Tennis betting fans would not do wrong to wager on Number 1 in the world Novak Djokovic – a man who himself, it seems, can do no wrong. The Serb is heading into the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at the top of his game. After finally winning the French Open – defeating Andy Murray 3–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 – Djokovic scored a non-calendar year career Grand Slam and became the third player to hold all four major titles at the same time – as well as the first since Rod Laver in 1969 – and the first to accomplish this feat in hardcourt, clay, and grass. And grass is what people who bet on tennis would have to be on tennis not to consider defending champion Djokovic the odds-on favorite to win Wimbledon for the third consecutive time.
Defending champion in the Ladies singles Serena Williams, on the other hand, is still looking for her first major win of the year. The tennis betting favorite to win the French Open, Williams out on a dominant performance – dropping only one set on the way to the final. The Roland Garros championship game was a rematch from last year’s Wimbledon final, but this time around the tables were turned and the Spanish-Venezuelan Garbiñe Muguruza got the best of Williams in straight sets (7–5, 6–4). As a result, Serena lost in two Grand Slam finals in a row for the first time in her career, and failed to match Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
Make no mistake, though; despite her lack of championship success this year, Serena is still a favorite among many people who bet on tennis – followed closely by the aforementioned Muguruza. Williams still has a chance to make history and tie Graf’s record. However, the much younger Muguruza could remain a thorn on Serena’s side. As for Djokovic, he needs to win the titles at Wimbledon and the US Open in order to become the second man in the Open Era to win a calendar-year Grand Slam. Last year, the Serb beat Roger Federer to win his second Wimbledon. Federer, as well as Murray, will be present at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, as will Stan Wawrinka. Rafael Nadal, however, will unfortunately be absent.
Williams will also face stiff competition besides Muguruza, in the form of tennis betting favorites Petra Kvitová, Madison Keys, and Victoria Azarenka, as well as Agnieszka Radwańska, Angelique Kerber, and Simona Halep. All things considered, the 2016 Wimbledon Championships will make for an exciting and thrilling tennis tournament, and a worthy preview of what we could expect from the US Open.