Rafael Nadal went into the Australian Open final as the bookmakers’ underdog, with Bet365 happy to offer 6/4. A barking price considering that he had won his last 4 matches against Roger Federer. Rafa beat the player of the tournament, Verdasco, whilst Roger beat Roddick with ease in his semi-final.

The money came in for Federer, who was the 4/6 favourite to win his 14th Grand Slam. We kept the faith in our 4/1 tip Nadal, telling readers that ‘he shouldn’t be dismissed’.

Before the tournament even began, we recommended Nadal as a strong bet to win the tournament at 4/1, steering readers past the overbet Andy Murray.

With question marks over Federer’s 2008, I’m happy to take 4/1 for Nadal to win. The reason Nadal’s odds are inflated is that he’s been out of action for 2 months with tendonitis, and he recently lost a match to Gael Monfils (66/1). That was a 2 set match and I’d expect him to give a better showing in Melbourne. He won the Olympic title on a similar surface last year in Beijing.

Perhaps you missed out on the 4/1 value bet of the tournament, well yesterday we pointed out some stunning value to be had before the final.

I won’t be topping up my Nadal bet, but those who didn’t take the price when advised to can have a look at the Set Betting. If you fancy an epic, Nadal is 6/1 with Sky Bet to win 3-2.

The 10/1 for Nadal to win the ‘Grand Slam’ was ‘bound to give you a run for your money’, and you wouldn’t bet against the World No.1 now. William Hill would, and they hold out at 11/1.

Nadal started as the outsider, but managed to break Federer in the first game of the match. Federer fought back gamely, which saw Nadal’s odds drift to 5/2 in running. Even though Fed won 1 more point than Nadal in the match, Nadal saw off his challenge in the first 5 set final in 21 years.

bookies.com compares tennis odds between the top UK bookmakers:

How many Grand Slams will Nadal win? Betting

Wimbledon 2009 Betting

French Open 2009 Betting