Nadal-Djokovic Resumes Storied Rivalry at the 2013 US Open

Tennis fans who enjoy online gambling will once again be turning their eyes towards the titanic rivalry which continues between two great players of the modern era. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are two giants of tennis, and their head-to head rivalry in recent years has been identified by many pundits as perhaps the sport’s greatest epic duel of all time.

The statistics would certainly seem to back that assertion up. Anyone scanning Bodog sports betting websites in search of good tennis odds should know that the two men have played 36 times, with Nadal claiming 21 victories to Djokovic’s 15. Nadal also has the lead when it comes to overall Grand Slam matches, having won seven times to his rival’s three in such encounters.

From that, it would seem that the Spaniard has the edge over his Serbian rival, but statistics never tell the full story. In terms of wins in Grand Slam finals, Djokovic actually has the edge, leading 3-2. In all finals, the tally is tied at 8-8, while in ATP Masters Series/ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches the Serb again has the edge, leading 11-9. The score in Masters finals is again tied, at 5-5.

But raw statistics can only ever give a dry and emotionless assessment of these two great players. The numbers can communicate none of the gladiatorial drama of some of the contests between the muscular Spaniard and the tall Serb. This rivalry has been played out across all four Gland Slam finals, as well as record 19 Masters Series matches. The 2010 Australian Open final between the two is widely regarded as the finest final ever played.

But the rivalry does not just exist in the recent past, it is very much ongoing, as events this year have shown. Although Nadal has seen his progress in recent years held up by injury, he was very much back to his best on clay in Paris. The 2013 French Open saw an epic semi-final between the two, possibly the most compelling clay court contest ever, with Nadal triumphing over five sets. The last set was won 9-7 by the Spaniard, with the match having taken four hours and 47 minutes to complete. Any sportsbook fan will find the two hard to separate in New York too.

Tennis fans using the Bodog88.com sportsbook betting platform may therefore think that there is little point looking beyond Nadal and Djokovic for the US Open title in 2013. But that might be a little short-sighted, and sportsbook betting devotees may want to look elsewhere for value too.

The quality of the tennis that Nadal and Djokovic can provide is not in doubt, but their continuing reigns as the top players in the sport might be. Andy Murray, the Scot from Dunblane, has shown over the last 12 months that he is capable of perhaps making a triangle out of the rivalry at the top of tennis.

The Scotsman enjoyed a wonderful 2012, winning an Olympic Gold Medal in London, and winning his first Grand Slam in New York. He has built on that in 2013, taking his first Wimbledon crown, and becoming the first Briton to do so since Fred Perry some 77 years before. He will be keen to defend his title in New York, and it is to him that both Nadal and Djokovic must look for their main threat. Sportsbook betting fans may well find some good value in the performances of the Scot, whose return of serve is especially potent.

The best sportsbook gamblers always keep their options open, but it is hard to look beyond the Nadal and Djokovic, and maybe Murray, to claim the US Open crown this year. The best online gambling sites do not tend to allow punters to hedge their bets, though, so at some point anyone using Bodog Malaysia, or other sites, will have to choose.

While Nadal’s power and strength have often carried him through epic encounters, his recent injury history suggests that there might well be a physical weakness in his make-up now. Djokovic, in contrast, is a mightily impressive physical specimen these days, who seems to feed on adversity. Murray, too, is much fitter and stronger than he used to be. In the end, fitness may well decide who emerges as champion in New York.