Federer 5-2 for French encore

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YOU have to feel sorry for British tennis star Andy Murray.

Labelled a choker in some quarters following his straight-sets defeat at the hands of Roger Federer in Sunday’s Australian Open final, our man deserves to be congratulated rather than vilified.

To reach the final was a huge achievement in itself.

And there was absolutely no shame in defeat at the hands of the greatest player ever to lift a tennis racket.

The problem for Murray is to get the monkey off his back with regard to grand slams.

Federer says it is only a matter of time before Murray wins one, but he’s a nice guy and would say that, wouldn’t he?

I am not so sure and the inevitable comparisons with another great Scot, golfer Colin Montgomerie, are inevitable.

Monty never landed a major despite dominating European golf for the best part of a decade and Murray needs to win a grand slam before the pressure to do so becomes so great that he is unable to perform at his best.

His next chance comes in the French Open in May, but the bookies have written him off as a 16-1 outsider.

The clay court at Roland Garros is not ideal for Murray, but anyone plunging on French Open specialist Rafael Nadal at 10-11 needs a reality check.

Rafa, who has been suffering with injury for over six months, looked a broken man in Melbourne and will need to make a major recovery, physically and mentally, if he is to be the force of old.

Reigning champion Federer is 5-2 for the French Open and that looks a decent price for the sport’s supreme champion despite his preference for a hard court.



FOLLOWING Manchester United’s emphatic 3-1 victory over a naive Arsenal side at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, the bookies reckon the Premier League title race is a two-team affair.

Chelsea remain 8-13 favourites after beating Burnley 2-1, while United are a quite tempting 11-5, with Arsenal out to 12-1 and Manchester City fourth favourites at 40s.

City are 10-11 to finish in the top four, the first time for several months they have been odds-on to qualify for next season’s Champions League.


JOHN Higgins, who was in awesome form when landing the Welsh Open at the weekend, has been cut to 11-2 to successfully defend his World Snooker title in Sheffield in May.

But Ronnie O’Sullivan, a tortured soul if ever I saw one, is out to 4-1 from 3s following his semi-final defeat at the hands of Higgins.


POPCORN, hot dogs and Budweiser sales will increase in UK supermarkets this week in readiness for the Superbowl final in America.

I would rather watch paint dry, but for those of you who like gridiron and are prepared to back your judgement, the Indianapolis Colts are 1-2 favourites and the New Orleans Saints 9-5.

If there is any justice, a city recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina will be celebrating victory, so the neutral vote clearly goes to New Orleans.


SIX Nations rugby union returns this weekend so any of you out there who wants to watch another sport might just as well switch channel from the RU-obsessed BBC.

Ireland are defending champions, but they are only 5-2 second favourites to win again.

France are the 13-8 jollies, while England and Wales are 5-1, Scotland 22-1 and Italy rank outsiders at 250-1.


GOLF’S Dubai Desert Classic takes place this weekend and it’s no surprise to see Rory McIlroy as 9-1 favourite to successfully defend his title.

Robert Karlsson, who won in Qatar last weekend, is a 16-1 shot, behind the ultra-consistent Martin Kaymer (11-1) and Lee Westwood (12-1).

Meanwhile, the US Masters is not too far away and the big talking point is whether Tiger Woods - whose bedroom exploits make John Terry look like a monk - is 1-7 to take part in the season’s first major.

To be on the safe side, the odds-layers have opened a betting-without-Woods market in which Phil Mickelson is 11-2 favourite, with Padraig Harrington 14-1, and McIlroy, Westwood and Greg Ogilvy 20s.


RECOMMENDATION: Roger Federer to win French Open, 5-2 (Ladbrokes).