After a well-earned rest, I'm now champing at the bit for the start of what I hope will be the season which cements my progress as a long-term, consistently profitable tennis trader. I won't do another list of New Year's Resolutions, as my goals for 2013 are very simple: build the bank up to 5 figures and remain consistently profitable. There isn't anything I feel desperately needs working on to make that happen and as I have been saying for a while now, if I am thorough, professional and my head is in the right place, I will make money - it's now just a matter of how much.
The tennis season starts officially on the 29th December, when the annual Hopman Cup mixed-gender team event, takes place in Perth, Australia. However, the first Betfair tennis markets will be open on the 27th, for the Mubadala Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, as Andy Murray starts the ball rolling. I'm sure many traders will not want to trade this as it is nothing more than a warm up but I like to play it. Firstly, it is a nice warm up for me too. After such a long break from trading, throwing yourself straight back into serious action can bring up issues such as rustiness. Best to get acclimatised for a couple of matches, get a feel for the markets and the routine again. Secondly, these tournaments can throw up excellent trading opportunities. Last year, the big 3 attended. Federer simply wasn't up for it and it showed starkly in his performance, making him an easy lay. On the other hand, Djokovic looked sharp and took it very seriously, which prompted me to back him immediately to win the Australian Open - which he did. No Fed this year and Nadal has had to pull out with a stomach illness, so we should get a nice Murray-Djokovic final already, to look forward to.
The WTA and ATP tour main draw matches get underway on December 30th and there is no easing slowly into things, with a glut of events during week 1; Brisbane, Chennai and Doha for the men and Brisbane and Auckland for the women. I tend to wait until week 2 before switching my schedule and turning my life upside down for 3 weeks to trade in Oz time. With Chennai, Doha and Hopman Cup all on at more reasonable hours GMT, it means I can postpone the midnight starts and 9am finishes for a little longer! January is not the most enjoyable time to be a tennis trader but it's something I've gotten used to, liquidity is still always good and the climax of the Australian Open, is my favourite Grand Slam. What you do always get in January, is a high standard of tennis. Players are usually in peak condition, are raring to go after the break and so you'll find matches are of a better quality across the board.
I too, am raring to go. I badly needed the break but the last 2 weeks have left me itching to get back on the ladders. I had a good December thanks to James Arthur winning The X Factor (as predicted here!) and QPR were doing me proud until today, when they lost at home to West Brom (though suffered from a truly awful refereeing decision for the 2nd goal). They are now 6 points from safety but I still feel they will put a run together at some point which will save them. Reading will go down and whilst Wigan and Southampton remain just a couple of wins away, there is plenty of time for Harry to work his magic - though he badly needs new players in the transfer window. Can't say it's been much fun pretending to be a Rangers fan though! This is certainly not the way to enjoy your Saturday afternoons and this long-term market trading thing definitely isn't for me. Roll-on the tennis, I cannot wait!!
Sania Mirza:
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The tennis season starts officially on the 29th December, when the annual Hopman Cup mixed-gender team event, takes place in Perth, Australia. However, the first Betfair tennis markets will be open on the 27th, for the Mubadala Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, as Andy Murray starts the ball rolling. I'm sure many traders will not want to trade this as it is nothing more than a warm up but I like to play it. Firstly, it is a nice warm up for me too. After such a long break from trading, throwing yourself straight back into serious action can bring up issues such as rustiness. Best to get acclimatised for a couple of matches, get a feel for the markets and the routine again. Secondly, these tournaments can throw up excellent trading opportunities. Last year, the big 3 attended. Federer simply wasn't up for it and it showed starkly in his performance, making him an easy lay. On the other hand, Djokovic looked sharp and took it very seriously, which prompted me to back him immediately to win the Australian Open - which he did. No Fed this year and Nadal has had to pull out with a stomach illness, so we should get a nice Murray-Djokovic final already, to look forward to.
The WTA and ATP tour main draw matches get underway on December 30th and there is no easing slowly into things, with a glut of events during week 1; Brisbane, Chennai and Doha for the men and Brisbane and Auckland for the women. I tend to wait until week 2 before switching my schedule and turning my life upside down for 3 weeks to trade in Oz time. With Chennai, Doha and Hopman Cup all on at more reasonable hours GMT, it means I can postpone the midnight starts and 9am finishes for a little longer! January is not the most enjoyable time to be a tennis trader but it's something I've gotten used to, liquidity is still always good and the climax of the Australian Open, is my favourite Grand Slam. What you do always get in January, is a high standard of tennis. Players are usually in peak condition, are raring to go after the break and so you'll find matches are of a better quality across the board.
I too, am raring to go. I badly needed the break but the last 2 weeks have left me itching to get back on the ladders. I had a good December thanks to James Arthur winning The X Factor (as predicted here!) and QPR were doing me proud until today, when they lost at home to West Brom (though suffered from a truly awful refereeing decision for the 2nd goal). They are now 6 points from safety but I still feel they will put a run together at some point which will save them. Reading will go down and whilst Wigan and Southampton remain just a couple of wins away, there is plenty of time for Harry to work his magic - though he badly needs new players in the transfer window. Can't say it's been much fun pretending to be a Rangers fan though! This is certainly not the way to enjoy your Saturday afternoons and this long-term market trading thing definitely isn't for me. Roll-on the tennis, I cannot wait!!
Sania Mirza:
