Tennis Betting

Wimbledon Betting Preview
Get your tea and crumpets out - the green grass of the All England Tennis Club is ready to be trampled on by the best tennis players in the world next week as Wimbledon kicks off on Monday.

Both fields are strong, with Lleyton Hewitt and Serena Williams returning after dodging the French Open last month due to injuries. Two-time defending Wimbledon champ Roger Federer will look to claim his third straight English crown as the men's top seed, while defending women's champion Maria Sharapova was relegated to the No. 2 seed behind No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.

The only big name missing from the field will be aging former Wimbledon champion Andrei Agassi. The 35-year-old dropped out due to a nagging back injury that plagued him last month in Paris. The chances of the former great pulling a "Paul Bettany" at Wimbledon weren't that great anyway.

Here are the odds on each draw's top 5 seeds, and one wild card each for the men and the women heading into this year's tournament.

Men's Draw - Top 5 Seeds & Wild Card

1 Roger Federer - 5/9 - The two-time defending Wimbledon champion will try to become the first player to win at the All England Tennis Club three straight years since Pete Sampras won four in a row from 1997-2000. The powerful Swiss has been unstoppable on grass this season, sporting a 29-match winning streak on the green stuff. Federer has notched a 51-3 mark with a tour-best seven titles this season.

2 Andy Roddick - 7/2 - The hard-hitting American was runner-up at Wimbledon last year. Roddick comes into England off his third straight Stella Artois championship last week, but will need to improve on his 1-8 lifetime mark versus Federer if they meet up in the final again this year.

3 Lleyton Hewitt - 7/1 - The 2002 Wimbledon champ is back after missing the French Open with a fractured rib. The Aussie has had his highs and lows in the English grass after he followed up his 2002 win with a first-round exit in 2003. Hewitt was bounced in the quarters last year, and hasn't played much tennis in the last couple of months due to injury.

4 Rafael Nadal - 5/1 - The 2005 French Open champ hasn't been the same player on grass as he's been on clay this season, but he's still a contender. The young Spaniard exited in the third round in his only Wimbledon appearance back in 2003.

5 Marat Safin - 6/1 - The reigning Aussie champ had a tough time on the English grass last season, as he was ousted in the opening round. In fact, the big Russian has only made it out of the second round once in his five Wimbledon appearances.

6 Tim Henman - 10/1 - The fan-favored Englishman will try once again to become the first native son to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry back in 1936. Henman is a long shot, but maybe he can get some encouragement by renting the film Wimbledon to see what a stir a Brit winning would cause.

Women's Draw - Top 5 Seeds & Wild Card

1 Lindsay Davenport - 6/1 - The top seed continues to cling to her No. 1 world ranking despite not winning a grand slam since 2000. The 1999 Wimbledon champ fell in the final of the Aussie Open and was knocked out of the French in the quarters.

2 Maria Sharapova - 5/2 - The defending champion has a good shot at making it back to the final again this year. The young Russian is 17-0 on grass over the last two years, and she has drawn what appears to be an easy road to the semi-finals. However, Sharapova won't sneak up on anyone in this tournament like she did as the 13th seed last year.

3 Amelie Mauresmo - 15/1 - Mauresmo was upset in the third round in Paris, and reinforced the questions surrounding her mental toughness. The tools are there for her to capture a Grand Slam title, but will her head be? She's been ousted in the semis in her last two Wimbledon appearances.

4 Serena Williams - 3/1 - The younger Williams sister returns to the Grand Slam stage after sitting out the French with an ankle injury. The game is still there as her Aussie Open championship earlier in the year shows, but her desire to win has been questioned.

5 Svetlana Kuznetsova - 13/1 - Last year's U.S. Open champ imploded in the fourth round in Paris. If she doesn't manage to shake off that upset before taking to the court this week her English holiday could be short.

7 Justine Henin-Hardenne - 5/2 - HH is coming off a big win at the French and is a dark horse at Wimbledon. She'll have a tough draw to get through if she wants to pick up the only Grand Slam title missing from her resume, with possible matchups versus both Williams sisters and Sharapova on the way to the final.

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