The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is fast approaching as Australian Open qualifying matches are already underway, and the main draw begins in just under a week.
News has already come fast and furious ahead of the event as World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw from the tournament – his first Slam since winning the US Open in September – and Venus Williams also withdrew following an injury she sustained.
Let's look at how the market is shaping up in Melbourne.
Australian Open Odds
There are no surprises in terms of the odds in the men's draw, as Novak Djokovic is currently listed at -120 at BetMGM. This has been his best tournament throughout his career; he's won down under nine times.
Djokovic didn't compete in 2022 due to a bungled visa situation in which he was granted a COVID-19 vaccine exemption before it was withdrawn.
Nonetheless, Djokovic has already won a tournament this year, beating Sebastian Korda on Sunday to secure the Adelaide International I title. The Serbian has totaled 26.8% of the tickets and 67.7% of the handle for the tournament.
With Alcaraz out of the picture, Daniil Medvedev is a firm second-favorite for the title at +500. The Russian has not garnered a lot of betting love, with just 6.2% of the tickets, but he's made the final of the last two iterations of the event.
Playing in his home Slam, Nick Kyrgios is listed at +1100 with 13.3% of the betting tickets and 10.7% of the handle placed on him. He's the second-biggest liability at BetMGM behind Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal, the winner of the 2022 Australian Open, is +1100 to repeat as champion. He's lost six of his last seven matches at the professional level, but it's hard to ever count the 22-time major champion out of a tournament.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has amassed 4.9% of the handle at a +1600 price, and it's not too much of a shock to see the Canadian getting love. He ended his 2022 in fine form with three consecutive tournament victories before falling Paris and at the ATP Finals.
On the women's side of the draw, Iga Swiatek leads the field at +175 after picking up her first hard court Slam title at the US Open.
She's commanded 31.4% of the tickets and 34.9% of the handle in the market.
American Coco Gauff is the second-biggest liability for BetMGM as she's totaled 9.6% of the tickets and 5.2% of the handle at a +1200 price.
For full tournament odds, click here.
