The Australian Open gets underway with Roger Federer the top choice on the men’s side, while Elina Svitolina is the betting favorite on the women’s side. There are a lot of questions on the men’s side, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic battling injuries, while the women’s side looks wide open without Serena Williams in the field. Let’s look at the first Grand Slam event of 2018, sportsbook betting online odds and Australian Open picks.
Men’s Top Choices
Federer is the clear favorite at odds of 9-5 at the best online sports book and he is the only one of the top three players who is said to be healthy. Nadal is battling an ankle injury, while Djokovic hasn’t even played in six months due to an elbow injury. This could be the time to take one of the younger players to break through. The three top contenders to challenge the old guard are Dimitrov, Kyrgios and Zverev.
Seeds
1. Rafael Nadal
2. Roger Federer
3. Grigor Dimitrov
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Dominic Thiem
6. Marin Cilic
7. David Goffin
8. Jack Sock
9. Stan Wawrinka
10. Pablo Carreno Busta
11. Kevin Anderson
12. Juan Martin del Potro
13. Sam Querrey
14. Novak Djokovic
15. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
16. John Isner
17. Nick Kyrgios
18. Lucas Pouille
19. Tomas Berdych
20. Roberto Bautista Agut
21. Albert Ramos-Vinolas
22. Milos Raonic
23. Gilles Muller
24. Diego Schwartzman
25. Fabio Fognini
26. Adrian Mannarino
27. Philipp Kohlschreiber
28. Damir Dzumhur
29. Richard Gasquet
30. Andrey Rublev
31. Pablo Cuevas
32. Mischa Zverev
Australian Open Picks
The draw favors Nadal, but it is hard to make a case for him because of his ankle issue. Federer is the clear favorite but he has no value and a tough draw. I will take a shot with Dimitrov and Goffin at double-digit odds.
Women’s Top Choices
With Serena Williams out of this event there is no clear favorite. Svitolina is the top tennis betting choice at a lukewarm 7-1 in sportsbook betting online odds. Halep is the top seed, but she actually has a tougher drawn than does Svitolina. Pliskova, Muguruza and Wozniacki are finally looking for a breakthrough win, while Kerber and Sharapova are the two players with the most experience in winning Grand Slam events.
Women’s Australian Open Seeds
1. Simona Halep
2. Caroline Wozniacki
3. Garbine Muguruza
4. Elina Svitolina
5. Venus Williams
6. Karolina Pliskova
7. Jelena Ostapenko
8. Caroline Garcia
9. Johanna Konta
10. CoCo Vandeweghe
11. Kristina Mladenovic
12. Julia Goerges
13. Sloane Stephens
14. Anastasija Sevastova
15. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
16. Elena Vesnina
17. Madison Keys
18. Ashleigh Barty
19. Magdalena Rybarikova
20. Barbora Strycova
21. Angelique Kerber
22. Daria Kasatkina
23. Daria Gavrilova
24. Dominika Cibulkova
25. Shuai Peng
26. Agnieszka Radwanska
27. Petra Kvitova
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Lucie Safarova
30. Kiki Bertens
31. Ekaterina Makarova
32. Anett Kontaveit
Australian Open Picks
The women’s side of the draw is completely wide open, as you could legitimately make a strong case for a half a dozen players. Halep has the best draw and she is the top seed, but she has yet to prove she can win a major. Sharapova has the most experience and I think she has the most value at double-digit sportsbook betting online odds. I also can’t ignore the favorable draw for Svitolina and she is playing really well, so she is a solid choice.