Tennis ATP Tour Finals Betting: Davydenko to edge out Djokovic

Events / Ben Caudell / 22 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

Nikolay Davydenko's extra freshness could be the difference when he takes on Novak Djokovic on Monday afternoon.

"I do however feel that Novak will be a little fatigued, both mentally and physically in London. Davydenko will have had longer to recover and will be fresh coming into this match, the surface which is reportedly similar to Shanghai in which Davydenko won..."

This may well prove to be one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament in the eyes of Ben Caudell and it may well be the outsider who comes out on top...

Novak Djokovic (SRB) v Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)

Monday's evening match between Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko is my pick of the first group matches to watch. These two are currently the most in-form players on the circuit and the most evenly matched.

Novak Djokovic is 10-0 and has won three of the last four tournaments - Paris Masters, Basel, and Beijing. Davydenko is 7-3 but has two tournament wins since September - Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur. He defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi finals of Shanghai in three tight sets, levelling their head-to-head series 2-2.

Rightly so, Serbian Novak Djokovic will go into Monday's match as the favourite to win, it is hard to find reasons to oppose the 22 year old considering his recent form and dominance over the top players in the world.

His confidence is at an all time high and he will be reluctant to relinquish last year's World Series Tour Title which was held in Shanghai. It is important to note that his two wins against the Russian came at last year's event, a round robin win 7-6 0-6 7-5 and a straight set final victory 6-1 7-5.

I do however feel that Novak will be a little fatigued, both mentally and physically in London. Davydenko will have had longer to recover and will be fresh coming into this match, the surface which is reportedly similar to Shanghai in which Davydenko won, will suit the Russian's game as the balls will be bouncing higher and slower compared with your average indoor surface.

I can see this match going to three sets with the fitter and tactically superior Russian the eventual winner.

Selection:

Back Nikolay Davydenko @ [3.2] to win match
Back Nikolay Davydenko 2.5 Games @ [2.2]
Back Nikolay Davydenko 2-1 @ [6.0]

Best Bet - Back Nikolay Davydenko to defeat Novak Djokovic @ [3.2] (World Tour Finals Group B)