Rory Crowe found us another winner last week in Monaco to make it four winners from 5 tournaments in 2015. An amazing record. Here are his views on this weeks dust up in Barcelona.
As the clay season gets well under way, the hard hitting, aggressive players will take a step back as the base line dominators become the favourites. Endurance is key in the searing temperatures. A tournament without Djokovic, as is this one, means unpredictability, which we all love and also means some better prices available if we can find the winner again. So where to look in the cauldron of Barcelona. Unsurprisingly some home ground support will help and for that reason our first tip is:-
Rafael Nadal
A disappointing loss in the semi-final of the Monte Carlo Masters meant he missed out on his first clay title of the season, something he will be smarting over. But when clay is mentioned the Spaniard is better than anyone else including the Serb when he is on form. Nadal showed signs in France of getting back to his best and we hope that he will start producing his best again without injury concerns because he is a joy to watch. He is the best player under these conditions in this tournament and he should win.
Kei Nishikori
The up and coming star will look to retain his title in Barcelona but remember he won that with an injured Nadal out of the way – can he do it again this year with the home town favourite back in good nick? He is a not yet a great player but is getting there and we should be looking at a final appearance here with a favourable draw. It will be difficult but the best player in Asia should manage it as he loves these base line dominated matches and seems to have an abundance of stamina and an iron will in a fight. Surely great traits to be successful under these conditions.
Our Tips
8 units Nadal win @ 5/4 with Betvictor
2 units e/w Nishikori @ 7/2 with Betvictor
Tips by Rory Crowe
