posted June 25, 2008 at 17:45 in Tennis Props

London, England – At the close of second round tennis betting action today, seismic shockwaves were sent through sports betting markets when Novak Djokovic, one of the sports betting favourites for the title, was upset by Marat Safin. The shock upset of 2008 Australian Open champion Djokovic leaves online sports gambling enthusiasts to look ahead over the course of the remaining rounds of the tournament to a rivalry that featured in back-to-back finals at the All England Club and that is still alive in the championships – the Federer/Nadal rivalry. After emerging in the last two Wimbledon finals, the tennis betting markets swing in favour of the duopoly of Federer and Nadal to decide yet again the outcome of the Wimbledon Championships. But before either player can negotiate a premier position in the championships final movement – the scene for a third instalment in what is surely to culminate the greatest trilogy of Wimbledon finals in history – they must survive the early rounds.

Roger Federer dispatched Robin Soderling easily in the second round today; thereby, negotiating the first of several treacherous obstacles strewn in his path to a sixth consecutive Wimbledon title and a place in history only he should have the honour to engage. (In 2007, Federer won his fifth Wimbledon title to become the first player since Bjorn Borg (1980-84) to win five consecutive Wimbledon titles.) An obliging racquet wielded by the hand of Marat Safin takes care of Djokovic – a threat experts slotted as a blockbuster semi-final matchup for Federer. Djokovic was a semi-finalist here last year and many tipped him to go one better this year. But vintage Marat Safin, the games mightiest and most unpredictable talents, rewrote the script with a master class second round thrashing of the Serbian. So with a draw shaken by the loss of Djokovic and a relatively reprieving third round match for Federer, his path to a sixth consecutive Wimbledon final all of a sudden seems less precarious.

On the other side of the draw, inextricably drawing towards the finale of Wimbledon is Rafael Nadal – four-time French Open champion – vying for his first-ever Wimbledon crown and a slice of history as well. Nadal too equalled Bjorn Borg’s record of four consecutive French Open titles (1978-81) with his fourth consecutive Roland Garros victory earlier this month in Paris. He is now bidding to become the first player since Bjorn Borg to win both the French Open and Wimbledon title in the same calendar year.

Nadal, who won the Stella Artois Championships a fortnight ago, has seen his stock rise in the tennis betting market as the only player in the draw considered to have a real chance at halting Federer’s reign in Wimbledon. But in two previous attempts, he was denied by Federer in the final; the last Wimbledon final was a sensational instant classic match that went the distance (five sets), befitting the historic occasion of the time. Should the Federer/Nadal rivalry set up a three-peat in London this year, another historic moment will be upon us. The question is how will the script read?

As exciting the prospect of another Federer/Nadal final is, we are still in early days of Wimbledon betting. Lots of tennis betting action is still to come before the two finalists to take the last bow are determined. However, sports bettors: take a page from Djokovic’s second round match against Marat Safin; that is, upsets can happen. I must admit though, I was not surprised Djokovic was dismissed so early – in fact, it was a prediction I made in my regular free tennis picks instalment at BetUS Sportsbook. Now I do not mention this for bragging rights, but as a lesson is to be learned from this outcome for handicapping upcoming tennis matches and it goes beyond the game to the essence of the player. There is no doubt that Djokovic has game and can be a sensational player at times but as Safin admittedly held in a post-match media interview, he was not impressive on court today. Djokovic’s laissez fair attitude against former World No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin cost him the match. It was not only a case of underestimating an opponent – in this case one of the most intriguing enigma’s in tennis that is Safin – but an overall lazy day at the office for the young Serbian. Federer, Nadal in particularly, are two indefatigable players who never give anything less than their best – no matter the opponent. So when betting on Wimbledon in the upcoming rounds, keep in mind the Federer/Nadal rivalry – a rivalry that was always likely to come about – even before Djokovic was ousted. (The only way these two players will not feature in the final is should they be thoroughly outplayed and outclassed – something that based on their respective seasons, careers and overall attitude towards the game I cannot quite wager on happening just yet.)

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