The creme de la creme descend on Houston this week for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup - a tournament designed to show who really is the best player in the world.
The event takes the shape of a round robin format, with eight players divided into two groups (Red and Blue) of four players each.
Players play each other once, with the top two from each group going on to play in the semi-finals and so on.
All matches are best-of-three set affairs bar the final, which is best-of-five.
The tournament is essentially flawed but intriguing.
Flawed in as much as it is played on outdoor hardcourts (thus putting all clay specialists involved at a distinct disadvantage).
Intriguing in that it does nonetheless pit the best players in the world together and lets them fight amongst themselves over a total prize fund that this year is in excess of $3,650,000.
Now, you really would need to have had your head buried in 60 centimetres of red clay for the past 18 months not to recognise defending champion Roger Federer as the best player on the planet.
Federer is rather predictably a warm favourite with the layers, with no firm willing to go better than 6/5 about the Swiss Maestro's chances.
Federer has had a quite astonishing year, going 69-6 in matches this season and winning no less than 10 tournaments (including three Grand Slams).
The bookies therefore have priced up with this in mind.
Yet what they perhaps have not considered is the fact that "Roggie" has not struck a competitive ball in anger since September.
Indeed, the 'Fed Express' has been forced to miss three tournaments on the bounce because of a troublesome leg injury, hardly ideal preparation given the calibre of opposition he will be facing.
When asked about the injury last week, the amiable Swiss would only say that his leg was "better".
Make of that what you will.
For me and mine though, the price is far too short to be getting involved with at this stage.
If you do fancy Federer, I would advise you watch his first few group matches to see how freely he is moving before steaming in (given the other talent on show I can't see his price coming in too dramatically before the semi-finals).
Federer opens up agaist Gaston Gaudio, while Carlos Moya and Lleyton Hewitt are also in his group.
A fully fit Federer has the beating of every one of the aforementioned, but given he is nowhere near "match sharp" yet, a watching brief is advised.
No, the value lies in the Blue Group, where Andy Roddick looks to have an outstanding chance of walking away with the spoils.
The 'A-Rod' may have looked a little flat in recent weeks, but will certainly be pumped up for this (he is the only American involved), and his record on home soil is second to absolutely nobody in this field.
Roddick has won 15 career titles since turning pro four years ago, and no less than 12 of those have come on North American soil.
The Nebraskan is a two-time winner in Houston (2001, 2002), and indeed has never failed to make at least the semi-finals in four visits to the state.
Roddick has a tough group that also includes the red-hot Marat Safin, Tim Henman and Argentine dirt-specialist Guillermo Coria.
Coria has been out since July through injury, and given his preference for clay can therefore be more or less totally discounted (as his 100/1 outright odds suggest).
Henman (25/1) has a positive 3-1 head-to-head record against Roddick, but the British number one has been poor in recent weeks and rumours abound that his troublesome shoulder is still giving him grief.
Safin looks a real threat, but the Russian has played a hell of a lot of tennis in recent weeks and is not happy that the event is being played outdoors on hardcourt, having spent the best part of two months playing his trade on indoor carpet.
The mercurial Moscovite can never be written off, but at 4/1 he is simply too short to take a chance on.
Roddick meanwhile is a top price 9/2 to win the event, and 11/8 to win his group, both prices that look very tempting when you consider just how well the conditions are going to suit his serve and volley game.
The American opens up against Henman, and should he win that game should more or less have one foot in the semi's.
The game against Safin is likely to be the key as far as the group winner in concerned, and pro-Roddick punters can take heart from the fact that the American has won their last two meetings (most recently in Bangkok).
Nobody has won more matches this season (71) than the 'A-Rod', who should also benefit psychologically from staying at his brother's house (who lives in nearby San Antonio) during the week.
It may seem a small detail, but you try telling that to players who more often than not virtually live out of a suitcase for 11 months of the year.
With his serve, home advantage, record in North America and doubts about arch-nemesis Federer's fitness, the 9/2 about a Roddick victory looks too good to leave alone.
The event takes the shape of a round robin format, with eight players divided into two groups (Red and Blue) of four players each.
Players play each other once, with the top two from each group going on to play in the semi-finals and so on.
All matches are best-of-three set affairs bar the final, which is best-of-five.
The tournament is essentially flawed but intriguing.
Flawed in as much as it is played on outdoor hardcourts (thus putting all clay specialists involved at a distinct disadvantage).
Intriguing in that it does nonetheless pit the best players in the world together and lets them fight amongst themselves over a total prize fund that this year is in excess of $3,650,000.
Now, you really would need to have had your head buried in 60 centimetres of red clay for the past 18 months not to recognise defending champion Roger Federer as the best player on the planet.
Federer is rather predictably a warm favourite with the layers, with no firm willing to go better than 6/5 about the Swiss Maestro's chances.
Federer has had a quite astonishing year, going 69-6 in matches this season and winning no less than 10 tournaments (including three Grand Slams).
The bookies therefore have priced up with this in mind.
Yet what they perhaps have not considered is the fact that "Roggie" has not struck a competitive ball in anger since September.
Indeed, the 'Fed Express' has been forced to miss three tournaments on the bounce because of a troublesome leg injury, hardly ideal preparation given the calibre of opposition he will be facing.
When asked about the injury last week, the amiable Swiss would only say that his leg was "better".
Make of that what you will.
For me and mine though, the price is far too short to be getting involved with at this stage.
If you do fancy Federer, I would advise you watch his first few group matches to see how freely he is moving before steaming in (given the other talent on show I can't see his price coming in too dramatically before the semi-finals).
Federer opens up agaist Gaston Gaudio, while Carlos Moya and Lleyton Hewitt are also in his group.
A fully fit Federer has the beating of every one of the aforementioned, but given he is nowhere near "match sharp" yet, a watching brief is advised.
No, the value lies in the Blue Group, where Andy Roddick looks to have an outstanding chance of walking away with the spoils.
The 'A-Rod' may have looked a little flat in recent weeks, but will certainly be pumped up for this (he is the only American involved), and his record on home soil is second to absolutely nobody in this field.
Roddick has won 15 career titles since turning pro four years ago, and no less than 12 of those have come on North American soil.
The Nebraskan is a two-time winner in Houston (2001, 2002), and indeed has never failed to make at least the semi-finals in four visits to the state.
Roddick has a tough group that also includes the red-hot Marat Safin, Tim Henman and Argentine dirt-specialist Guillermo Coria.
Coria has been out since July through injury, and given his preference for clay can therefore be more or less totally discounted (as his 100/1 outright odds suggest).
Henman (25/1) has a positive 3-1 head-to-head record against Roddick, but the British number one has been poor in recent weeks and rumours abound that his troublesome shoulder is still giving him grief.
Safin looks a real threat, but the Russian has played a hell of a lot of tennis in recent weeks and is not happy that the event is being played outdoors on hardcourt, having spent the best part of two months playing his trade on indoor carpet.
The mercurial Moscovite can never be written off, but at 4/1 he is simply too short to take a chance on.
Roddick meanwhile is a top price 9/2 to win the event, and 11/8 to win his group, both prices that look very tempting when you consider just how well the conditions are going to suit his serve and volley game.
The American opens up against Henman, and should he win that game should more or less have one foot in the semi's.
The game against Safin is likely to be the key as far as the group winner in concerned, and pro-Roddick punters can take heart from the fact that the American has won their last two meetings (most recently in Bangkok).
Nobody has won more matches this season (71) than the 'A-Rod', who should also benefit psychologically from staying at his brother's house (who lives in nearby San Antonio) during the week.
It may seem a small detail, but you try telling that to players who more often than not virtually live out of a suitcase for 11 months of the year.
With his serve, home advantage, record in North America and doubts about arch-nemesis Federer's fitness, the 9/2 about a Roddick victory looks too good to leave alone.
zuletzt mit Mathieu und Tsonga zwei Niederlagen die die Richtung eher nach unten festlegen. Moya k?e der Pr?knabe seiner Gruppe werden. Hewitt sollte ihn aber sicher schlagen, mit super Saison und auch zuletzt in recht ansprechender Sp?orm.
Unter normalen Umst?en sollte er gewinnen. Aber Safin = NoBet, alte Wei?eit ... 
FedEx 6-1 7-6 
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