MELBOURNE – Roger Federer’s emphatic Qatar Open win has propelled him to joint favourite for the Australian Open alongside the ailing Rafael Nadal, an online bookmaker said Monday. The reigning Open champion’s odds have firmed to 2/1, according to sportsbet.com.au, while top-ranked Nadal’s lengthened slightly after he complained of illness. Since the weekend, Federer’s odds had shortened from 9/4 to 2/1 while Nadal’s odds stretched from 9/5 to 2/1, said spokesman Haydn Lane. On Saturday, Federer demolished Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko for his second title in a row after clinching the ATP World Tour Finals against Nadal in December. Meanwhile Nadal said he was unwell and would delay travelling to Australia after slumping to Davydenko in the Qatar semis. Outside the top two, Britain’s Andy Murray and Serbian Novak Djokovic are priced at 6/1, while Swede Robin Soderling has risen to 16/1 after winning the Brisbane International on Sunday.
LI READY TO REPEAT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SUCCESS: China’s Li Na, fitter and injury-free, said Monday she was confident of repeating her semi-final appearance at this month’s Australian Open and perhaps even going one better. Li’s run at last year’s opening Grand Slam in Melbourne included victory over Caroline Wozniacki — now world number one — and Venus Williams before succumbing to eventual champion Serena Williams. Li, who stepped up her preparation with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Australian Anastasia Rodionova in the opening round of the Sydney International Monday, said national expectations were higher for her.
