Fantasy Tennis insider: Who is your No.1 pick?

Hold onto your hats, the US Open silly series swing is getting underway. Over the next five weeks we’re going to see the biggest names playing at least twice, and there is every chance that the top spot on the men’s and women’s Tour will change hands. So who are you backing for world No.1, and where do the smart purchases sit?

Federer, Nadal, Murray headline Rogers Cup

Based on previous form, every fantasytennisleague.com team should contain at least one of Roger Federer ($20.08m) and Rafa Nadal ($21.67m) going into Rogers Cup – if you’ve got both, you’re quids in.

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Andy Murray ($11.89m) is the only other one of the Big Four / Five competing in Montreal, and could be a good investment in the coming weeks. If his hip is fixed, then the pressure is off him – he got through Wimbledon and it’s impossible for him to retain the No.1. Expect him to play ‘free’ through a hard court swing he always does well on.

Dominic Thiem ($11.01m) is another proven point scorer, who will be looking to notch up some solid wins in the coming weeks, as will Marin Cilic ($13.85m) and Milos Raonic ($10.77m).

If you haven’t got that kind of money to hand, there are plenty of value players who will be aiming to put together solid runs in the coming weeks. John Isner ($8.53m) already has two titles post Wimbledon, and always plays well at home. Keep an eye on Nick Kyrgios ($6.32m) in Washington, the Aussie can be a massive threat if the body is healed. And what about Juan Martin del Potro ($6.88m), Grigor Dimitrov ($6.97m), and Jack Sock ($5.68m) – the latter always enjoying home support.

The battle for WTA No.1 rolls on

There will be a lot of attention on the battle for WTA No.1 over the coming weeks. The incumbent, Karolina Pliskova ($11.57m) will be looking to hold off Simona Halep ($18.64m) and defending US Open champion Angelique Kerber ($6.18m) throughout the US Open hard court series.

Who’s playing next week? Find out here

While Halep seems likely (on current form) to rise to the top, she represents an expensive purchase. Yes, she will score points. But will she pick up the wins she needs to justify her hefty price tag? Pliskova seems far better value, and don’t rule out Kerber finding some semblance of form in the coming weeks.

Another persistent threat on the hard courts is Caroline Wozniacki ($11.9m). The Dane has enjoyed a resurgence of late, and despite losing all five finals she’s contested in 2017 is the third highest scoring player in the game (bettered only by Roger and Rafa).

What about Garbine Muguruza ($9.66m)? She’s a risky buy a this stage – following her win at Roland Garros she struggled for form. Will the same happen after Wimbledon? The hunch is probably not, but it’ll be interesting to see how she fares at Stanford this week.

If you’re tight on cash, there are a few players worth looking at. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ($6.66m) is at home on the hard courts, as is Indian Wells champion Elena Vesnina ($5.05m). And what about the big names looking for form through to the end of the season? Both Dominika Cibulkova ($4.39m) and Agnieszka Radwanska ($5.56m) are too good not to start picking up wins at some point.

Top Tip: With plenty of big players struggling for form, it always pays to check the draws – there are some big banana skins lurking in both men’s and women’s tennis at the moment!
Buy: Karolina Pliskova ($11.57m) – Expect the Czech to cement her grip on the top spot in the coming weeks.
Sell: Novak Djokovic ($15.47m) – in case you missed it, Nole is finished for 2017. Time to look elsewhere…