada schools have about three matches weekly for their boys and girls teams during the two-month season. Most of the schools’ tennis complexes have eight courts, meaning more than 150 officials would be needed multiple afternoons each week.

That would be more than a typical Friday night of high school football or basketball, and something a majority of the tennis players agree isn’t necessary. A certain integrity is associated with tennis in which players take pride in the honesty of calling their own lines.

“It’s pretty standard what we ask the children to do. It’s not rocket science,” said Ray Mathis, the Clark County School District’s executive director of instructional support and student activities.

“It’s kind of an honest sport like golf where children learn the honor of good play, sportsmanship and following the rules.”

If a shot is close, like Mann’s, the golden rule is to always give your opponent the point. Most of the calls are verbal, and some players also raise their index fingers to signal a shot is out, or hold their hand open to signal the ball is in.

Players are taught to be patient during the heat of the match. The first time they think they have been cheated, the unwritten rule is to say nothing. If it happens again, they call over their coach.

In worse-case scenarios, the coach from each team will be called in to monitor the match. Coaches say that happens once or twice a year.

At the regional and state tournaments, where the intensity in an otherwise laid-back sport is at its peak, three or four volunteers from the tennis community roam from court to court, officiating if requested.

Bishop Gorman coach Craig Witcher has been an instructor at local clubs for almost 20 years. Formerly the men’s coach at UNLV, Witcher said teaching students the value of making a correct call starts at a young age.

“The integrity of the game and the code of the game become second nature,” he said. “It’s part of your life if you are a tennis player.”

Gorman and Palo Verde played Thursday in one of the more competitive matches of the season. The two Summerlin-area schools have one of the biggest prep sports rivalries in which the competition — no matter the sport — is likely intense.

Still, you didn’t see anyone from either side break the sport’s unwritten rule of integrity.

“I just really hate it when people cheat,” said Kyle Del Rosario, a Gorman senior who took second in state singles last year. “People who do that take away the fun. Why waste your time playing?”

But for the most part, “our children do an outstanding job,” Mathis said.

High school sports, as proved each afternoon on the tennis court, is more than winning or losing. It’s about helping build a foundation for later in life.

“Not being honest when calling your own lines is like cheating on a test,” Mann said. “You can’t feel good about yourself if you do well.”

================================

Phew, a good day in the end and a nice boost for the bank. It got a bit hairy at one point but a couple of wins came in and then I knew at worst I could only lose a few pounds.

Instead the system pulled out winner after winner (a nice habit it's developing) and it boosted the bank to £435.65. For a long time now it has never risked more than around 15% and that has only been on the odd occasion so I have been thinking about upping the target to 1% per sequence instead of 0.5%.

This would mean maybe breaking down a sequence or two a stage earlier but the amount of early winning bets at double the target could be potentially mind blowing to the bank and although it's not as simple as thinking like this because it doesn't work like that I have been thinking "double the target, double the profit" and that could mean doubling the bank every two weeks!!!!!!

I don't think it would be that simple as some sequences would have to be broken down earlier meaning that those losses would be recovered over a longer time whereas at the moment it would be recovered right away.

It's something for me to think about anyway and I may start by doing a few sequences at the higher target to see how it goes. Worst case is a loss builds up and I break it down to recover over time to it's worth trying I think.

Why all the secrecy? Tennis badly needs more injury transparency...

2010-09-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a great report into injuries written by Andrew Lawrence @ Sports Illustrated.

Typically when an athlete gets injured, a familiar routine unfolds: the injury is named, the severity articulated and the prescription detailed.

Such routines keep people from drawing their own wild conclusions. The exception, of course, is tennis, where players fall ill and drop out of sight without immediate explanation -- and that leads to long, meandering games of telephone.

The game got especially intense on Wednesday afternoon, when 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus collapsed on the court 30 minutes into her second-round match with Argentina's Gisela Dulko at the Grandstand. Playing in triple-digit temperatures, she was helped into a wheelchair, carted off the court and vanished without a trace into a whirlwind of intrigue. Was it heat stroke? Was she hospitalized? Was she conscious?

The answers were vague and streamed in slowly. In a statement, tournament referee Brian Earley said Azarenka had "headache-like symptoms" and was taken to a nearby hospital for "diagnostic testing" (what is she, a Chevy Malibu?) before adding that "out of respect to her privacy, we can not give any more details."

Much later, Azarenka issued her own statement that filled in some blanks: She fell on her arms and head in a warm-up run before her match. She was examined by a medical team and cleared to play, but struggled to compete through a headache and dizziness. Laboring to stay upright and see, she tumbled onto the court. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

It's the kind of explanation that is de rigueur in other sports and disseminated with lightning speed. When Giants quarterback Eli Manning suffered his gory head injury during the team's preseason opener against the Jets last month, the injury's particulars -- including how it was treated -- were widely known within minutes. When center Andrew Bynum went under the knife last season, insight abounded about the procedure and his projected timetable for return.

But in tennis, sagas like Azarenka's play out like serial dramas. If the sport were serious about accelerating the flow of information and sharpening accuracy, it would adopt a system more like the NFL's or the NBA's and provide year-round health updates on all of its players. But that would require a cooperative spirit, and tennis -- a skein of disparate interests -- is hardly a tightly wound operation.

Also, there's a belief that a tennis injury wire would encourage gambling, an issue that had become particularly acute in recent years. But tennis is no more at risk than any other sport. If anything, it would level the playing field between the bettors who scout tournaments to harvest first-hand injury information and those who don't.

And then there's the competitive advantage on the court. Disclosing injuries has long been a sign of weakness in sports, and tennis is no different. But there's a difference between keeping bumps and bruises secret and playing with a major illness -- like mononucleosis. That's something Roger Federer did for most of 2008 and Andy Roddick did for some of this year.

Neither player revealed he had the illness until it could help justify poor on-court results. Though Roddick declined to use mono as an excuse for his second-round loss to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic on Wednesday night, Roddick's resignation in defeat suggests a realization that he wasn't at full strength. "I'm gonna get some rest tomorrow," he said afterward.

Overall...

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andrew_lawrence/09/03/tennis.injuries/index.html#ixzz0yRi3J9wu

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It started yesterday with a few losses and I thought it was going to result in another loss but it turned it around and finished with a few wins to make a slight profit for the day.

There wasn't many selections for the second day running, just 12 yesterday and I hope it picks up as it usually does better when there are more selections. I can't remember if it generally has less picks during Grand Slams as I missed most of Wimbledon when I re-started and I think I was doing the football scalping during FO so not really concentrating on the results of this as much.

I suppose we will see in the coming days if the amount of selections picks up or not.

EDIT: Update and this could be a very good or a very bad day. I have been placing some of the bets and it could be a big chunk of the bank gone should there be a few losers but if they all win then a big boost after a few losing days. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

McEnroe Starts Academy...

2010-09-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Academy To Open On Randall's Island After US Open

John McEnroe wants a hand in reviving American tennis. He wants to do it his way.

The John McEnroe Tennis Academy opens Sept. 13, the day after the U.S. Open.

The academy will be on Randall's Island, a strip of land between Manhattan and Queens.

McEnroe wants it to be a place where young players can develop without leaving home and moving to a boarding school and tennis academy.

McEnroe's brother, Mark, is involved in the academy. Meanwhile, Patrick McEnroe works with USTA on player development.

========================================

I was very close to posting yesterday morning that I had a bad feeling today was going to be a loss and low and behold it was. This is even before I look at the matches that qualify, perhaps I have a sixth sense!

There were only 14 selections from the day which was a bit of a surprise to me as there were many more matches on but they just didn't meet the criteria. It was only a small loss, not even 2% of the bank and I think today will be better by making it back and a bit more.

Some more short price faves getting turned over once again in Berdych, Roddick and Bartoli that I remember off the top of my head. There are proving to be a decent amount of shocks but some people must be losing pretty big if they are lumping on these "sure bets".

McEnroe: Murray can win US Open...

2010-08-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

John McEnroe believes Andy Murray is one of just three players who can win the US Open – but admits Roger Federer still holds the upper hand.

Murray was finally due to begin his bid for a first Grand Slam title against Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko today, with Federer having already cruised into the second round on Monday evening.

World number one Rafael Nadal is the other player McEnroe thinks can lift the title on September 12, but he and Murray will have to do it the hard way after being placed in the same half of the draw, the other half to Federer.

“Federer is not going to have to deal with both of them, which is good for him,” McEnroe said. “How much will Rafa and Andy beat up on each other in the semis?

“I would be very surprised if one of those guys did not win it. Andy can absolutely win it – if it doesn’t happen this year, maybe next year.”

Murray recently sacked coach Miles Maclagan and went on to defeat Nadal and Federer in consecutive matches to defend his Masters series title in Toronto.

And McEnroe added on BBC Radio Five Live: “The difference with Andy is his willingness to go after the ball, to be more aggressive.

“This is something he may have been thinking about for a while.

“I think it was time maybe. Maclagan did a good job, like (Mark) Petchey before him and now it’s time for the next step. It seems like a good thing to try.”

Murray and Lacko have never played each other on tour before, but world number 71 Lacko has recorded some impressive wins this year, including victories over Marcos Baghdatis in the first round of Wimbledon and former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in Atlanta.

However, he lost 6-2 6-2 6-2 to Nadal in the second round of the Australian Open in January – where Murray lost in the final to Federer – and the British number one will be hoping for a similarly one-sided victory to get out of the scorching early-afternoon sun as soon as possible.

===========================================

There were a big handful of strong favourites that got dumped out yesterday including Baghdatis, Gulbis, Na Li, Chakvetadze, Petrova, Safarova and Shvedova. I wasn't on many of them as they didn't come up as selections and I ended the day with a tiny profit of £3.45 from 26 selections.

Not great but better than a loss so can't complain. Still so many matches each day so there is sure to be lot's of selections for later on today and let's see if the bank can keep growing.

The Bank is Doubled Again....This time in 24 days...

2010-08-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

The bank has doubled again and it was achieved ahead of the target of a month. It was a great start to the US OPen proper with plenty of bets but plenty of wins.

The balance is now at £401.75

A little overall update is like this:

July 7th: £100
August 7th: Doubled to £200.
August 31st: Doubled to £401.75

I still think it will slow down a bit now but I will keep a target of a month again (approx) to see if it can double again so by the end of September would be great to get it done by.

Plenty more matches over the next few days so lets hope I can get a good start with the large number of selections coming up.

A day off today....

2010-08-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

A day off today and time to relax and watch some football. We don't get many days off betting on the tennis so I can't really complain.

A great day for the system yesterday making back the previous days losses and a bit more to take the balance up to £364.99. A stupid amount of bets in the coming days I expect with the US Open starting.

I don't really have a solid opinion for the mens winner as it could be one of many. I'm not sure Fed is up for taking it back, Murray seems to be playing well but we know what happens in Slams with him so can't say I think he will win although he has a great chance. Nadal has this as the only Slam yet to win but you have others that could easily...well not easily but others that could spring a surprise and take the title.

Whoever wins I just hope it's a good tournament and it's a shame I will miss some of the night matches due to work but should catch the earlier matches and the weekends so it's not all bad.

McEnroe's 'women weaker than men' claim leaves fairer sex fuming...

2010-08-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

American tennis legend John McEnroe has urged the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to trim down its schedule saying that women tennis players are not mentally and physically strong enough to handle it.

McEnroe, who's known for making controversial statements, made the comments ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts from Monday in Flushing.

"They should be required to be in less events, there should be less events for the women," The New York Daily News quoted McEnroe, as saying.

"It seems it takes an actual meltdown on the court or women quitting the game altogether before they realize there's a need to change the schedule," he added.

However, former French Open Mixed Doubles champion, Mary Carillo said that she does not see the validity of McEnroe's opinion.

"I hate the idea that we have to judge women on a curve and say, 'It's too much for them. I've seen too many great women champions for too long," Carillo said.

WTA Tour Commissioner Stacy Allaster also criticized the call saying that McEnroe should study up more on the issue.

"John is more than entitled to his opinion, and he is a well-respected leader in our sport, but I hope when someone makes comments he's also looking at the data," Allaster said.

"Venus (Williams) is 30 and she is very careful with her body because she wants to continue to play," she added.

============================================

Many many selections from the qualifying matches and it wasn't a good day. A loss of less than 10% of the bank though so not too damaging. I've said before that qualy matches are never great for the system but like matches that I am not too confident about, they were included in the research of results so they need to be included in the betting.

Stakhovsky was also a chunk of the loss and I had a feeling he would win as he is 100% in Semi Finals on the tour. He is also 100% in Finals and after checking OnCourt this morning I am happy to find that he is a back bet for later today so fingers crossed he can keep this up and get a win against Istomin.

There will be lot's of picks again in the qualies I expect so I just have to hope and pray! If it is another bad day then I am sure it will pick up when the US Open proper starts.

Federer Could Face Soderling...

2010-08-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

If Roger Federer is going to reach a seventh consecutive US Open title match, he might need to get past the man who ended his Grand Slam semifinal streak.

Federer, the five-time US Open champion, was given a possible quarterfinal against two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling in the tournament draw conducted yesterday. Soderling, seeded fifth at the US Open, upset Federer in the quarterfinals in Paris this year, stopping Federer’s run of reaching at least the semifinals of a record 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.

“I’m motivated to do well because I love New York, I love playing in Arthur Ashe [Stadium],’’ Federer said. “If I couldn’t get motivated by this stadium and this city, then I’d have some issues.’’

The other mens matchups in the quarterfinals could be No. 1-seeded Rafael Nadal against No. 8 Fernando Verdasco, two-time major finalist Andy Murray against Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych, and No. 3 Novak Djokovic against No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko or No. 9 Andy Roddick.

The top-seeded woman, 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, could face 2006 champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round and 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

Other possible womens quarterfinals are defending champion Kim Clijsters against French Open runner-up Sam Stosur, 2000-01 US Open winner Venus Williams against French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, and 2008 US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic against Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva.

“I know if I play well that I can beat anybody out there,’’ said Clijsters, who also won the 2005 Open, “so that’s what I’m going to try to achieve.’’

Murray, hoping to become the first British man since 1936 to win a Grand Slam title, could meet No. 20-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States in the fourth round.

In the semifinals, Murray was drawn to meet Nadal, who lost in that round in New York each of the past two years and is trying to complete a career Grand Slam.

Federer was drawn to meet Djokovic or Roddick in the semifinals. Federer beat Djokovic in the 2007 US Open final and the 2008 and 2009 semifinals.

“Over the last three years here, I’ve only lost to one player — Federer — and that gives me enough reason to believe I can go far this year,’’ Djokovic said. “I like the courts, I like the atmosphere here. I just like the tournament — it’s suitable to my game, and to my personality.’’

Federer could face another familiar opponent in the third round: 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt. Federer beat Hewitt in the 2004 US Open final, part of a 15-match, head-to-head winning streak for Federer — which ended when Hewitt beat him in the final of a grass-court tournament at Halle, Germany, in June.

“I know my way around New York so well,’’ said Federer. “The center court is so familiar.’’

Federer lost in the 2009 US Open final to Juan Martin del Potro, who — like No. 1-ranked Serena Williams — withdrew from this year’s tournament, having not recovered fully from surgery. Del Potro’s wrist was hurt; Williams cut her foot shortly after winning Wimbledon.

“It would be great to have Serena compete,’’ Clijsters said, “but that’s sports, and that’s life.’’

Williams’s older sister Venus, who is seeded No. 3, could face an intriguing matchup in the third round against No. 32-seeded Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. Pironkova has won two of her three matches against Venus, including a straight-set upset in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

That was the last match Williams played on tour; she sprained her left kneecap this month, forcing her to withdraw from hard-court tournaments at Cincinnati and Montreal.

=======================================

A nice profit yesterday but a close match that had the nerves going at times to get the £10 win. A couple of quid loss from the day before was more than recovered although I didn't see any tennis that day as I was watching my team Spurs get through to the Champions League Group Stage hence the lack of posting too.

I seem to have got through tank week after last nights results, it could have gone the other way big time but it held on so fingers crossed for the last few days before the US Open starts proper.

Hopefully Betfair will get some Qualies markets up soon so I can get involved a little over the weekend too.

Where's the Heat? Federer-Nadal Rivalry Is All Fun and Games...

2010-08-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

Written by Greg Couch.

We want our rivals to hate each other. Hate. It's about good vs. evil, black hat vs. white hat. It's about right and wrong.

No way can they be friends.

That's what has helped Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Their dislike for each other has fueled the fun.

Remember a few months ago when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, in a charity exhibition in California for victims in Haiti, started bickering over their microphones? Sampras ended up serving at Agassi's head.

See? Good, healthy, hard feelings. Even suffering people and a good cause couldn't get between the self-absorption.

How many old-time NFL players have you heard complain about players today shaking hands with the other team after games?

In their day, three hours of eye-gouging, spitting and spearing to the back were not just about fun and games. They meant something.

That brings us to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, maybe the best individual rivalry in sports today. It would be better if they would play each other a little more often.

The bigger problem is this: they like each other.

Yuck.

Their fans get it. Long hair vs. short hair. Righty vs. lefty. Fluid strokes vs. vicious topspin. Federer fans think that Nadal fakes injuries every time he's about to lose. Nadal fans think that Federer says mean things; earlier in the year he said that winning on clay doesn't take much. Clay is Nadal's specialty.

Seems tame to me. Truth is, they like each other, respect each other.

Serena Williams and Justine Henin? Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe? No Christmas cards.

And now a video has emerged of Federer and Nadal that is really ugly. I mean, it's ugly in that it contradicts what we've all believed a healthy rivalry is supposed to be about.

Giggling. Tough to even say it.

They sat next to each other doing a commercial, presumably for an exhibition match they are planning at the end of the year. It's not clear, though, how new this video is.

Federer asks Nadal what he's going to get him for Christmas, and Nadal says he will go to Switzerland to play an exhibition for Federer's charity. Nadal asks what he's getting. Federer says he'll throw him the first set.

Problem was they both get the giggles. And just as you're appalled at these two gladiators of sport sitting there looking like 7-year-old girls, you find that you can't stop giggling either.

What are sports coming to anyway if they're going to be about sportsmanship and camaraderie?

========================================

A bit more profit in "tank week" so very happy. A few matches rolled over to today, I am assuming due to rain (I was at work so didn't see why) so they will get totaled on today's profit/loss tomorrow morning.

I think there will still be some tanks this week so if a sequence runs to a later bet I highly doubt I will be lumping on as to then see it lose if someone decided to tank would be very annoying.

I would be much happier breaking it down and recovering over time, hopefully in the first few days of the US Open so that the loss isn't dragging on for too long.

Murray seeded fourth for Flushing Meadows...

2010-08-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray has been seeded fourth for next week’s US Open, where the Briton will be looking to secure his maiden grand slam title.

The 23-year-old, who is currently without a coach after parting company with Miles Maclagan last month, has been in good form of late, beating Roger Federer in the final of the Toronto Masters and reaching the quarter-finals in Cincinnati last week.

World number one Rafael Nadal will be the top seed as the Spaniard looks to win the only grand slam title to have eluded him so far, while five-time champion Federer is the second seed.

Novak Djokovic is seeded third while Andy Roddick, the ninth seed, is the top ranked home hope.

The women’s seedings will be announced tomorrow with the singles draws set to take place on Thursday.

=======================================

A few annoying days with rain and delays so I haven't posted the daily updates like usual. I have gone for the last 7 days total this morning as this is easier than working out the date and time of the last match I posted profit/loss for.

The bank has broken the £300 barrier which is now over halfway towards doubling again.

The balance is now at £318.63. It will be a very busy time in coming weeks with the US Open starting so hopefully the bank can grow a little bit more this week although I expect there will be some tanking this week so some shock results, meaning probable losses for the system as it doesn't really pick out the shock wins as selections.

Nadal Hopes To Improve...

2010-08-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

Spaniard Rafael Nadal says he must find form quickly ahead of the US Open after losing to Marcos Baghdatis at the Cincinnati Masters.

The world No.1 made 41 unforced errors which was indicative of the touch the eight-time Grand Slam winner was in during his quarter-final.

The US Open is the only major to have eluded Nadal, and he admitted he would need to lift his game significantly to progress into the second week at Flushing Meadows.

"My game can improve, that's for sure. It must improve if I really want to have chances to have some opportunity in a week or so in New York," Nadal said after his 6-4 4-6 6-4 loss to Baghdatis.

"I have one week to keep working, keep practicing hard and that's what I am going to try - to keep improving my confidence with the backhand."

The 24-year-old said his backhand was causing him troubles, and may be a slight chink in his armour, but while Nadal admitted he had the problem, he also backed himself to use his two-hander better in the coming weeks.

"If my backhand improves, all my game will improve. My movement is going to improve a lot because I won't have to cover the backhand with the forehand and so I will cover positions better on the court," he said.

"I will also be able to make my first serve more calmly because if I miss the serve and he has a return then it will be no problem to play with the backhand."

"But, here, when he (Baghdatis) had a good return to the backhand, I always started the point in a very bad position ... So I think the backhand changed all my game, because I had to make too many adjustments to save that shot."

"But I started to play the backhand with more confidence which is a positive for me."

Baghdatis now meets Roger Federer in the semi-final at Cincinnati, while Andy Roddick takes on Mardy Fish in an all-American semi on Saturday.

The US Open starts on August 30.

=====================================

Baggy turning over Nadal wasn't a selection and as this is mostly favourites I'm happy to avoid that one! Another profit for the day, pushing the bank closer to the £300 mark where the balance now stands at £293.43. There may be a selection for all 4 matches today, but one match may not qualify, I have to check the stats later on when I place the bets.

Anderson returns to Davis Cup...

2010-08-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

SOUTH Africa's top tennis player, big-serving Kevin Anderson, says he is eager to return to Davis Cup competition after a controversial two-year layoff.

After representing the country in 2008, Anderson said he would no longer be available for the international team competition. He makes his return, however, when South Africa play Germany for a place in next season's World Group in Stuttgart next month.

Speaking in a conference call yesterday, Anderson, ranked 76th in the world, said he was fully committed to the tie against Germany.

"I needed time to work on my game," Anderson said, "but I'm back in the top 100 now (in the ATP rankings) and I've grown a lot over the past two years.

South Africa are looking to gain World Group status for the first time in 12 years, and while they are expected to struggle on the clay surface at the Weissenhof Tennis Club, Anderson is confident.

"I think I've improved a lot on clay, and I'm able to adjust to the different surfaces," he said.

Anderson, the least experienced player in the team with only three Davis Cup matches under his belt, is joined by Wesley Moodie, ranked 25th in the world in the doubles format, Izak van der Merwe, Rik de Voest and Jeff Coetzee.

======================================

5 winners followed by 6 losers and a loss on the day but only a minimal one. The selections get less frequent now as we head toward the end of the week so hopefully I can squeeze a little more profit out of this tournament.

What did I say about sensing a losing day? ha ha, I have had this a few times now and it's even before I see the matches that qualify, I sense a bit more profit today to make up for yesterdays losses.

Is Roger Federer's trick-shot video real? He won't say...

2010-08-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer says there a little bit of magic at work in his trick-shot video that has drawn more than 1.2 million views on YouTube.

The video shows Federer knocking a metal can off a man's head with a serve while shooting an ad for Gillette. Then, he does it again, drawing applause from the crew. Federer's official website had a link to the video.

There were questions about whether it's really a trick shot or a video trick. Following his opening match at the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday night, he was asked directly whether the video is real. You can also see the video here...

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100819/SPORTS07/8190443/1435/Is-Roger-Federer-s-trick-shot-video-real?=#ixzz0x22GW47X

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Another good day although once again it was made up mostly from one bet. It's been a while since a losing day now and I just have that feeling that today will be one. I haven't looked at the matches that may qualify yet but I've just got that feeling.

On first glance there seems to be a decent handful of selections and although I was expecting it to take longer the bank is looking at doubling in a month again (I doubt it will happen this time) with the halfway point of a month being around 21st so 2 days to get around £12 profit on the bank.

I still think it will slow down and maybe every 6 weeks is a more realistic target to check it against. As long as the bank keeps growing then I don't really mind how long it takes as long as it happens.

Murray: Fed has 'lost a little bit'...

2010-08-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray has suggested record grand slam-winner Roger Federer is showing signs he is on the decline.

Federer, who turned 29 earlier this month, has won 16 grand slam titles with the most recent of those a straight-sets success over Murray at the Australian Open in January. Murray does, however, have a winning record against the Swiss and beat Federer in straight sets last weekend to win the Toronto Masters.

"He's always very tough to beat," Murray told The Guardian. "It's just that, because of how good he was in every tournament three or four years ago - and it's very difficult to be that consistent throughout your whole career... it's normal that he's lost a little bit the last few years."

Federer's Toronto Masters defeat followed the Swiss slipping outside the top-two ranked players for the first time in seven years after he failed to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time since 2002.

From PA sport 2010

=====================================

A little more profit for the day with a late run of winners. I didn't get caught out by Jankovic either as that match didn't qualify but I expect many people are seething after her performance.

I didn't see it so can't comment on her effort but she should have beaten Benesova without too many problems in a tournament like this.

The balance is now at £273.25

Hewitt to finetune game for US Open

2010-08-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

From sbs.com, World News Australia.

Lleyton Hewitt returns from injury to a happy hunting ground this week for one last chance to finetune his game ahead of the US Open.

Hewitt takes on Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu on Wednesday in his opening match at the Cincinnati Masters, a tournament where the veteran Australian has enjoyed success over the years.

Hewitt has reached two finals, three semis and one quarter-final from eight appearances in Cincinnati, where he's only ever lost to fellow former world No.1s Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Carlos Moya and Pat Rafter, plus Xavier Malisse and Fabrice Santoro.

The 29-year-old soon-to-be father-of-three is desperate for court time less than a fortnight out from the start of the season's final major, commencing in New York on August 30.

Hewitt, the 2001 Flushing Meadows champion, has played just one-and-a-half matches since falling to world No.3 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon almost two months ago.

He complained of being unable to push off on his serve after losing his opening match in Atlanta to lowly-ranked Slovak Lukas Lacko and then retired with a calf strain while trailing Colombian Alejandro Falla in the first round last week in Washington.

The Bahamas-based Hewitt, now ranked 30th in the world, faces a tough draw in Cincinnati, where 18 of the world's top 20 players have gathered.

If he gets past surprise Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lu, Hewitt is likely to confront big-hitting Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling in the second round.

Hewitt, though, can take heart from beating Soderling in Cincinnati last year, before losing to Federer in the quarter-finals.

========================================

A profit that was pretty much purely from the one single bet. without that later stage winner it would have been around £2 loss which would have been fine for me, losing days tend to happen more in the earlier rounds when there are more selections, then it nitpicks the matches in the later rounds to chase on and usually pick up the profit.

The balance is now at another new high of £266.99

Virus to blame for my fitness problems, says Andy Roddick...

2010-08-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

From Reuters

MASON, Ohio: Former world number one Andy Roddick said a virus was to blame for his recent fitness problems but expects to be back in good shape for the US Open.

Roddick pulled out of this week’s Toronto Masters citing an illness and after a lop-sided loss to Frenchman Gilles Simon in the recent Washington Classic third round he complained of feeling lethargic.

The 27-year-old American will compete in next week’s Cincinnati Masters after tests showed he had been suffering from mononucleosis, a viral illness.

“I pulled out last week on the advice of doctors. I got some blood work done in Washington, and then again in Texas, and one of them came back positive. I’ve been dealing with a mild, mild case of mono for the last couple of months that I wasn’t really sure about,” he told reporters.

“They think I’m fine now. They think I’m most of the way through it, if not all the way through it. It’s kind of a mental relief opposed to wondering why and if I was out of shape,” he said.

“It’s nice to just have a little bit of clarity moving forward. It’s not something that’s going to affect me, anything super serious.

Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, won in Brisbane this year and he was playing well until March but he has since slipped outside the top 10 in the world rankings.

The American said he had been feeling out of sorts for the past two months and had been skipping some physical training.

“Normally I enjoy training all day and running all day and doing all that stuff. I opted out of probably four or five workouts this summer that I’ve never done that before,” he said.

=========================================

There were some qualy matches that came up as selections today but unlike last week they got me a profit. One was a stage 2 bet so a few extra pounds there and a small profit of the day taking the balance up a little bit more.

Lot's of matches today and sure to be plenty of selections like last week so fingers crossed it turns a profit today again.

I saw that last night Tornado's thread from the forum went bust when he started chasing his losses.....tut tut. At least he can sell all his gold now. :)

Days of U.S. Domination in Men's Tennis Are Over...

2010-08-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

By GREG BISHOP • New York Times News Service

TORONTO • For some 37 years, more than 1,900 weeks, ever since the ATP World Tour introduced computer rankings, an American has been in the top 10. Sometimes, there were two, or three, or more. But always, there was one.

Until now.

Andy Roddick dropped to No. 11 Monday, then dropped out of the Rogers Cup, citing illness. John Isner, known primarily as the winner of the longest match in professional tennis history, had already withdrawn. Only Sam Querrey, ranked 21st, remained.

These are historic times in U.S. men's tennis, and not in a good way. A full 27 Grand Slam tournaments have passed without an American triumph, since Roddick captured the U.S. Open in 2003, the second-longest such drought.

"Look, we've always been there," said Brad Gilbert, a coach, ESPN commentator and retired player. "But it's like the Yankees. You expect them to win the World Series every season. That doesn't mean it's going to happen."

The torch was passed from Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe to Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier to Roddick. It was a remarkable run of elite players, one that perhaps reached its apex in 2002, when Sampras and Agassi met in the Open final in New York.

Sampras repeatedly warned American tennis fans that the run would not last forever, that tennis had grown global, that expectations were too high.

"Obviously, we were spoiled," American player Michael Russell said Tuesday after losing to Querrey in Toronto.

Some, like Justin Gimelstob and Darren Cahill, two retired players who became commentators, argue that American men's tennis is healthier and stronger than it was two or three years ago. Gimelstob notes that American players have won nine singles titles this season, second only to Spanish players, who have won 16.

Isner, ranked No. 19, and Querrey, ranked No. 21, have become forces on the men's tour, contenders at most tournaments. The Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, recently captured their record 62nd career doubles title. Mardy Fish, ranked No. 34, continues to climb the rankings. Four Americans — Roddick, Isner, Querrey and Fish — could be in the top 20 by the end of the U.S. Open. But that remains an optimistic view.

"I agree and disagree," said Patrick McEnroe, the Davis Cup captain in charge of the U.S. Tennis Association's player development. "This is a big deal. It's sort of a watershed moment. Am I hitting the panic button? No. But this is a wake-up call, and my bell had already rung on that."

How did the United States end up here?

Reason No. 1: the globalization of tennis. When Gilbert played, he said, it seemed as if there were 40 Americans in the top 100. Now, nine countries are represented in the top 10. Argentina (Juan Martin del Potro), Croatia (Marin Cilic and Ivan Ljubicic) and Cyprus (Marcos Baghdatis) have players in the top 20.

But that trend started decades ago, and it does not account for the seven players from Spain, including top-ranked Rafael Nadal, currently in the top 25.

"I prefer to see this sport as incredibly healthy internationally," said Gimelstob, a member of the ATP player board. "We still are healthy, just not when you compare to generations past. And I view that as an unrealistic bar."

Reason No. 2: player development. McEnroe took charge of the U.S. Tennis Association's program in April 2008, and his focus — better coaching, better facilities and a better process of identifying talent — has not wavered.

The plan once centered on creating champions, he said, a misnomer because champions are developed more than created. The idea now is to build a better base, to fill layers — top 25, top 100, top 200 — with players on the rise, to have them work together, push one another, share coaches, tips and insight, then see who emerges.

The association also recently added clay courts, which aid in development, but even McEnroe does not describe a three- or five-year process. More like 10.

Balancing current expectations and long-term development remains difficult. Paul Annacone, who holds a post similar to McEnroe's with the British Lawn Tennis Association, faced similar obstacles. Annacone, who once coached Sampras and recently started working with Roger Federer, told his interviewers that if they were looking for immediate results, they should not hire him, or anyone, for that matter.

"Everyone wants to see immediate success at the Grand Slams, but that's not the correct barometer," he said. "You're laying the foundation. It takes time. That's like having an art class and expecting a Picasso the first week. It doesn't work like that."

For years, Roddick has carried the burden of America's great tennis hope, largely, and especially lately, by himself. This year, he played as well as anyone else through March, but he has struggled since. With few computer points left to defend for the rest of the season, he will most likely end up back in the top 10.

Roddick's dip also forced those charged with the health of American tennis to examine what will happen after he retires. Gimelstob believes Roddick will remain in the top 10 for "many years to come." Gilbert, who coached Agassi, noted how much success Agassi enjoyed starting at age 29. (Roddick turns 28 later this month.) Still, the search for the next great American tennis star has become amplified.

"I had these same conversations when John and Jimmy retired," Annacone said. "There was a bit of a lull. There weren't really any big, powerful superstars. Then you had Pete and Andre and Jim and Michael Chang. There's no reason to panic."

Querrey has won four tournaments this season, second most after Nadal. Isner's serve may be the most dominating shot in tennis. Both hold top-10 potential, but even if they get there, neither has shown Roddick's crossover appeal or marketability yet.

That registers as a larger concern than the lack of an American man in the top 10.

"Andy is still playing at a top-10 level," Gimelstob said. "That said, I do not believe that American tennis will be able to maintain, or match, what it has done. The public better accept that it's not going to be like years past."

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There were bets in all the matches today so have to post the screenshot like this otherwise it will be clear what the selections were and what level of staking was applied to each match.

Still a bit more profit which is good and takes the balance up to £235.81. This is better now after sitting still for nearly a week without any real progress.

Thanks Tsonga....lol

2010-08-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

As the title says, thanks Tsonga. After your comments yesterday I thought to myself "I am very confident that the stage 4 bets would win" so after a good think about it I thought I would go for it.

This week I have not been working so I have been able to watch quite a bit of the tennis and this is what gave me the confidence to go for it. If I hadn't been watching the tennis then I wouldn't have done it without being up on how the players have been performing this week.

But as it goes I had been watching, I was happy to go for the stage 4 bet and it won. Giving a nice profit for the day and pushing the bank up to it's highest point once again since restarting at £232.42.

As I said in yesterdays post in my opinion it was crazy that Murray was the dog against Bandy and it showed as Murray took him apart in two sets. The amount of tennis Bandy has played had clearly caught up with him and although Murray did steam in quite a bit he was still the slight dog at the off so lots of people had a nice easy win there.

Federer targets 20 Grand Slam titles...

2010-08-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer shrugged off his recent slump on Thursday to confidently predict he can finish his glittering career with least 20 Grand Slam titles.

Federer, who already has a record 16 majors, believes the target is realistic despite losing his grip on his French Open and Wimbledon crowns this year to see his ranking tumble to three in the world.

"I believe that having won three Grand Slams per season three times, and two per year a couple of times, it's something do-able for me," Federer told the BBC.

"I only play 16-20 tournaments per year, so I'm not over-playing, and that keeps the fire burning."

The 29-year-old Federer added he still has plenty of motivation to keep playing even though he has been surpassed in the rankings by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

"At times I was one or two sets away from winning the calendar-year Grand Slam so obviously I feel that I have a great potential in Grand Slam play. But then again Grand Slams are not everything," he said.

"I'm giving 100 percent for each and every tournament that I play because I don't play a ton of tournaments.

"Tournaments like Toronto this week and Cincinnati next week are important to me, too. The motivation is huge for the next few years and obviously if I can win Grand Slams that's fantastic, but they are not the only motivation over the next few years."

Writer: AFP News agency
Position: Agence France-Presse

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A small profit for the day for the system but it was close to being much better. There were two stage 3 bets, one winning, one losing so they pretty much canceled each other out. The losing one will now be broken down and recovered over time.

It's been a frustrating week with the balance just sitting still and no real progress being made and this hasn't happened too often. The bank isn't going down too much anyway so can't really be upset and just have to hope that improves over the next few days.

One thing I have noticed is why the hell is Nalbandian favourite against Murray? Nalbandian will definitely be tired after his recent exploits and Murray always seems to up his game when it matters (most of the time) and in my opinion the odds are the wrong way around.

Federer Tells Murray Time Without a Coach Could Be Beneficial...

2010-08-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

Murray has been without a coach for almost three weeks, since parting company with Miles Maclagan.

Federer, who won his 210th Masters match on Tuesday by beating Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6, 6-3, has only just started a new coaching relationship with Paul Annacone, the former mentor to both Pete Sampras and Tim Henman.

Federer says he spent a long without a coach at his side that he now feels confident enough to try something different and experiment a little.

"I became No.1 in the world having no coach, really. I went through a period of time, which was very interesting almost at the peak. I didn't have a management company, nor did I have a coach. I thought that was a great learning experience for me and that's why I think I'm super stable today, regardless if I do have all the stuff around me," the Daily Express quoted him, as saying.

"Today, I like it that I have that power to take decisions on a tennis court and also off court and that's something I'm very happy I went through," he added.

"That's why, it's just a learning process in the beginning and you have to feel with what you're comfortable with. And sometimes smaller is bigger and sometimes bigger is better. It depends on how you feel and where you are in your career and your stage of your life," Federer said.

Read more: Federer tells Murray that time without coach could be beneficial - Interviews - Tennis - Sports - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/interviews/Federer-tells-Murray-that-time-without-coach-could-be-beneficial/articleshow/6298922.cms#ixzz0wO6ve6Bv

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A losing day again for the system but a smaller loss. It was mainly from two losing stage 2 bets that lost £5.27 and £8.27. We move on to today though and hope it gets moving a little faster as since the bank doubled it hasn't really progressed but more of stood still.

Murray searches for coach who knows 'when to back off'...

2010-08-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

From ESPN.com

Andy Murray has outlined the criteria by which he will select a new coach, insisting he needs a man who will understand him and 'back off' at the right times.

Murray recently split from former coach Miles Maclagan, and it has since become public knowledge that the pair were pulling in different directions over how to advance the British No. 1's game. Maclagan also hinted at a disagreement with other members of Murray's backroom staff.

Like Murray, Roger Federer also has an unsettled support network at present, but the Swiss revealed on Tuesday that he likes a coach who offers plenty of opinion. "I like that actually the coach does have a lot of say, a lot of input," said Federer, who recently acquired the services of Paul Annacone. "I never have arguments with my coaches because I like them to criticise me. I need that to become a better player."

Murray appears to have a different view of what a coach should be, claiming he needs a psychologist-like character who will know when to give the world No. 4 space.

"It's a huge decision to employ a coach for 30, 35 weeks a year," Murray said. "If that means spending three or four months without a coach then that's fine. I would rather be doing my own thing than rushing into getting a coach, and seven, eight months [later] having to find someone different.

"It's really important for a coach to be calm, someone that understands people well, that can adjust to different personalities. It can be easy if you've had success with one player to sort of think 'OK, move on to the next one and do the same sort of things with them'. But I think being calm and versatile are probably the two most important things.

"The player, I think, is the most important. When you're out on the court, they can't help you. But the coach has to be there to deal with you in the tough moments. The coach has to know how to deal with situations when you're deep in Grand Slam events and in the build-up to them.

"You might need to be talked to more sometimes, [but it's] knowing when to back off a little bit and just to let things go."

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Back to profit for the system again to get the balance at £204.35. Hopefully there are lot's of selections today but upon first glance there are a decent handful that probably won't qualify. This happens at times but if I get some more profit then great.

Nadal, Djokovic lose doubles match...

2010-08-10T04:27:00.000-07:00

From Supersport...

The world's top two players, Spain's Rafael Nadal and Serbian Novak Djokovic, slumped to a shock loss in their Toronto Masters first round doubles match to a pair of wildcard Canadians.

Nadal and Djokovic took the first set 7-5 against the unheralded duo of Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic, but then lost the next two sets, 6-3, 10-8.

Not since Jimmy Connors was ranked first and Arthur Ashe second when they played together 34 years ago have the top two singles players joined forces in doubles.

But the dream doubles team here did not produce the goods, the 20-year-old Pospisil and Raonic, 19, winning the final three games of the second set, and immediately gained control in the match tie-break by rolling out to a 4-0 lead.

They earned four match points at 9-5, and after seeing Djokovic and Nadal erase three of those opportunities, finally succeeded in closing out the win in one hour and 34 minutes.

Pospisil and Raonic will next face Wimbledon champions and number five seeds Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner.

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A loss yesterday but that was the case earlier in the year with losing days in the early rounds. A few rain delays but in the end all but one match was finished with the Petz match rolled over to today as a selection.

Hewitt pulls out of Toronto ATP to treat injury

2010-08-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

From ChannelNewsAsia

SYDNEY : Lleyton Hewitt said Monday he had withdrawn from this week's Toronto ATP tournament to enable him to have injury treatment ahead of the US Open later this month.

The Australian former world number one pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Toronto with a calf injury he suffered in his first round match in Washington last week.

Hewitt, 29, currently ranked 30, said he needed to pull out of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto to focus on treatment.

He said he was determined to play in the Masters event in Cincinnati, which starts on August 15, and then the US Open, which gets underway in New York on August 30.

"It's just one of those things that can happen and my focus now is to have treatment daily to enable me to play the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati and then the US Open," Hewitt said on his website.

"It is not the best preparation for a Grand Slam event, but there is nothing else I can do."

Hewitt won the US Open in 2001 and was runner-up to Roger Federer in 2004.

His manager David Drysdale said the withdrawal was a precautionary measure.

"He's taken the medical advice not to play, it was a safety issue," he said.

"He's just got a slight strain and he'll start hitting again in the next day or two and he'll definitely be playing in the US Open."

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A slight loss yesterday but nothing major. It picked a few qualy matches from this weeks tournaments and I have found it's been a bit dodgy in the past in picking winners from qualy matches.

I may go back through OnCourt checking results without qualy matches in and see if it makes a big difference. There are not too many qualy selections but liquidity is often not great and with bigger stakes it would mean taking much poorer prices for some of them.

No work this week for me so I can watch some of the tennis, last nights final was quite a pathetic attempt of mental toughness with both Kuz and Rad both being awful as soon as they were in the lead in a set, it was like they didn't want to win but that's WTA for you, you have to love it!

The Bank Is Doubled...

2010-08-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

The bank has doubled. I said earlier on the blog I knew restarted early July as Nadal/Murray Wimbledon was a selection and that was on July 7th. It was the 7th August yesterday and it broke the £200 barrier so I am very happy.

Maybe every 6 weeks to double now would be more realistic as there is slight overstaking due to the minimum bet of £2.

It was all favourites yesterday so no blurred screenshot today. Wozniacki was a stage 2 bet, Pennetta was a stage 2 also but lost. Baggy was a stage 3 bet and I was a bit worried when Baggy first got injured as I didn't really want to lose the bet to a retirement through injury, especially when leading.

A.Rad was the final bet of the day and that was a stage 2 bet also which came in. I think the biggest risk on one bet was around 12%, certainly no more than 15% but I can't bet carried away as I could easily have two losing stage 3 bets close together and it will be a chunk of the bank gone and it would take time to recover the whole losses.

This is expected at some point, it WILL happen but hopefully there are not too many losing stage 3 bets close together. It wouldn't put the bank in danger but it would just slow it down.

The balance is now £207.49.

Venus, Martina And A Loss For The System...

2010-08-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

From The Jamaica Observer...

CINCINNATI, Ohio (AFP) — Fourth-ranked US star Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, withdrew from next week's Cincinnati Open because of left knee pain yesterday with the US Open looming in three weeks.

The five-time Wimbledon winner and two-time US Open champion won at Dubai and Acapulco earlier this year, giving her 43 career WTA titles, but said she dropped out of the harcourt event on the advice of doctors.

"During the last three weeks, I returned to my normal practice schedule and last week began to experience pain in my left knee," Williams said.

"My medical advisors and physio have recommended that I refrain from competition until I am pain free. Unfortunately, I am not at a point where I can commit to competing next week."

Williams' sister, world number one Serena, has already said she will miss Cincinnati and Montreal, the major tuneup events for the US Open, because she cut her right foot on broken glass at a restaurant.

Serena won her fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam crown last month and a WTA spokesman said that the injury could jeopardise her participation in the year's final Grand Slam that begins August 30 in New York.

While the Williams sisters will be missing, the other eight women among the world's 10 top-ranked players will compete, including Serbian top seed and world number two Jelena Jankovic and seventh-ranked Kim Clijsters, the reigning US Open champion.

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Here is a link to a story on CNN about Martina Navratilova's battle with breast cancer. I hope she gets better as soon as possible...

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/tennis/08/06/covering.navratilova/index.html?hpt=C2#fbid=gl1Tp01wSlb&wom=false

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A bad start for the system with 4 of the first 5 bets losing. I was just praying it didn't wipe out the gain it made yesterday and I can't wait for this week to be over with all the tanking etc that goes on.

There was a stage two bet that lost early on and a stage three bet that won later in the night. A slight loss for the day but nothing to worry about.

Not feeling too great about today's selections so fingers crossed and we will see what happens.

South Africa's Davis Cup Dilemma...

2010-08-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

From supersport.com

Six weeks before South Africa's World Group Davis Cup play-off against Germany and no one - except maybe Kevin Anderson himself - knows whether South Africa's number one player will make himself available for the fateful tie in Stuttgart.

This is the frustrating situation in which South African Davis Cup captain John-Laffnie de Jager finds himself as he attempts to piece together a squad for the distinctly difficult task of reclaiming a place in world tennis's premier team event after an absence of more than 10 years.

"Yes, it's hardly the ideal situation," said De Jager, "what with the tie against the talented Germans away from home and set down to be staged on a relatively unfamiliar clay court. But I've had discussions with Kevin and while there is no definite commitment, I am hopeful he will see his way to playing in Stuttgart."

De Jager, however, is looking ahead and attempting to put an end to the kind of dilemma in which he finds himself as a result of Anderson's continued non-commital stance after not making himself available for Davis Cup duty for more than 18 months.

The South African Davis Cup captain believes signing up players on an annual contract to represent South Africa in much the same way as it is done in cricket and rugby could eliminate the present disturbing problems regarding availability.

"Naturally the players objectives and interests in the ATP and grand slam tournaments would have to be taken into account," added De Jager, "but I believe some sort of arrangement could be agreed on whereby players who are good enough make a point of helping their country at the same time."

The big bugbear, however, might be in obtaining a branded sponsor for South Africa's Davis Cup team much like that which exists in cricket, rugby and soccer.

But while major commercial conglomerates are quick to boast what a wonderful job they are doing in serving South African sport, the bottom line invariably remains: "what's in it for us?"

And, in this respect, South African tennis, for one reason or another, is not receiving the kind of sponsorship it requires to lift tennis in the country back to its previous heady levels.

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A great day for the system. It could have been a horrible day, losing four days in a row and having two sequences to break down and recover over time.

Instead the two stage three bets both won, along with most others and many at the second stage giving a great £36.18 profit for the day which is over 20% of the bank and takes the total up to a nice looking £191.73.

A. Radwanska Isn't Too Great At Golf....

2010-08-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

I thought you may like to see this clip. It's A.Rad filming a promotional video and she didn't do too well... ha ha

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8889752.stm

Another Bad Day...

2010-08-04T23:28:00.001-07:00

Another losing day, that's three in a row and I think that is the first time that has happened.

Nearly all the loss came from Gulbis so it could have been a much smaller loss if he had won.

This happened before though, during tank week before the bigger tournaments many favs put in the token effort and then get ready for the more important tournaments.

Let's just hope the bank gets through this week without going bust and build from there. The balance is down so it I don't think it will be doubling just yet, it stands at £155.55.

Hewitt Works Out With Young Players...

2010-08-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a different story, something I didn't know he was doing. I don't want to just post news I find about results etc or a really big story unless there is nothing else as most people have already seen it and don't want to read it again.

If I can find little bits of news that some people may find interesting and not already know then great and then people who visit don't just have to keep reading daily profit/loss as that gets pretty boring.....so here is today's piece.

Former world number one tennis player and current world number 30 Lleyton Hewitt recently worked out with Team Bahamas to help them gear up for the JITIC Junior Tennis Tournament being held in El Salvador. The tournament is ongoing and will wrap up on August 6. Players from the Caribbean and Central America will compete in under-14 boys and girls, and the under-16 boys and girls divisions.

Coach Bradley Bain said that working out with Hewitt was a major plus for the kids as they can see that even small guys can win on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour and conquer the world. Hewitt stands at just 5' 11". Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) President Stephen Turnquest was elated that a player of Hewitt's stature would take time out from his busy schedule to share his knowledge and experience about the game of tennis with some of the country's top junior players.

Hewitt said that he was impressed with the level of play displayed by the youngsters and sees great potential for Bahamian tennis as long as the kids work hard and put in the hours. Hewitt devotes six hours a day to the game of tennis - three hours on the court and the other three hours on fitness, strength training and mental preparation. His coach and hitting partner, Nathan Healey, also participated in the workout and mentioned that being a world class tennis player takes time and you need a great team around you.

Coach Healey and a physiotherapist travel the world with Hewitt, who has so far earned over $18,000,000 in prize money. Hewitt, who now lives in The Bahamas at Old Fort Bay, was accompanied by celebrity real estate agent Vicki Knowles - the mother of Bahamian tennis legend Mark Knowles, who is also a good friend of Lleyton Hewitt.

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A bigger losing day today (well, last night), this is what I had a feeling would happen yesterday. One match that annoyed me was Llodra as I had placed the bet early afternoon only to see him drift and drift then at work checked the score to see he lost in two.

Luckily it wasn't a later bet in the sequence so no real damage done. The loss wasn't even 5% of the bank so let's hope it's clawed back today.

There are plenty of matches today and first looks show a decent handful of selections but I will have a proper check this afternoon for the evening matches.

Good luck with all your bets whoever you are going for today!

Williams, Isner to combine for Hopman Cup...

2010-08-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

From supersport.com

No. 1-ranked Serena Williams will combine with John Isner to represent the United States in a star-studded field at the Hopman Cup international mixed teams tennis tournament in January.

Williams and Isner will join the Serbian pair of Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, Belgium's Justine Henin, Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and France's Gael Monfils in the tournament which runs Jan. 1-8.

Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008 after reaching the Hopman Cup final with Jelena Jankovic and says the tournament provides an ideal prelude to the season's first Grand Slam event.

"I'm looking forward to going back to the Hopman Cup," Djokovic said. "For me it was a good preparation for the Australian Open."

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I had a bad feeling when placing the bets last night, I just had a feeling it was going to be a very bad day. I couldn't follow it live either as I was at work so I was very happy to find out just now that it was only a £6 loss.

Of course profit would have been better but I was bracing myself for £15+ loss, I just thought the selections were pretty poor.

Hopefully I can make it back today and keep heading towards the £200 target. I still can't watch much as I go to work at 11pm and there were no streams for the early matches last night, I'm not sure about tonight but I will have a look.

Is Azarenka One To Watch For US Open?

2010-08-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

From Emirates247.com

Victoria Azarenka celebrated her birthday week with a giant-killing run to win the Stanford Classic and firm as a US Open contender.

The Belarusian, who turned 21 on Saturday, knocked off holder Marion Bartoli of France in the quarter-finals, world number five Samantha Stosur of Australia in the semi-finals and three-times grand slam champion Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 in the final.

Having reached a career-high world number six last year after trouncing Serena Williams to win in Miami, she had struggled this season after tearing her hamstring at Marbella in April.

Three hard weeks of training after her shock loss to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon appears to have made the former junior number one quicker and stronger, however, ahead of a tilt at Flushing Meadows at the end of the month.

"She has the determination back because there are no problems with the body. That gives her some extra confidence," her coach Sam Sumyk said.
Sharapova came into the match with a 2-1 record against Azarenka, and was struck by how consistent the powerful 21-year-old was off the ground and how she wasn't afraid to step into her returns.

"She gets a lot of balls back, her ball is really heavy and there's no doubt she's great player," Sharapova said. "She's been in the top 10 and has had great wins in her career already. "She always tough to play."

Regarded as one of the tour's more petulant players, Azarenka said she had matured in the past year and was not only focusing on improving her technical game, but her match-management.

"I've try to change my game some, not to be in so many of the same patterns all the time," she said.
"I can see the court more clearly. The most important thing is to be thinking on the court. Now I'm one year older and one year wiser."

A grand slam quarter-finalist three times, Azarenka stopped short of describing herself as a favorite for the U.S. Open, but said she feared no opponent.
"I always have to be positive and believe in myself ... Obviously I'd like to win every single match this summer, but my plan is to just work hard, have no regrets and give 110 per cent."

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I managed to catch the first set and a bit of Murray/Querrey and was shocked to find out that he lost from a set up. I thought if Querrey would win it would have been in two on a Murray off day and after Murray broke back at the end of the first set I thought he would walk it.

Fair play to Querrey though, he came back to win, was it though his hard work or Murray being a mug? I don't know but I can say I am happy as I was chasing on the tipping comp and had Querrey for the final.

A mixed day for the system but still ended with a little profit taking the bank up to £182.38 so happy with that. Although the stats research for the system included qualifying rounds they never seem to go to well when it comes to them but I will stick with them as I am not going though all the results again to see how bigger difference it will make as I don't think it will be great.

Lot's of them don't qualify as selections and including them looked worth it in the research.

Bopanna..."Soon India Will Have a Grand Slam Winner...

2010-08-01T04:02:00.001-07:00

From The Times of India...

NEW DELHI: After an unprecedented five Indian tennis players competed at this year's Wimbledon men's doubles event, Rohan Bopanna says the day is not far when the country gets its first Grand Slam winner from the younger crop of players.

Apart from seasoned pros Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, Bopanna himself, Somdev Devvarman and Harsh Mankad competed at this year's Wimbledon.

Paes and Bhupathi have 22 Grand Slam titles between them and they are the only Slam winners from India in men's circuit.

"To have so many players from India competing at the highest level is a real boost for the sport. It shows how we have grown over the past decade and that there is no dearth of talent in the country. Hopefully sooner rather than later we will win a Slam title," Bopanna said.

The lanky Karnataka player is also confident of taking the doubles load in the Davis Cup in case both Paes and Bhupathi are not there.

"I am always ready to perform for the country at the highest level and take up doubles responsibilities at the Davis cup. However, I can't identify my partner as yet," he said.

Bopanna's optimism comes from his improved show on the doubles circuit, where he is ranked 35 in the world.

He, together with Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, reached the first ever Grand Slam quarter-finals at the Wimbledon.

Before that, they won an ATP 250 event in Johannesburg and ended runners-up in France and Morocco apart from winning a Challenger tournament in Jersey and making the finals of the Italy event.

Hence, they, as a team, are ranked 15 in the world. The Coorgi says he and Qureshi did not expect to reach that stage of the Wimbledon.

"In all honesty, I would have to confess that, we were not well prepared. Though grass courts are our favorite surface, we had not played a grass court tournament for quite a while leading up to Wimbledon.

"However, we do play well as a team, have confidence in each others abilities and that teamwork coupled with a lot of hard work during Wimbledon carried us through," he said.

The Indo-Pak pair drew a lot of attention for the slogan they carried on their shirts -- 'Stop War, Start Tennis'.

On being asked how the idea came about, he explained, "Aisam was already a champion for peace, an ambassador for this cause under the patronage of the Prince of Monaco, through this neutral organisation called Peace and Sport.

"They approached me and believing that sport can be a catalyst of peace, I decided to join the group of 47 elite athletes and be the first Indian to be the Champion of Peace. Given the message, it was Aisam's coach Robert Davis who came up with the slogan 'Stop War, Start Tennis'."

Bopanna, known for his booming serve, though says media has the habit of paying too much attention on their nationalities.

"The only part of the society, that has been making a hype about our nationalities has been the media. It has been wonderful playing with Aisam, having known each other for over 14 years now. We both complement each others games and complement each other as friends off the court as well."

Before tying up in 2007, Bopanna and Aisam were not even in the top-100 but have galloped to top-40 after that.

Out of all the success, Wimbledon quarterfinals is what they savour the most.

"Personally our favorite moment would have to be qualifying for the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon. We have had other amazing moments, like the run at the 2008 Australian Open, winning four Challenger Titles in a row in 2007, but then again, the Wimbledon does stand out."

He misses playing singles but is candid enough to admit that doubles was the only way to remain in the game.

"Yes, I do miss playing the singles circuit. But looking at my career practically, playing the doubles circuit has helped. Playing the doubles has helped my career move forward, it provides the necessary funding and opportunities to continue playing Tennis," he said.

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The balance is over £180 now so edging closer and closer to doubling. A few more bets today too as the Legg Mason Classic starts so hopefully not just the finals to have as selections.

Tipsarevic threw away his lead and how Querrey won that match whilst serving so badly suprised me.

Ball Kids Hate Azarenka But Like Stosur...

2010-07-31T01:46:00.000-07:00

Written By Chris Oddo - His blog is http://thefanchild.blogspot.com.

STANFORD, California—Those little blue and red clad blurs that have been zooming around the Bank of the West Classic grounds all week know a good time when they see it. Turns out they also know good tennis.

18 year old Raymond Lee, a no-nonsense upwardly mobile high school student believes that his eyes don’t lie. “Stosur will win, because I saw her play,” he told me.

11 year-old Evan Tobin concurred. I caught him running the stairs outside Stadium court, and he was nice enough to share a few moments of his precious time with me. “I think Sam Stosur is gonna win, because when I was ballboying for her in the match, she was just amazing.”

11 year-old Drew Davison was also wowed by the phenom known to many simply as ‘Sam.’ “I want Sam Stosur to win because in my opinion she’s the best player in the tournament and I guess she deserves to.” I’m not sure what he meant by “I guess” but, being so lucky to have Drew grant me this exclusive interview, I declined to press him on the matter. “I ballkidded for her earlier today,” he said. “And her serve was pretty amazing.”

Hmmm. Considering the draw still features such tennis royalty as Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, I must say I was surprised at all the support the kids were giving Stosur. Was she taking them out back and feeding them candies? Was it something that she said or the way she looked at them? Or, had she intimidated them so much with her ripped physique that they didn’t dare say anything bad about her for fear there would be repercussions?

It was hard to say, so I persisted further.

Then things started to get interesting. “I’m not giving my name,” said a 17-year-old who apparently had a story to tell. She had just come off a long shift, and while she was very happy with her job, she did have one complaint.

“Azarenka is very particular,” she said.

“How so,” I asked.

“She wants all the balls on one side, and if you don’t she yells at you.”

“Is she the only one,” I asked.

“Sharapova is picky too, but she is nice about it.”

Being that this wasn’t a WTA slander campaign, I wanted to know who the kids thought was the nicest. Turns out that Melanie Oudin is a real sweetheart.

“Oudin was really nice, and the qualifiers were really nice too,” said the hesitant ball kid. “And Bartoli was nice least year,” another chimed in.

“Sharapova was picky about which end she took it from, but she was nice.”

“Sharapova’s nice,” someone else chimed in. They all seemed to agree. Maria’s finicky, but nice. Azarenka though, is a different story.

Now they were really starting to open up. “I like Stosur because she doesn’t grunt,” said one.

“I like her t-shirt,” added another.

I had uncovered a lot in my hours of running with the ball kids, but there was still one thing that I needed to know.

“So all in all this was a good experience and you guys would be happy to do it next year?”

“Definitely.”

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One bigger losing bet yesterday but still finished the day with a profit so very happy.

The balance is now standing at £174.66 so still a little bit to go before being doubled and there is still a week to hope that it gets done by. Like I said in a previous post I think 6 weeks could be a better target but really it's just good to see the bank still growing, even with the bigger losses coming in.

Early signs show around 7 or 8 selections today which is good for the weekend, picks are usually minimal over the last few days of tournaments.

Is There More Value The Further In to A Sequence I Go?

2010-07-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

I had a little discussion on the forum last night with regards to the system. It was mentioned that chasing will ALWAYS end in the bank gone, they didnt seem to understand that I am breaking losses down and hope to avoid this as everyone knows just chasing and chasing WILL end in tears.

Larsson said that as long as I am backing value then chasing could work which got me thinking about how much value there is in the bets I am making.

The further in to the sequences I head the less chance there is of it losing again (that what ten years of results says anyway) so when I get to 4th bet, if I am backing a favourite @ 1.85 I have a very strong feeling that this will win for me as in the past ten years 4 losses in a row don't happen too often.

Is 1.85 therefore massive value seeing as in the past matches with this criteria have gone my way.

If it's 1.35 is it still value? Can I look at value from the point of view of the criteria I use or does it have to be value considering the opponent?

Personally I think high priced favourites on the 4th bet ARE decent value for sure as they go my way more than they don't from what past results tell me.

Also, because at this point in the sequence the stakes have obviously risen, with the larger stake am I therefore enhancing the return of that value and cancelling out some bad value from earlier losing bets?

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A massive profit of 77p yesterday although a few matches were postponed until today due to rain so they have been carried over.

Hopefully a dry day will see those matches get played and hopefully result in a profit for the bank again.