by Ben Perks
The Australian Open tennis tournament begins on January 17 at Melbourne Park and finishes on January 30 with the men’s final. Get pre-tournament insights and the latest odds for the first Grand Slam event of the ATP season.
The Bookmakers’ Favorites
Online sportsbooks have top seed Novak Djokovic as the odds-on favorite to win the first Grand Slam of the year. Daniil Medvedev is seeded second, and Alexander Zverev is seeded third.
1. Novak Djokovic Odds
The defending champion Novak Djokovic has won this event five times before and hopes to take the spotlight away from recent controversy surrounding his entry into Australia by lifting the trophy on January 30. The 34-year-old had an extremely successful 2021, winning three Grand Slams. He was very close to winning all four, but Dani Medvedev spoiled the party by beating him in the US Open final.
Djokovic is the most successful tennis player at the Australian Open in the Open Era. He has never lost a final in Melbourne, defeating some of his biggest rivals: Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal, and Daniil Medvedev. He has secured nine titles Down Under – including three in a row (2019-2021).
Many tennis bettors will be wondering if recent headlines surrounding Djokovic’s vaccination status will affect his performance. The Serb stated that he had recently had Covid and was therefore entitled to a medical exemption to compete in the tournament. Australian officials disagreed and revoked his visa. After much back and forth, Djokovic’s appeal to overturn the ruling was successful. However, the added stress might have had a negative effect on his mental preparation for the Grand Slam tournament.
2. Daniil Medvedev Odds
Number two seed Daniil Medvedev was one of the only players able to match Djokovic last season. The Russian played exceptionally well in the US Open final to deny Djokovic his fourth Grand Slam of the year. Medvedev also made the finals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, reached the quarters in France, and secured the best placement at Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old will now be hoping to be even more successful in 2022. As Bookmakers have given him +208 odds to win the Australian open, many think he has a great chance of starting the new season with a bang.
3. Alexander Zverev Odds
After also having a great 2021, Alexander Zverev is the third favorite at online tennis betting sites to go all the way in Australia. Despite having never won a Grand Slam, the German has come agonizingly close. Last year, Zverev made the quarter-finals in Australia and semi-finals in France and the US. He also performed well at Wimbledon to secure a career-best placement. However, Zverev’s highlight of 2021 was winning his second ATP Finals with a 2-0 sweep of Medvedev.
Ones to Watch
- Rafael Nadal
Online bookmakers have Rafael Nadal as the fourth favorite to win the tournament. The Spaniard struggled in 2021 and picked up a season-ending foot injury which ended his season at the US open. He made a comeback at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition, but looked far from his best. Yet, as he’s a 20-time Grand Slam winner with a solid record in Australia, you can’t rule him out.
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
The highest-ranked Greek player in history boasts a 71% win rate in Australia and has appeared in two semi-finals (2019, 2021). In 2011, the world no. 4 reached the finals of the French Open but lost against Novak Djokovic in a close match. This performance made many take note of the Greek’s skills and ability to turn it on against quality players.Tsitsipas suffered an elbow injury late on in the 2021 season, and there are doubts as to whether he has fully recovered. However, a fully fit Tsitsipas could cause an upset at the Australian Open.
- Andrey Rublev
Although Andrey Rublev has never lifted a Grand Slam title, the world no. 5 will go into this tournament full of confidence. In 2021, he secured his career-best placement in Australia by reaching the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Medvedev. Although tennis betting sites don’t consider Rublev as one of the top favorites, in 2021 he proved that he can compete against the best by reaching two ATP Masters 1000 finals and getting the gold at the Olympics in mixed doubles.
Betting on the Australian Open: What to Consider
Current Form
You can view each players’ current form by checking the the win/loss index. This list shows you who’s been racking up the wins and losses.
The Level of Tennis Competition
Take note of the level of the competitions that players are competing in. For example, a competitor might have won tons of matches but what level of opponents has the player faced? Strong performances in a Grand Slam, Masters, or ATP 500 events show that a player can compete at the highest level.
Different Playing Surfaces
As the Australian Open is a hardcourt tournament, it will work better for certain players over others. Therefore, check players’ records to determine which surface they have had the most success.
Head-to-Head Results
Because specific players do well against other opponents – even if they rank lower – this is an essential factor to consider.
Cuurent Rankings
The ATP rankings give you a tournament seeding list of the best competitors in the world. The rankings are determined by each player’s record at major tournaments.
Australian Open 2022 – Winning Odds
| Players | Top Seeds | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 1 | +125 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 2 | +208 |
| Alexander Zverev | 3 | +360 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 4 | +2200 |
| Andrey Rublev | 5 | +4300 |
| Rafael Nadal | 6 | +1025 |
| Matteo Berrettini | 7 | +4000 |
| Casper Rudd | 8 | +5000 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 9 | +5400 |
| Hubert Hurkacz | 10 | +5400 |
Check the latest odds for upcoming tennis events and futures markets.
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
