World Group 2008 Davis Cup Final Tennis Betting Preview

Mar del Plata, Argentina – On paper, Argentina confirms it is the heavy favourite, not only because of the home court advantage, but also for the combined go-to-duo of Nalbandian, who is sensational on indoor hard courts, and Del Potro, who was sensational during the summer term and a recent Tennis Masters debutant. There is no doubt that much of the team’s hope for the Davis Cup title lies in the abilities of Nalbandian and Del Potro in singles action on Friday and Sunday. However, on the back of their combined force, the sports betting trend will most likely fall also in line.

There is an Achilles heel on Argentina’s squad though – Jose Acasuso and Agustin Calleri are the weak links on the squad. They have not accomplished anything noteworthy over the course of the 2008 season individually and they are not quite so hot on hard courts. A poor showing from either could shake up the results.

Certainly, Spain is considerably less of a force without Nadal’s services but they are rather heavily underestimated by their price tag in the sports betting market. Overall, Spain has put forward a rather good team considering the circumstances. David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez are great hard court players – in fact, unlike most Spaniards, both probably prefer hard courts to clay. Marcel Granollers was a bit of a surprise title winner in Houston this spring – a hard court event and Fernando Verdasco has some exceptional moves on the fast stuff as well.

The outcome of the Davis Cup final will largely be determined by coaching decisions. Spanish Captain Emilio Sanchez and his Argentinean counterpart Alberto Mancini had to make some crucial decisions– namely who will get the nod to contest the singles matches.

Now that we know David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez got the nod for Spain and David Nalbandian and Juan Martin Del Potro for Argentina, we can look at the upcoming five rubbers separately and determine whether the Davis Cup final will really be as straight forward as the tennis betting line.

Tennis Betting Line: Argentina -500 Spain +300

Match Time: 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time, Friday November 21, 2008

Tennis Free Pick: Spain to win 3:2

Here is a breakdown of what I expect the Rubbers could look like:

Davis Cup Final Five-Rubbers:

Friday

David Nalbandian (ARG) v David Ferrer (ESP)

Head-to-Head Analysis: David Nalbandian trails 3-6 lifetime against Ferrer. In 2007, they played four times and split the victories 2-2. Nalbandian has a slight edge on hard courts with a 3-2 mark. Typically, their matches are tight affairs though.

Tennis Betting Prediction: This matchup is crucial, as it will set the tone for the Davis Cup final. Ferrer has to like his chances coming into this match and if he could orchestrate what surely would be the biggest upset of the event he could send Spain on the right track right off the first rubber.

Tennis Free Pick: Nalbandian in five sets

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP)