One of the most wild days in tennis history ended with Novak Djokovic having his visa cancelled by the Australian Border Force, resulting in his likely removal from the Australian Open.
Djokovic was held up in Melbourne Airport upon arrival for over eight hours, and the end of a surreal saga came with a statement that would rule the world number one out of the tournament.
Australia cancels visa of world tennis No.1 Novak Djokovic and intends to deport him on Thursday, with his lawyers expected to appeal https://t.co/Gd6hFulxKR
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 5, 2022
However, Djokovic and his lawyers will plan on appealing the decision, but it appears that his hopes of playing for his 21st grand slam title are gone.
As such, futures odds for the tournament have taken a big turn, with Daniil Medvedev assuming the role of favorite, per odds released by BetMGM. The current odds still list Djokovic in the tournament, though it would appear that bettors would be wise to hold off on placing tickets on him, pending his appeal to the Australian courts.
Full odds for the tournament are listed below for all players listed at +5000 or shorter.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Daniil Medvedev | +160 |
| Novak Djokovic | +175 |
| Alexander Zverev | +275 |
| Rafa Nadal | +800 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +1600 |
| Jannik Sinner | +1600 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | +2200 |
| Matteo Berrettini | +2800 |
| Andrey Rublev | +3300 |
| Denis Shapovalov | +4000 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | +4000 |
| Milos Raonic | +4000 |
| Andy Murray | +5000 |
| Aslan Karatsev | +5000 |
| David Goffin | +5000 |
| Nick Kyrgios | +5000 |
| Cameron Norrie | +5000 |
| Hubert Hurkacz | +5000 |
Rafa Nadal is listed at +800 in his first grand slam tournament since the French Open in 2021, when the fellow 20-time slam champion was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinals.
Alexander Zverev has the second-best odds to win the tournament (excluding Djokovic) after winning the Olympics, the ATP Finals, two Masters 1000 events and reaching his fourth major semifinal or better in 2021.
