Tournament Preview
The maiden Grand Slam of 2019 gets underway in Melbourne as the world’s elite tennis players converge on the South Australian city to do battle in the soaring heat. So, we’ve looked into the tournament and come up with the top Australian Open betting tips.
Tournament History
The Australian Open has been an event on the tennis calendar for 113 years; as such, it is now the largest annual sporting event held in the Southern Hemisphere. The 2018 edition of the tournament saw over 740,000 spectators attend the event. This makes it the largest attended tennis competition on the planet. With over A$60 million distributed as part of the Australian Open prize pot, it is one of the most lucrative tennis tournaments in both the male and female game.
Format
The Australian Open adopts the same format as Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open. Once the qualifying rounds are completed, 128 players make up both the male and female main draws. The matches take place over a 2 week period.
Venue
Melbourne Park has been the home of the Australian Open since 1988 – having moved from the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Originally, the event was held on the grass courts at Kooyong; however, the move to Melbourne saw the tournament played on hard courts – the same surface as the US Open – held in New York in late August.
Dates
14th January 2019 – 27th January 2019.
Previous Winners (Men’s)
As the youngest of the 4 Grand Slams (it became a slam in 1969) the roll call of Australian Open champions is broken down into pre and post-Grand Slam eras. Roy Emerson was a six-time champion in the 1960s as the Australian produced a potent brand of tennis. The subsequent record holders are two men that should feature heavily this year: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Both men have won the event 6 times each and will inevitably be looking to improve upon their records here.
Previous Winners (Women’s)
Margaret Smith Court was a player so synonymous with success at the Australian Open that there is a stadium named after her at Melbourne Park. She spanned the eras, winning in both the pre and post-Grand Slam years and won the tournament a remarkable 11 times. Serena Williams last won the Aussie Open in 2017; she returns to Melbourne here for the first time since the birth of her child. Steffi Graf and Monica Seles dominated the event in the late 1980s and early 1990s and won the tournament 4 times each.
2019 Tournament Preview
Men’s:
Six-time champion, Novak Djokovic, ended 2018 in barnstorming fashion; he will be keen to keep that run of form going here in Australia – having not won the event since 2016. Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Brisbane International last week; however, he will be keen to add to his solitary triumph here – a decade ago in 2009. Roger Federer has won the event for the last two years and is always a threat; meanwhile, the likes of Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic will all be looking to make an impact once again in Melbourne.
Women’s:
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki failed to kick on in 2018 after her Melbourne triumph; however, she will be eager to start the year off well here. Serena Williams’s return will also keep the chasing pack on their toes; meanwhile, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka will be looking to kick on from their respective wins at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. Elsewhere, Simona Halep will be keen to add to her grand slam tally, as will American powerhouse Sloane Stephens.
2019 Australian Open Tournament Preview
Men’s Outright Winner Odds:-
The first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne is always a highlight of the tennis-playing calendar; this year looks to be no different. It promises to be a fascinating battle down under to see which player will kick off the season in style with a Grand Slam title to their name.
Here are some of our favourites for the Australian Open title:-
Novak Djokovic– 13/10 (Bet 365) –
Six-time champion Novak Djokovic had a splendid end to 2018. He won Wimbledon and the US Open as well as winning the Laver Cup with Team Europe. However, he ran out of steam at the end of the year, losing in the World Tour and Paris Masters finals’ Having said that, the Serbian is the number one seed and the man to beat here.
Roger Federer – 5/1 (888 Sport) –
The six-time Australian Open champion defends his title once again in Melbourne, having won the trophy in both 2017 and 2018. His form is notoriously good following the winter break and his brief outings at the Hopman Cup in recent days have suggested he will feature heavily once again here in Melbourne.
Rafael Nadal – 6/1 (Coral) –
The Mallorcan supremo has had a quiet spell since his record-breaking French Open triumph in 2018. Question marks surround his fitness and he has never really demonstrated his best tennis in Australia; however, he is always a fierce competitor and he should be fired up for this one.
Alexander Zverev – 8/1 (BetFred) –
The young German broke his big stage duck by winning the ATP World Tour finals in London in 2018 and it felt like a watershed moment for Zverev. He is yet to go ‘deep’ in a Grand Slam; however, with his incredible hitting power, few would bet against him reaching the latter stages here in Melbourne.
Marin Cilic – 20/1 (BetStars) –
Last year’s runner up Marin Cilic had a solid 2018 and continues to dine at the top table of world tennis. The quick courts in Melbourne should suit his powerful game and he has a habit of saving his best tennis for the big events. He’s one to watch here.
Kei Nishikori – 40/1 (William Hill) –
The Japanese superstar is a solid performer at Grand Slam level, having reached the semi-finals and final of the US Open in recent years. His game is perfectly suited for the speedy courts in Melbourne; so, with a full pre-season behind him, he could be ready to do some damage in the draw.
Top Pick – Novak Djokovic – 13/10 (Bet365)
2019 Australian Open Tournament Preview
Women’s Outright Winner Odds:-
With four different winners of the Grand Slam events in the women’s game last season, it promises to be yet another difficult year of tennis to call on the WTA Tour. The blend of usual suspects and emerging talents make it a fascinating fortnight in prospect in Melbourne.
Here are some of our favourites for the Australian Open title:-
Serena Williams – 9/2 (Bet365) –
As always, Serena Williams is the woman to beat at Grand Slam events and her seven titles here at Melbourne Park speak for themselves. Her last title in 2017 came in the midst of the news that she was pregnant and she will be looking to return to Australia in style.
Naomi Osaka – 8/1 (BetFred) –
The 2018 US Open Champion emerged on to the world stage in style in New York and she will be looking to cement her place in the elite of women’s tennis here. Her powerful game looks well suited for hard court tennis and she will be one to watch here in Melbourne.
Angelique Kerber – 10/1 (Ladbrokes) –
Last year’s Wimbledon champion enjoyed a great run of form through the back end of 2018 and has climbed to number 2 in the world. The German has two Grand Slam titles to her name and how she’d love to add a third here.
Simona Halep– 11/1 (BetStars) –
The world number 1 has continued to blaze a trail at the top of the women’s game – following her French Open triumph last summer. The Romanian took the last 3 months of last season off to recover so should be fit and firing here.
Elina Svitolina – 12/1 (William Hill) –
The Ukrainian hotshot is currently ranked number 4 in the world and continues to search for her maiden Grand Slam title. She won the WTA Tour finals in Singapore at the end of 2018 and should arrive here in Melbourne full of confidence.
Caroline Wozniacki – 16/1 (888sport) –
The defending champion hasn’t really kicked on since her triumph here last year but still resides at number 3 in the WTA rankings and plays her best tennis on hard courts – looks overpriced here.
Madison Keys – 25/1 (Betsson) –
The hard-hitting American has dropped to number 17 in the WTA rankings but is more than capable of troubling the world’s best on her day and is very much one to watch in a very unpredictable draw in Melbourne.
Top Pick – Serena Williams – 9/2 (Bet365)
Outside Pick – Madison Keys – 25/1 (Betsson)
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