As is always the case in the first week of January, we have a host of players coming off some sort of injury/setback.
Another one of those players is Croatia’s Borna Coric who last competed in the US Open and familiarly spent an extended period of time on the sidelines in the wake of that.
This has been the story of Borna’s career, but he’s been a pleasure to watch when healthy and quite frankly, an elite betting proposition when representing his country.
On Monday afternoon he takes on Casper Ruud in the ATP Cup who’s is coming off a handy win against Tallon Griekspoor, a contest where he closed around the $1.50 mark.
The implication with this pricing is that Griekspoor would be a favourite against Coric, and I’m not sure I agree with that market pattern.
The market is inherently against players with injury clouds hovering over them, and I understand that, but Coric isn’t far behind Ruud if he’s close to his best.
In 2023, Casper Ruud went 13-14 on hard courts, whereas Coric went 13-11.
Of course, you can never use a data point as rudimentary as this to make decisions for you, but it’s an indicator that over the last 12 months, there’s not a truck load separating these two.
Ruud’s dazzling 2022, combined with Coric’s possible fitness issues, is driving this one-sided market.
But if you isolate form over the last 12 months (something that is usually appropriate), you’ll see two players who aren’t miles apart in ability on this surface.
I’m going to stake down, but we’re on for a bet nonetheless.
Suggested Bet
0.75 units Borna Coric +3.5 game handicap @ $1.80 with PointsBet, TAB, BetRight.
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Over 18s Only (21+ in some jurisdictions). 1 unit = 1% of bankroll. Please enjoy your betting responsibly. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, and do not chase a loss.