Events / Editor / 20 September 2007 / Leave a comment

Roger Federer may be the best tennis player of all time and he is the defending champion at Basle for the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, played between October 20-28.

The 26-year-old will be short odds to compete on home soil and betting will surely centre on the world number one, as he enjoys performing in the town where he was born.

Federer failed to land the odds in 2000 and 2001, when he was beaten in the final, but has had few peers in recent times and his odds will be short for betting in Basle.

A bet on Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in 2005 would have reaped rewards, and punters will have enjoyed betting on Czech star Jiri Novak, who won in 2004.

Argentinians Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian were also good bets, winning the title in 2003 and 2002 respectively, and it shows that a bet on players from around the globe is possible with the worldwide appeal of the prestigious tournament.

Tim Henman is a double winner while Greg Rusedski also claimed the trophy in his career, but there will be no betting on the recently-retired pair and any bet on a British player will centre on Andy Murray, on the comeback and looking to land the odds after a wrist injury.

The best players in the world are expected to be in the betting in Switzerland and a bet on US Open runner-up Novak Djokovic will be popular, as he is surely the most improved player in the last 12 months.

But can anyone stop the 'Fed Express'? He has won all around the world and, with his own fans behind him, the odds on another Federer success will be short, while Rafael Nadal will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways and build on his success against Federer at the French Open.