Tennis Odds & Bet: Mardy Fish vs. Gilles Muller

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 28 July 2011 16:50

It’s time to check out the odds and make picks in the Farmers Classic tennis match between Mardy Fish and Gilles Muller.

Online sportsbooks list Mardy Fish as the overwhelming -490 betting favorite for today’s tennis match against Gilles Muller, and there is one bet that stands out in this Farmers Classic Tournament clash.  Muller and Fish have never met up previously despite both being professionals for a decade now, so that bit of an unknown factor makes this tennis bet that much more intriguing to handicap.

Fish has been playing strong tennis lately and finds himself ranked in the top 10 after beating fellow American John Isner to take home the title in last week’s Atlanta Tennis Championship.  He’s serving well and his high level of energy makes him a force to be reckoned with on his native soil here in Los Angeles, California.  Fish has a .600 winning percentage on the hard court surface and he’ll look to use his impressive double-handed backhand and newfound ability to get anywhere on the court in an effort to get by Muller.

Muller is coming off a loss to Isner in the semifinals in Atlanta, and it was his mental toughness that seemingly let him down as much as his game in a disastrous 3rd set.  The match was competitive throughout and I still believe that Muller is playing at a nice level.  A big problem I’ve seen for Muller is with his inability to handle huge first serves, and although Fish still possesses a very good one, I don’t believe it is as good as before he slimmed down in an effort to change his playing style.  Muller has a career .527 winning percentage on the hard court and his .700 mark this year is just behind Fish’s .703 on the surface during 2011.

Although Mardy Fish presents a problem for just about anyone, Gilles Muller simply has no business being this large of an underdog with the way he’s playing this year.  If he keeps his head in the game and doesn’t lose control of his serve, a big upset at the Farmers Classic could be well on the way.  Since Muller seems to both win and lose quite a few 7-6 sets, perhaps a play on the lesser-heralded player from Luxemburg at +3.5 games (+110 odds) is a better investment.

Prediction: Gilles Muller defeats Mardy Fish 7-6, 3-6, 7-6