Top 3 Picks at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters
As previously mentioned, the bookmakers’ favourite is the safest player to bet on. After winning the Mallorca Championship, Medvedev faced tremendous disappointment at Wimbledon, losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round. He would understandably see the Cincinnati Masters as a golden opportunity to bag some silverware in the absence of Novak Djokovic – to whom he conceded the Australian Open Finals. However, his strong showing at the hard-court tournament suggests he has what it takes to get the job done in Cincinnati.
The legendary Spaniard was the first seed, and the strong favourite to win the recently concluded Washington Open but was far from his best as he made his comeback from injury. A round-of-16 loss to 14th seed Lloyd Harris was far from ideal, but he got some valuable match practice and could shake at least a bit of rust. Nadal last won the Cincinnati Open in 2013, beating John Isner in the final in straight sets. Despite his French Open loss, his stats on clay courts this year were right up there with the very best. He’s still trying to find his footing on hard courts this season, and if he performs well at the National Bank Open, one would be brave to bet against him winning the Cincinnati Open.
World number 8 and Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini returns from his recent injury, which forced him to miss the Tokyo Olympics. The Italian has played incredible tennis this season, winning 2 singles titles. The tally would be higher if not for the presence of Novak Djokovic, who beat Berrettini in the Wimbledon finals and the French Open quarter-finals. Berrettini would consider the Cincinnati Masters a great chance to return to action with a bang in the Serbian’s absence. The fact that he isn’t one of the immediate favourites heading into the tournament means great value on a potential bet on him.
