Sport is made for betting

Weird match this. Tennis authorities looking into Wozniacki match US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki led 7-5 5-0 against local veteran Anne Kremer in a round one match on Tuesday. She was battling with a hamstring injury which she knew she wouldn't be able to play with in the next round (these things almost always get worse once the athlete has cooled down and tries to play again). During the coaching breaks which are allowed in the WTA, her father, speaking in Polish was clearly telling her to retire because she wouldn't play the next round anyway. I applaud her father for doing that - firstly, it's to save her from further injury and secondly, it gave a local player, who will probably retire soon, the chance to play in R2 instead of having that match given as a walkover. There is honour in that approach in my opinion. But because the rules say that microphones must be able to pick up what is said during coaching breaks, sharp viewers who can understand Polish would have ...

I've got a couple of tipping columns being published at the moment, so follow these at your peril :) Rugby League WTA tennis

Two of my favourite WTA players at the moment, young, talented and from the Bollettieri school of going for everything. I thought Lisicki was way too big a price before the match, took a position and then traded from that as she got into the match. Had a similar book on the Williams clash, Serena was still favourite (1.35) when Eurosport commentator Annabel Croft said she was limping, so I had to dive in for a trade. Had to sweat on it though, despite being on one leg she took it to a final set breaker!

If you've been watching any of the WTA matches on Betfair Live Video, you will have noticed players being coached at the change of ends. It's an interesting development which might take a little bit of skill away, but certainly adds another variable to a match. Here are the rules: WTA Tour allows on-court coaching next year New York: Women's tennis players will be able to consult with their coaches during matches starting next year (2009), though the WTA Tour's motivation for the move seems to be aiding fans as much as competitors. To visit their players on court, coaches must agree to wear a microphone so television audiences can hear the conversations. The long-discussed rule change was approved by the Tour's board last week, CEO Larry Scott said on Wednesday during the US Open. ''It was a polarizing issue, to be sure, a lot of potential consequences in the eyes of our players and tournaments, and that's why we took so long to really think it through...

Impressive start to the season by Andy Murray in Abu Dhabi. Wins over Blake, Federer and Nadal just a fortnight before the Australian Open is a great sign for the season ahead. He's definitely good enough to win in Melbourne, and the Aus Open has a history of throwing up first-time winners, or first-time Grand Slam finalists. The Aus media has been full of articles this week about players ready for a big season - Tsonga, Baghdatis, Gasquet, Ivanovic, Dellacqua, Hantuchova etc. Also the Nick Bollettieri blog has details of players training with him over the off-season as well. Proper ATP and WTA action starts tomorrow. I'll be following the circuit closer this season than I have for years, so stay tuned for a few tips. But be warned, I am quite selective. I'm more likely to have four bets a week than four for the day.

Just a couple of weeks ago, WTA officials in Antwerp ejected three spectators betting on their laptops . Now in Dubai, they've gone another step and removed a spectator who was giving commentary by phone to a colleague who was obviously trying to take advantage of the broadcast delays on Eurosport. Read the article here Kudos to the WTA for doing something about it. At least there are actions behind their words in their vow to keep the sport clean from match-fixing. Whilst there are no allegations that the punter was doing anything illegal, apart from possibly aiding it from Dubai where it would be banned outright, trying to discourage betting on-site is admirable. Not to mention having a spectator in a fairly quiet stadium giving a running commentary throughout the entire match would be distracting to the players themselves.