August brings the start of the North American hard court season, when players finalise their preparations for the US Open that starts at the end of the month. With a post-Wimbledon rest behind them, the tennis betting pundits and the elite male players themselves know these events are competitive and a crucial part of the build-up to Flushing Meadows.
This is borne out by the role-call of recent winners at the Legg Mason Classic, Rogers Cup and Cincinnati Masters, the latter two events being high profile Masters 1000 tournaments, second only to the four Grand Slams in terms of importance and ranking points.
Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, warmed up by winning the Legg Mason Classic and losing in the final in Toronto, where the last four winners have been Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The Swiss legend has won three of the last five Cincinnati Masters events, with Murray and Andy Roddick the other recent winners.
The big four of the men’s game have not yet entered the Legg Mason Classic, so there is an opportunity for the next tier of players to lay a marker against the US Open tennis odds. Andy Roddick, Tomas Berdych, Robin Soderling and Fernando Verdasco are confirmed entrants, with Roddick the man to beat.
He knows his way around a hard court as well as anyone and is desperate to return to full sharpness after injury problems and a shock early defeat at Wimbledon. Berdych and Soderling have the ideal chance to show they can adjust their games that have been so successful recently on clay and grass to hard courts, whilst Verdasco needs a good run after some indifferent results.
Del Potro is still missing due to his wrist injury, a problem that has also blighted Nikolay Davydenko’s season. The Russian needs to pick his tournaments carefully as he prepares for Flushing Meadows and his likely absence further opens the way for Roddick, although Sam Querrey has broken into the World’s top 20 and is a good outside bet for these events.
