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General

Hewitt the value at Wimbledon

Roger Federer will look to emulate Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras in the Open Era by winning his fourth consectutive Wimbledon title and there will be few brave enough to bet against the super Swiss, who loves the All England Club so much and who has appeare

Simon Cambers
24-Jun-2006
Roger Federer will look to emulate Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras in the Open Era by winning his fourth consectutive Wimbledon title and there will be few brave enough to bet against the super Swiss, who loves the All England Club so much and who has appeared unbeatable there.
The world No 1 will be itching to get his hands on another Grand Slam trophy after missing out to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, but at 4-9 he does not make that much appeal.
There is no doubt that Federer is the best player in the world but there are dangers lurking everywhere in the draw, starting with British favourite Tim Henman as early as the second round.
Until the draw, I had been considering backing Henman myself as he has shown some pretty good form of late but with Federer in his path, it is even more unlikely.
However, Federer does not enjoy Henman's style of play and it could be that the second round will be a good time to catch Federer slightly off guard and slightly below top form. At 4-7, I think we can afford to look beyond Federer.
Mario Ancic is a possible quarter-final opponent and the Croat is a big danger to everyone in the draw, while David Nalbandian, runner-up in 2002 and the man who beat Federer in the Masters final last year and who had the Swiss on the rocks before getting injured in the semis in Paris, could be there in the last four.
However, the value is in the bottom half, where Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt head the way.
Roddick has been struggling for top form though and I much prefer Hewitt's chances, not least because he has a great draw.
The Aussie should not be tested until at least round four and all things being equal ought to at least make the semis. Having played really well against Rafael Nadal in Paris, he carried over that form to win Queen's and has to be a great each-way bet at 10-1.
Andy Murray will carry many of Britain's hopes but though he ought to get through a couple of rounds, this year is too early for him. Let him finish growing, build up his strength and fitness and save your money for a couple of years' time.
If you are looking for a big-priced outsider then you could do worse than back Andre Agassi at 80-1.
OK, so he has played just one match in the past few months, but he is all class and has been targeting one last hurrah at Wimbledon, having missed the event through injury last year.
The 1992 champion has been rewarded with a great draw, and don't forget it is less than 12 months since his remarkable run to the final of the US Open. Stranger things have happened and with half the odds the first two, he would be a massive-priced finalist.
Cambers' Call: Lleyton Hewitt E/W 12-1 Andre Agassi E/W 250-1
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.

Simon Cambers is Cricinfo's betting correspondent