The Overrule: ATP Monte Carlo

By Sports Magician

Rafael Nadal will be delighted to return to the clay courts and particularly to return to Monte Carlo. The Spaniard is an astonishing 29-1 in Monte Carlo, his only defeat at the event to the now retired Argentinean magician, Guillermo Coria, in 2003. Nadal has been triumphant in Monte Carlo for the past five years, having missed the tournament in 2004 because of injury. Nadal’s charge to a sixth successive Monte Carlo title is aided by the absence of Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, as well as Nikolay Davydenko. There is nothing in the draw for Nadal to fear, not that there normally is on clay, and the Overrule will be backing the Spaniard with maximum confidence.

The top half of the draw is where we will find the each-way value, with the woefully out of form Novak Djokovic being unlikely to justify his place as top seed by at least making the final. Fernando Verdasco is among the eight seeds who will receive a first round bye and his draw certainly seems negotiable. The lefty may face Tomas Berdych in the third round, where he will hope to avenge defeats at Indian Wells and Miami.

PICK: 5*RAFAEL NADAL WIN MONTE CARLO @ 1.62 (SKY BET)

PICK: 0.75*(EACH-WAY) FERNANDO VERDASCO WIN MONTE CARLO (1/2 ODDS 1-2 PLACES) @ 26.00 (BETFRED)

Sports Magician