Tennis Masters Cup Gold Group Betting Preview: Tsonga in Wide Open Group

Shanghai, China – As the Tennis Masters Cup gets set to kick off this weekend, sports bettors have a lot of exciting tennis betting action to look forward to at BetUS Sportsbook. Though noticeable missing from the tournament is World No.1 Rafael Nadal (knee tendinitis), the eight-man line-up is no less thrilling for his absence.

Assembled in Shanghai for the year-end showdown are three of the remaining so-called “Big Four” of the ATP tour – Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Also, familiar faces in Andy Roddick and Nikolay Davydenko earned their berths and three exciting newcomers – Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who caused a stir at the start of the season when he reached the Australian Open final enjoyed a fitting end to his 2008 term when he became the surprise champion at the Paris Masters.

Tsonga is in a wide-open group in Shanghai, drawing the player who beat him at the Australian Open but who handed him his maiden ATP title when he returned the favour in Bangkok – Novak Djokovic. Also in the group are Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Djokovic is the top seed in this group, but he arrives in Shanghai on the heels of a title drought since his victory in Rome in May. Djokovic’s summer highlights were a runner-up in Cincinnati (l. to Andy Murray), and a semi-final appearance at the US Open (l. to Federer).

The indoor hard court swing leading up to Shanghai saw Djokovic produce very little of note. His late season doldrums include losses to Ivo Karlovic and Tsonga at the Madrid and Paris Masters respectively. Last year, by the time the Masters Cup rolled around, Djokovic was similarly flat. He lost all three round robin matches without winning a set. If his late 2008 term disappointments were an indication, it could be a disconcerting déjà vu for the Serbian in Shanghai.

Realistically, with Djokovic questionable this group is to be had by any of the players – most notably, Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro. Both players are making their debut at this event and they enter in high spirits and great form. They are serious threats.

The fourth challenger in this group is Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian also experienced a slump in the latter half of the season though he did revive his game in Paris a fortnight ago. But the question is whether his late revival will be enough to position him as a viable contender.

Unlike the Red Group where the favourites are expected to advance more easily (though that is not to say they are not immune to upsets as well), the gold group is the one tipped by sports pundits to deliver the most excitement. And given that the two debutantes are enjoying the best form and results, they have an outside chance of upsetting their higher ranked counterparts.

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