Novak Djokovic remains the biggest name in men’s tennis, especially Down Under with a record nine Australian Open titles under his belt.
The Serbian star, who continues to shine in his mid-thirties, seems to be virtually unbeatable at Melbourne Park.
As the only man to ever hold all four majors at once, the 35-year-old will be determined to show the crowds in Melbourne what they missed last year. The sportsbooks have him down as a +1.00 shot to capture the crown.
The Australian government recently lifted his three-year ban on entering the country, imposed when Djokovic was deported in January 2022 due to his failure to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz, the world no.1 who scooped the 2022 US Open with swashbuckling performances, will be vying to add another slam with the coveted Australian Open (16-29 January).
The 19-year-old bowed out of the 2022 Australian Open in the third round, when world-ranked no.32. Fast forward a year and he seems to be a good bet at +2.10.
Russian ex-world no.1 Daniil Medvedev squandered a two-set lead over Rafael Nadal to settle for the runner-up spot at the 2022 Australian Open. He has reached the past two finals at Melbourne as his all-court game suits their low bouncing. Medvedev is a +6.00 shot to go one better and make it third time lucky.
Nadal’s remarkable comeback to see off Medvedev and claim a 21st slam crown was followed by lifting the French Open for a 14th time last year.
But Nadal’s 2022 campaign came crashing down, a combination of becoming a father and injury. Although age is finally catching up with him, the Spanish veteran is worth considering to defend his title at +7.00.
With competition ripe for this year’s Austalian Open, it’s worth keeping an eye on the latest odds before putting down money on top POLi betting sites such as Palmerbet. Ones to watch out for include controversial Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, popular Aussie Nick Kyrgios, Danish teenager Holger Rune, Norway’s Casper Ruud, Italian Yannik Sinner, American Frances Tiafoe and the dynamic Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Poland’s three-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite with online betting sites to start her season with a coveted trophy.
The world no.1 is expected to continue last term’s rich vein of form, when she dominated the WTA Tour. This was helped by the shock retirement of gritty Aussie Ashleigh Barty, who clinched her inaugural Australian Open title last year then hung up her racket two months later.
Swiatek’s dismantling of Tunisia’s Ons Jabuer in the 2022 US Open final elevated her to easily the best player on the circuit. Last year’s performances make her an attractive player to back to triumph despite low odds of +3.00.
There are others on the circuit who could bounce back from the short break to cause a surprise at Melbourne Park.
Jabeur was on a hot streak for most of the past campaign. She pulled out her trademark big shots at the majors. As a crowd-pleaser, she will be a danger to all top players and is priced at +8.00.
Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka came to prominence after losing her topsy-turvy 2022 US Open semi-final to Swiatek. Despite her gutsy displays, she needs to hold her nerve more if a grand slam is going to be a genuine goal. She’s priced at +9.00 to be the outright winner.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Romanian Simona Halep, both having reached the dizzy heights of world no.1, know how to clinch a grand slam so should be in the mix.
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon winner, is another who has the know-how and ability to win over a fortnight.
Rising stars expected to improve year-on-year that could be in the glory hunt include France’s WTA Tour Finals champion Caroline Garcia and America’s tenacious teenager Coco Gauff.
Gauff is one of five from the US who have a shot at scooping the big prize. New Yorker Jessica Pegula (world no.3), Gauff (no.7), the former US Open finalist Madison Keys (no.11), Florida’s former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins (no.14) and Russian-American ex-French Open semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova (no.24) are confident enough to impress Down Under.
But all eyes are focused on whether Florida-based ex-junior world no.1 Gauff can triumph. Despite her early promise when she burst onto the scene in 2019, she only made it into the world’s top 10 after reaching the US Open quarter-finals last September.
The 18-year-old, who experienced her best season on the WTA Tour, must take her overall game and tactics up a notch if she is going to capture a slam and battle Swiatek for the no.1 berth.
