Rome Masters Betting Tips

Rome Masters Betting Tips: Men’s Singles

It is hard to imagine any other player taking on the gifted Rafael Nadal in Rome and walking away victor, especially since the court surface is his preferred surface. Nadal has proven to the world that he is in all probability one of the most talented clay court specialists the pro circuit has seen in recent years. He has lifted the title at Roland Garros in the past three years, and has won 18 clay court titles since 2004.

When you gaze at his overall record it is hard to believe that he is only 21 years of age. He is, indeed, the ‘King of Clay’ and the only man who could possibly deny him his fourth consecutive Foro Italico crown is the astonishing Roger Federer.

Roger Federer is in sublime form. In 2007 he claimed a breath-taking, eight singles titles, including the Australian Open, the Wimbledon Championships, the US Open and the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. He was runner-up four times in 2007, including at the French Open and the Monte Carlo Masters to none other than Rafael Nadal. In fact, since 2006, Rafael Nadal has been the only player who has beaten the world no.1 consistently, taking the title from Federer six times.

There are a few other clay court specialists who could cause an upset on the day – names like Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gustavo Kuerten, Guillermo Coria and Fernando Gonzalez spring to mind. Then there is David Nalbandian who has had a huge leap up the ATP rankings in recent months with his upset wins against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the Paris and Madrid Masters respectively.

One thing we know for sure is that the Russian and Serb contingent has, over the years, not had much success in Rome. In fact the last man of Eastern European origin to have won at Foro Italico was Ivan Lendl in 1988 when he was still affiliated to Czechoslovakia.

The Americans too have not been dominant in Rome. Andre Agassi in 2002 was the last man carrying the star spangled banner to have success at the Rome Masters. This is possibly due to the fact that the clay surface in America is different to the European red clay and is said to play very differently.

So a good Rome Masters betting tip is that the clear favourite to win the 2008 men’s event for a fourth time has to be Rafael Nadal.

Rome Masters Betting Tips: Women’s Singles

The women’s event is not as clear cut. Only Amelie Mauresmo has consistently appeared on the scoreboard, both as the winner and as runner-up. The Frenchwomen has been battling with form of late, but the end-of-year break may just be what the Grand Slam champion needs to rediscover her earlier touch.

There are several other players who must be in contention. Justine Henin has never won in Rome, but her record on clay is outstanding. Her form going into the new season is frighteningly good - in fact, she looks to be quite unbeatable. Smart punters will surely back the feisty Belgian.

Then, of course there are the Williams sisters. Both Serena and Venus have had success at Foro Italico – Venus in 1999 and Serena in 2002. The Americans are on the comeback trail and if they can ever re-discover their form of 2002/2003, then we will surely have a hugely exciting 2008 WTA season.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina have all had successful runs at the Rome Masters, not forgetting Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic, who although have never reached the final in Rome, have had a good enough year to finish in the top ten of the WTA rankings.

However, it would be a fitting tribute, to an immensely talented woman, if Amelie Mauresmo could lift her third title in Rome in 2008.

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