Final flutter

Andy Murray: Attracting backing from patriotic punters

Sky Bet punters are torn between heart and wallet ahead of Andy Murray's Wimbledon final clash with Roger Federer.

The Scot is attempting to become the first British winner at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936 after ending the 74-year wait for a finalist at SW19 with his four-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.

Federer is also looking to make history with a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title which would see him regain the world number one spot, subsequently erasing another Pete Sampras record as the longest resident of the top place in the rankings.

Patriotic punters have been piling into Murray in the Wimbledon outright betting since his side of the draw was opened up by Rafael Nadal's shock exit, making him a hefty loser across the bookmaking industry.

While plenty of money has come in for Murray to end Britain's wait for a Wimbledon champion 13/8 since booking his final berth, Federer (8/15) has attracted almost as much backing in the final betting after ousting Novak Djokovic.

Set bets

A 3-1 victory for Federer is the best-backed result in the set betting at 5/2, while a 3-2 win for Murray is also popular with punters at 13/2.

The Scot has lost his three previous Grand Slam final appearances without winning a set and Sky Bet go 5/2 for a fourth successive 3-0 loss.

The online betting firm anticipate Sunday's final to be the most punted on tennis match of all time, with stakes expected to be around £25m across the industry.

Sky Bet's Chris Kennedy said: "We're seeing unprecedented interest as Murray looks to make history, but the patriotic pound is being matched by those showing respect for Federer.

"With so much riding on Sunday's clash, I'd imagine some will be buying some insurance by backing the Swiss star, but there is still plenty of faith in Murray out there."