After the offseason for tennis has gone, it’s time for people to get back into the swing of things. Luckily for all of you tennis supporters, the first major tournament of the year is around the corner, and we can’t wait for it. In this piece, we have our Updated Australian Open men’s picks with the tournament almost here. Who will end up winning it all?
Novak Djokovic is a major favorite to win the Australian Open
• 2023 Men’s Australian Open • Monday, January 16 to Sunday, Jan. 29 • Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia
Even before the first serve is delivered, many people already know that Novak Djokovic is the major favorite to win the Australian Open this year. Djokovic is without question one of the best tennis players of his generation, and he’s going to be jacked up to try and win another Grand Slam title. This is something he’s no stranger to, and he’s eyeing this Australian Open to add to his list.
Djokovic and his fans hadn’t forgotten about 2022, when he was deported from Australia because he wasn’t vaccinated against the Coronavirus. He was deemed a ‘health risk,’ which led to him not being about to perform. Now, though, everything has gotten straightened out, and Djokovic is ready to put all of that behind him to try and win the title later this month.
“There was not a great narrative in the media about me at all and you know I just stayed for several weeks at home, didn’t really go around too much. Just hoped that the situation could calm down, which it did,” Djokovich said on all of the issues that he faced in the past when traveling to Australia.
Now, though, the tennis standout is ready to light up the field and bring home more glory. Per the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Djokovich has been given a head-turning -130 best tennis betting odds to win the Australian Open across the top-tier tennis betting sites. There are loads of people who would love to take him down. While he may be the favorite, we’re going elsewhere with our winner.
Rafael Nadal is our pick to win the Australian Open
Call it a hunch, but we’re going with Rafael Nadal as our pick to win the Australian Open this time around. Like Djokovic, Nadal is one of the best players of his generation, and he’s towards the end of his amazing career. Despite his play and level dropping off a little bit from his prime, he’s still a force when competing and will be hungry to prove his doubters wrong.
With Djokovic, there’s no denying that his past with Australia will be a distraction throughout the tournament. The media will certainly remind him of things and ask him questions about them regardless of how he’s performing. This isn’t going to be easy for him to ignore, and it could be something he’s not happy about. With Nadal, he’s fully focused on the task at hand. He wants to win the title.
“Well, indeed, the last couple of months I was not able to play much tennis, and at the beginning of the season, I lost two matches in Sydney, but honestly, I am not unhappy with the preparation,” Nadal said in a recent interview. “I need to win matches for sure. But the preparation is going quite well, and I am practicing a lot, and I think I am in good shape. Then you need to demonstrate that in the matches, in the official tournaments.”
Don’t forget that Nadal won the tournament last year, and it was his 21st Grand Slam title, which is wild to think about. He’s going to have a ton of confidence in knowing he has what it takes to come out on top in front of the Australian fans. Per the oddsmakers, Nadal has been given +1300 odds to win the tournament. We like his chances, and we’re going with him as our pick.
There are other tennis stars to keep an eye on at the Australian Open
While Djokovic and Nadal are two of the top names fans will be watching, there are other tennis stars to keep an eye on at the Australian Open. One player in particular who people can’t wait to see in action is Daniil Medvedev. He’s been on a tear lately, and he holds +700 odds of winning the Open. He has the No. 2 Las Vegas betting odds to win the Australian Open behind Djokovic.
Not only that but there’s no question that Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios will hope to make a major splash as well. Nick Kyrgios is a controversial figure at times as well, but there’s no denying how good he can be. People think Kyrgios could end up being the one to win the Australian Open. Will he end up surprising people out there? We’re about to find out in the coming weeks.
With a background as a writer, Rodrigo has managed to bring together his hobbies and education writing sports content for various top-tier sites around the world.