After a bizarre week that included a detainment of Novak Djokovic, court cases and a wild international immigration discussion, it looks like the 20-time slam champion and nine-time Australian Open champion will get the chance to add on one more win to each of those categories.
Australian Judge Anthony Kelly ordered on Monday that the Minister for Home Affairs reverse their decision regarding Djokovic's visa and release him from detention. Just like that, the Serbian became the favorite for the Australian Open once again in a rollercoaster odds market.
I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen
I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans. 👇 pic.twitter.com/iJVbMfQ037— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
Listed between +125 and +140, where he was originally priced on the market, Djokovic is a wide favorite. Daniil Medvedev is listed behind him in the range of +175 to +220, and Alexander Zverev has returned to the +330 to +550 range.
There is a decent amount of variance between oddsmakers, which is understandable given how unique the whole situation is, but if you had the guts to bet on Djokovic while it was unlikely he was going to play in the event, you certainly got some good value.
Djokovic was never fully removed from the odds throughout the period, and he climbed up to +190 at some books.
Fellow 20-time slam champion Rafa Nadal is listed at 10-1 to take home his second Australian Open crown following his title at the Melbourne Summer Set event. A showdown between the duo would light the tennis world alight if it came to fruition. Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the only other players listed below 20-1.
The Serbian isn't quite out of the woods yet, however. Victorian political reporter Paul Sakkal stated on Monday that we could still see further action from the minister of immigration if the office chooses to take that route.
There could be even more twists to this insane story, so buckle up, but if there is one thing I do know, it's that this is going to be a hard man to defeat in Melbourne.
