The 2017 Canadian Open – aka Rogers Cup presented by National Bank – will be the tennis betting aperitif in the four course dinner of which the US Open will be the dessert.
2017 Rogers Cup (Canadian Open)
Date: August 7th-13th
Edition: 128th (men)/116th (women)
Category: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (men)/WTA Premier 5 (women)
Surface: Hard
Location: Montréal, Canada (men)/Toronto, Ontario, Canada (women)
Men’s singles favourites for fans who bet on tennis
Rafael Nadal
In spite of his dislike of hard courts, the Spaniard is a three-time winner of the Canadian Open (2005, 2008, and 2013). The 2017 Rogers Cup could be the proverbial perfect storm for Nadal; Novak Djokovic’s absence means he could tie the Serb for active players with the most titles in this event, while Andy Murray’s withdrawal sets the stage for Nadal to reclaim the World No. 1 spot from the Scot provided the Spanish tennis player makes it to the semis.
Roger Federer
The Big Swiss enters the tournament with a truckload of momentum – he became the oldest man in the Open era to win the Wimbledon Championships as well as the second to do so without losing a set (the second time in his career he wins a grand slam in that fashion) for what was a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon victory to extend his record to 19 overall major titles and climb to the No. 3 spot in the ATP rankings.
Dominic Thiem
The Austrian will have more time to prepare for the Canadian Open now that he has been eliminated from the Citi Open by Kevin Anderson – though Thiem arguably beat himself. He has already down one set when a return by Anderson was called out – a linesmen’s error, not Thiem’s. Nonetheless, the Austrian signaled it was in, encouraged Anderson to challenge, and when the South African hesitated, Thiem conceded a point. A great show of sportsmanship, but in tennis, as in life, nice guys finish last.