One of the great betting events on the sports calendar begins this weekend.
The first Grand Slam of the tennis season, the 2024 Australian Open, kicks off at 7pm ET on Saturday and culminates in two weeks, giving night owls a good sweat.
Novak Djokovic (-105) is the favorite to win an 11th Australian Open title, but there are whispers that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is not 100 percent healthy.
If Djokovic is not at his best, the entire complexion of this tournament changes and the door opens for a surprise winner, even if only by a small amount.
Let's take a look at some players who deserve a punt down under:
Daniil Medvedev (11/1, FanDuel)
With rumors that Djokovic is injured, there will be a lot of support behind second place Carlos Alcaraz and third place Jannik Sinner, but I would rather not be in the spotlight again. I would like to pay more attention to Medvedev, who seems to be. To the other headliners.
The 27-year-old Russian has an impressive Grand Slam pedigree, having reached the tournament's finals twice, winning once (US Open), finishing runner-up four times and reaching the semi-finals seven times.
Andrei Rublev (50/1, bet 365)
There's no way I'm going to pay this much money to stop rooting for Rublev at a Grand Slam.
Currently ranked as the No. 5 player in the world and coming off a great season in 2023, Rublev is one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour.
The 26-year-old is the only player, male or female, to win at least 50 games in each of the past three seasons, and has reached the quarter-finals in five of his past seven Grand Slam appearances (Wimbledon). (was banned in 2022 due to the Russian invasion).
Tennis buffs will know that Rublev made dubious history by becoming the first player to lose his first nine matches in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but that hurdle is helping him here. think.
If Rublev had been lucky in the quarterfinals, his odds would have been cut in half.
The simple way to look at this is that you're getting the No. 5 player in the world at a huge price, at least in terms of ranking points.
Hubert Harkash (90/1, FanDuel)
Sledding at a Grand Slam was tough for Harkas.
The 26-year-old from Poland has immense talent and power, but his overwhelming results at major tournaments cannot be ignored.
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Harkas has reached the semifinals once (Wimbledon, 2021), but that is the only time he has made it past the fourth round at a major tournament, and despite being a seeded player, he has reached the second round in seven of the past 12 tournaments. He was defeated in the following.
There's obviously some baggage here, and perhaps the best-of-five format doesn't suit Harkas' game, but he's still No. 9 in the world and, most importantly, had a great draw in Melbourne. There is.
Harkasz's path means he won't play as a seed until a potential matchup with 21st-ranked Talon Griekspur, with a potential fourth-round opponent being struggling Holger Ruhn. right.
After ending 2023 with a win at the Shanghai Masters, Harkas has no excuse not to make a deep run in the next two weeks.
