posted July 4, 2008 at 17:02 in Tennis Props

London, England – May and June in tennis betting is a flurry of activity in the online sports betting markets as the French Open and Wimbledon occur within a few weeks of each other that we tennis betting fanatics have very little down time. The French Open final saw a three-peat of one of the best tennis rivalries in the Open Era: Federer-Nadal. Now as the sunset on Wimbledon betting (yes the sun, floating in blue skies, not the typical angry cloudy rainy skies that have become as traditional to Wimbledon as tea is to the English) the championships final is too set to welcome part 3 of the Federer-Nadal clash.

Of all the dramatic twists during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships – Djokovic, Roddick and Blake blown out in the second round, the resurgence of Safin, and a Cinderella run to the semi-final scripted by 32-year-old Rainer Schuettler – the fortnight of tennis betting culminates with one constant that has featured at Wimbledon (and the French Open). The emergence once again on the most prestigious Centre Court of the tennis world of Federer and Nadal in a smash hit billing to bid for the coveted Wimbledon title.

During the French Open final, the big question in the tennis-betting world was what precisely Roger Federer had to do to beat Nadal on clay? Surely, he could not be that indomitable! But after the awful 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 thrashing Federer received at the hands of the matador, the world accepted the fact Rafael Nadal was indeed that good. Federer was outplayed and outclassed – something that no one has ever achieved against the maestro. In fact, the vision of a dismantled Federer was rather disconcerting.

Since the French Open final, when Nadal played the most perfect match of his life, gifting only seven unforced errors, the online wagering hamlet at BetUS Sportsbook has been waiting to see a re-match of their rivalry. But this time on Federer’s turf – grass.

Nadal answered the question of what Federer can do soundly. There is NOTHING he can do! Exclamation point! Now the big question is what can Rafa do to knock Federer off his grass-court perch? The BetUS online tennis wagering market tips five-time Wimbledon champion Federer rightly, as the favourite at -140 on the money line, but online tennis betting on Nadal opens at even odds! Heck even Federer was not given such a favourable chance during French Open betting.

To say 2008 has not been Federer’s year is no understatement. But in response to the notion that he is a spent force, Federer seized the Gerry Weber Open title during his Wimbledon tune-up and extended his grass court match-win streak to 64 with a victory over Marat Safin in the Wimbledon semi-finals. (Oh and he has not dropped a set at Wimbledon yet!) Hmmm... Struggling? If his run to a sixth consecutive Wimbledon final is not telling, then I do not know what else would give us an indication of where he truly is in terms of form. Grass is Federer’s domain; Wimbledon his favourite playground. And once again, he has secured an invitation to the final party.

Perhaps the crux of the matter is not the waning star of Federer but the rising star of Nadal. Scary thought that he could get even better as he has been in the limelight for some time now! He won the Stellar Artois Championship title, beating some stiff opposition in Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic ( in the semis and final respectively). Reached the final of the 2008 Wimbledon championships – his best performance in the convincing display of power tennis in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Andy Murray in the quarterfinal – and having dropped just one set along the way.

There is more riding on this match than just a Grand Slam final. If Nadal wins, the changing of the guard may finally happen. But it will not be the exchange everyone expected at the start of the 2008 season when Djokovic, winner of the 2008 Australian Open, was elected as the prime candidate to reshuffle the deck. Federer will no longer be the undisputed No.1 player in the World. The decline may become a reality. The player to depose the King would be the one who has been second fiddle to Federer in the rankings for three years – Rafael Nadal.

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room