Sports Betting Blog

By Claudia Beckford

The Swiss players, world number two Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, who is currently in the ninth position in the ATP rankings, have become one of the elite tennis duos especially after the latest victory achieved in the Davis Cup World Group match and the previous gold medal obtained during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games during August.

Over the six years of professional play since the 23-years old Wawrinka began his tennis career; he has escalated from the 171 position in 2003 to the 54th place in 2005 to a 36th ranking in 2007, while reaching the top ten in the current ATP Tour. He also holds a singles career record of 105-91, one title to his name and a doubles Olympic medal.  Despite his hard and constant work his game has suffered major setbacks due to a knee injury. Nevertheless, the young Swiss has proved his talent against players such as: the Argentinean Juan Ignacio Chela, the Russian Marat Safin and the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

Only this past Saturday at the indoor Malley Stadium both Swiss players teamed up to play against the Belgium group made up by Xavier Malisse and Oliver Rochus for a Davis Cup entry for the 2009 competition. There was indeed a lot of pressure on the players, as we witnessed what they were capable of doing at the Olympics, but during the match it was clear that Federer and Wawrinka were proud to play for their country and the duo just kept improving.

The 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 final score provided the Swiss players with their pass to next year’s competition which became a real satisfaction as the country was left out for this year’s tournament. One major doubt continues to be Roger Federer’s participation but he briefly stated it seems very probable as long as the Davis Cup games do not interfere with the ATP tour official tournaments he is required to appear at.

The five-time US Open Grand Slam winner has also mentioned that despite the fact he has mainly concentrated in singles tournaments over his professional career, he believes the double matches he played alongside with fellowman Wawrinka helped him to regain confidence and triggered something different within himself. Many experts believe the duo’s Gold medal achievement changed Federer’s vision and it opened a new door of possibilities for the player and a brief preview of this could have been his Grand Slam win in New York.

Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see how two skilled players, one of them perhaps more accomplished than the other partnered up and play so comfortable for one common goal. The fact that Federer’s career has been very different from Wawrinka’s does not imply the fact Stanislas could easy become the next number one Swiss player in the coming years as he has proven to be a solid, strategic player on all surfaces which remains one of the biggest challenges for a tennis player. And perhaps his learning ability might pick up something more from the tennis master of all times.

About the author
Claudia Beckford provides current Davis Cup content as well as information in the sports betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

By Claudia Beckford

The 27-year-old tennis player ex number one in the world, the Swiss Roger Federer begun his run for a fifth US Open title as defending champion only early this week in New York city. Federer whose reign in the top position came to an end during mid August 2008 will fight his way through the finals as he has stated himself that winning this year’s US Open Grand Slam has become his immediate priority as he strongly feels he has lots to give to the sport still.

Federer’s singles professional career include 55 ATP titles of which 12 are Grand Slams in all surfaces and in the all world latitudes except the French Open at Roland Garros where he has been runner up for three consecutive years. It is really not necessary to speak about all the different achievements Federer has set to his name, as we all know he is one – if not – the greatest player in the history of tennis.

During the 2008 ATP Tour, Federer encountered many health issues which became a non-stop nightmare for the tennis player, who struggled for most part of the first six months of the year to get back on his feet. His weak health condition and his vague decision on whether to partner with a new coach to renew his game style and try different strategies became his doom. Many of us believed Federer could have turned things around easily in case of losing his No.1 position to any of the many young talents striving to get there, but the months went by and we saw no change.

Nevertheless, Federer has stated that his ATP career is not over yet and we believe it to be true, as there is no doubt he is still an extraordinary player, with amazing abilities that no one had seen before. While at Wimbledon Federer seemed different, he knew that to be a turning point in his career and there, we all witnessed how both long-time rivals: Federer and the Spaniard Rafa Nadal, fought relentlessly to win at the All England Club. But unfortunately for the Swiss, his best effort was not enough, and after the 5-hour play -which later on became a 7-hour match due to a rain delay- he was defeated.

More recently at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Federer seemed more concentrated in winning the doubles tournament, which he in conjunction with fellowman Stanislas Wawrinka achieved by defeating the Swedish couple. Both Swiss players were awarded with the men’s doubles gold medal.

Up to this point in the men’s draw at the US Open, Roger Federer who by the way – seems more relax and comfortable with his game – has played two rounds; the first against Argentinean Maximo Gonzalez and the second against Thiago Alves who Federer defeated in three sets 3-6, 0-6, 3-6. In the third round Federer faces Radek Stepanek who is  currently ranked 30th in the ATP rankings. We hope for the Swiss master as he will always be called to move into a possible fourth round where he will either face the raising Russian star Igor Andreev or the Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

About the author
Claudia Beckford provides current US Open Grand Slam content as well as information in the sports betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.