tennis | Monday, April 24, 2023 8:45 AM (Revised at: Monday, April 24, 2023 8:57 AM)

Monday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Madrid, Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli

Jon Reid

Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli Best Bet: Monday, April 24th

Well, at least this time when the player we backed choked, it was a relatively small staking size. Francisco Cerundolo led 6-2 and then had four break points at 5-5 in the second set as he was on the precipice of wrapping things up. From there, he lost seven straight games and wound up losing the match.

From Barcelona to Madrid, as the next several weeks feature combined ATP and WTA events that are of the 1000-level variety. Monday features qualifying matches for the tournament, and we’ll look at the one that pits Jurij Rodionov against Laurent Lokoli.

In this article:

Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli Preview
Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli Best Bet

Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli Preview

April 24th, 10:30 (UK Time)

We’ll get the weeks started with a fun stylistic contrast in Rodionov and Lokoli.

The Frenchman is far more methodical and consistent, but doesn’t really possess many big weapons, where his opposition in Rodionov has far more pop to his serve and forehand and can play across the different surfaces the sport has to offer.

With the ability to play with some spin on the forehand, his game can still translate well on the dirt.

While clay would normally reward the more consistent style of Lokoli, the fact that Madrid has been the event that has seen big servers have the most success of the big clay events swings this firmly in the favour of the Austrian for me.

Keep in mind, Madrid is played at around 650 metres of altitude. That thinner air makes a bigger serve far more valuable.

Jurij Rodionov vs Laurent Lokoli Best Bet

In normal circumstances or on the red clay of Rome, Monte Carlo or Roland Garros, I’d probably say that the 1.65 price tag available in the markets is about right.

Perhaps Rodionov should be a 1.61 favourite in those conditions, but 1.65 would be close enough. With the elevation factored in, however, I have this price closer to 1.53, giving me enough room to place a wager on the 23-year-old to emerge victorious.