The year is only two weeks old, and the first Grand Slam of the season is already upon us. With the best 128 men in tennis converging in Melbourne, Australia, over the next two weeks, tennis fans will be feasting themselves on a smorgasbord of high-class hard-court action. We break down all the betting odds and stats ahead of Monday’s first match in this betting preview.
Winning the first Grand Slam of the year is what all players on the ATP Tour dream of, but there’s one player who’s made that dream a reality more often than not. Novak Djokovic has won down under nine times and heads into this year’s tournament seeking a record-extending tenth crown.
Can Daniil Medvedev rain on the Serbian parade again? Will Casper Ruud or Stefanos Tsitsipas finally clinch the breakthrough win that has desperately been eluding them? And what does home favorite Nick Kyrgios have in store for fans at Melbourne Park? All will be revealed over the next fortnight.
| Tournament: | Australian Open 2023, Year-opening ATP Grand Slam Event |
| Format: | 128-man singles draw |
| Venue: | Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia |
| Date: | Monday 16 January to Sunday 29 January |
For those who fancy placing a few wagers this week, here are the latest odds for the Australian Open ahead of the tournament’s start on Monday:
Looking at the outright odds of winning the Australian Open 2023, one thing could not be more clear: Novak Djokovic stands head and shoulders above the rest of the field as the favorite to win this tournament. At 1.83 for Djokovic to win the Australian Open, the next closest odds are four times greater, with Daniil Medvedev sitting at 7.00.
Another significant jump then occurs down to Stefanos Tsitsipas at 15.00, who has multiple others on his heels at 17.00, including home favorite Nick Kyrgios and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsThe Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year, and as such, holds a unique position in the tennis calendar. It is both a litmus test for off-season progress and an opportunity for players to kickstart their seasons on the right foot. This year will signify the 111th edition of the Australian Open, which sees 2000 ATP ranking points go on the line.
As a hard-court tournament, Rafael Nadal is surprisingly the current defending champion. However, the tournament has been classically dominated by Novak Djokovic, who has nine titles to his name already.
Here’s how the last five finals have unfolded:
Two particularly fascinating plotlines will play out in this year’s Australian Open. Firstly, Novak Djokovic is back in the men’s draw and seeking a tenth title after dramatically being deported and banned from the country last year due to Covid-19 vaccine restrictions. Secondly, Carlos Alcaraz, the current World No.1, has withdrawn from the tournament with a leg injury, opening up a three-way race for the World No.1 spot. Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Casper Ruud are all in the running, with each able to claim the spot by winning the tournament.
For those who like to bet on tennis online, here are the best picks our experts suggest making ahead of the first ball being served this coming week:
The words ‘boring’ and ‘safe’ have often been used to describe Novak Djokovic’s methodical, defensive style of tennis. The same words might be used to describe this bet. It’s not rocket science, but the same argument can be made for this wager as can be made for Djokovic’s game: it works.
With nine of these titles already in the bag, Novak Djokovic winning the Australian Open is the obvious bet. Since May 2022, the Serbian has lost only twice to Rafael Nadal at the French Open (which barely counts) and once to a lights-out performance from young Dane Holger Rune, also in Paris. Having stretched his legs last week by winning the Adelaide International 1 tournament, Djokovic is all tuned up and ready to go this week to pick up a 22nd Grand Slam and equal Rafael Nadal’s record.
Djokovic’s path to the title won’t be smooth sailing, however. In the third quarter lurks Andrey Rublev, Nick Kyrgios, and Holger Rune before a potential semifinal against Casper Ruud in order to face Daniil Medvedev or Rafael Nadal in the final.
We’ve seen this match-up in men’s tennis plenty of times and may well see it again. With Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic drawn in opposite halves of the draw, will the two tennis greats make a beeline for each other in the final?
The bookies say it’s not that likely, with long odds of 13.00 (12/1). Since the US Open, where he was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury, Rafael Nadal has lost six of seven matches. The Spaniard has struggled, however, how many times has the 22-time Grand Slam champion proven critics and the bookies wrong? If anything is going to get Nadal out of this slump, it’s a two-month off-season and then a Grand Slam no one expects him to win.
Those who have watched tennis long enough will know this is a recipe for Nadal to play his best tennis, and there’s every chance that he will grit his way through the top half of the draw and arrive in the final. The last time these two met in an Australian Open final was in 2019 and Djokovic dominated his rival 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Expect more of the same here, as Nadal’s tank may be empty by the time he battles his way to the final.
Those who are looking for some slightly more niche ATP Australian Open 2023 betting odds may want to consider the following punt on their free bet offers:
Canada’s Felix Auger-Alissime was running hot in the last few months of 2022, winning three titles in a row at the back end of the year. While he’s cooled somewhat since then with a first-round exit in the Adelaide International 1, there’s no doubt that the 22-year-old has the tennis pedigree to go deep in any Grand Slam.
The second quarter of the Australian Open draw is arguably the most open, with the mercurial Stefanos Tsitsipas the highest seed. While the likes of Cameron Norrie and Jannik Sinner are also present, this quarter is likely to come down to Tsitsipas vs Auger-Aliassime for a semi-final berth. While Tsitsipas has a shot at becoming World No.1 and is currently ranked World No.4, Auger-Aliassime comfortably bested the Greek last year when they met in the final of Rotterdam, 6-4, 6-2. With Tsitsipas failing to perform at Grand Slams and Auger-Aliassime playing great tennis, odds of 4.50 (7/2) for the big Canadian to win the second quarter is a great bet.
There’s a lot of excellent live betting to be had in Melbourne this week. But for those placing wagers ahead of play, it would be a brave punter who is betting against Novak Djokovic to win down under. Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal should give the Serbian a run for his money, but ultimately, don’t be surprised if Djokovic adds another Australian Open crown to his collection in a fortnight’s time.
