Potential for another Federer and Nadal clash in Qatar final
Published:Rafael Nadal will want to quickly gain revenge on Roger Federer for his defeat in his final match of 2010 at the ATP World Tour Finals, but both will have to win their respective semi-finals at the Qatar ExxonMobil for the Spaniard to get the opportunity to do so.
Nadal arguably has the tougher task of the duo as he will face Nikolay Davydenko, while Federer takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Davydenko is the defending champion in Doha after beating Nadal in the final last year and he has also had the edge over the world number one in each of their last three meetings.
Nadal has improved markedly on hard courts since the latest of these defeats, largely through winning the US Open, and is 4/11 in the tennis betting to secure his spot in the final.
However, Nadal has struggled with illness throughout much of the tournament and therefore Davydenko could be overpriced at 2/1 to progress.
Federer should have no such problems dealing with Tsonga and if he comes anywhere close to reproducing the display which saw him defeat Viktor Troicki in the quarter finals, he will make the final at a canter.
The Swiss maestro has won two of his three career meetings with Tsonga, including a comfortable success on the hard courts of the Australian Open last year.
Federer’s betting odds are 1/7 to beat Tsonga, but the 4/9 offered on a straight sets success also represents reasonable value.
Tsonga comes into the tournament well rested after missing the latter portion of last season through injury and is 4/1 to defeat Federer, as he did in Montreal in 2009.
A £10 bet on Davydenko losing the first set to Nadal but recovering to win the match could lead to a return of £80. New Ladbrokes customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
