As the clock ticks down on 2022, lovers of professional tennis and the ATP Tour begin to let their minds wander towards Melbourne.
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year, and organisers, players, coaches and fans hope this year’s renewal is rather more straightforward than what we saw 12 months ago.
Novak Djokovic’s stance on the COVID-19 vaccination meant he wasn’t allowed into the country, falling foul of their tight border controls and a robust view on tackling the pandemic.
Views on tackling Covid have moved on since then – at least, at the time of writing – but tennis lovers won’t be in a rush to make any plans or book flights to watch the Australian Open in Melbourne just yet.
Although the world – including the sport of professional tennis – appear to be past the worst COVID-19 has to offer, including its many variants, everyone remains nervous, especially when international travelling is mixed with large outdoor public gatherings to watch sports.
Will Australia 2023 pass without incident? Of course not.
If you have any sort of experience with this tournament, you’ll know that’s one thing it does well; it gives us plenty to talk about.
The pre-competition betting odds are available, allowing fans to make their predictions on which name will be engraved on the trophy.
But who wins, and which player will enjoy the backing of the tennis Vegas odds? Let’s take a closer look.
In this article, we investigate the early betting odds available on the Australian Open 2023.
Things are likely to change in the market between now and the first match on the schedule, but there are many tennis backers who enjoy getting in early.
Doing so will earn you better odds than what will be available to bettors who leave it nearer the start of play. Remember, the earlier you bet, the more value you will find available.
Competition Details
Staged in the first month of a new year, the Australian Open kickstarts the sports schedule in style.
This is the first Grand Slam on the calendar, and it never disappoints, setting the others a high bar for which to aim.
This year will be no different when the play begins on the 16 and runs to the 29th of January. What happens between those dates will be fast-paced, frantic and unpredictable as the best in the sport go head to head.
The Australian Open is played across several categories; the men’s competition, ladies, doubles, mixed doubles and more.
There is something for everyone, and you will catch a glimpse of the stars’ early form as they prepare to throw themselves into another hectic schedule where the games come thick and fast.
Which player will reign supreme and etch their name into the history books?
The honors roll of the Australian Open reads like a who’s who of professional tennis.
All the heroes of the past are joined by the kings of modern-day tennis, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Federer has retired from tennis but the others are still very much around.
Favorites
Who will be the winner of the Australian Open men’s trophy this year? That remains to be seen, but traders working at the world’s largest betting apps have published their thoughts, and that has captured the imagination of bettors.
Djokovic, despite missing out last year, is the early favorite, and he sits ahead of Carlos Alcaraz.
The bookies appear to have this one nailed down, and despite such a competitive field, they appear to be happy and confident with their choices.
They are willing to give great odds to anyone who disagrees by playing an outsider.
Outsiders
Who is a dark horse this time? A strong case could be made for several players being good enough to win this title, but the man of the moment is Rafael Nadal.
It’s not often you’ll find the Spaniard written off by pundits, but he has been struggling with injuries for a while now, and that led to the odds-makers putting a line through his chances.
He may be the underdog or a dark horse, but if Rafa is at his best, he’s good enough to win this title.