The Australian Open is arguably the most intriguing of tennis’s Grand Slams. Coming right at the start of the year, there are still so many unknowns when the world’s best gather in Melbourne and there are certainly no shortage of questions ahead of the 2018 renewal.
With form and fitness concerns affecting many in the men’s draw and a women’s tournament that looks as open as ever, the coming fortnight promises plenty of drama and maybe a surprise winner or two in the finals.
Who Will Win The Men’s Singles Title?
The short answer is that Roger Federer will win the Australian Open. Probably. The Swiss superstar confounded those who believed a 35-year-old would be unable to hack the pace of modern tennis last year by winning two Grand Slams including the Australian Open. In fact, it was the extra pace of the courts at Melbourne Park that really played into Federer’s hands. While many of his younger opponents had never played on hard courts that were so fast, Federer drew on his extensive experience to play an aggressive style of tennis that nobody else could live with.
With so much analysis around tennis now, the fast Plexicushion courts won’t be catching anybody by surprise. But the real question is whether anybody can attack as well as Federer when he comes into the net or can defend as efficiently as Federer can with his backhand slice. The Swiss continues to defy age and he’s a worthy favourite for the first major of the calendar year.
That said, Federer has certainly got some stiff competition in Melbourne, headed by Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Those two will have their backers this coming fortnight but Nadal is yet to put his knee problems fully behind him while Djokovic is still working his way back from his own injury issues. Federer, on the other hand, moved supremely well during his Hopman Cup win alongside Belinda Bencic and he is going to take some stopping at a best price of 15/8 with Coral.
Betting Tip – Roger Federer at 15/8 with Coral
Men’s Outsiders & Each Way Tips
The main concern with Federer is that time is going to catch up with him, probably sooner rather than later. That’s a problem for him as he looks to add to his staggering tally of 19 Grand Slams but it could also be a problem for tennis at large as the game will need another superstar to hang its hat on. Many players have been suggested as heirs to Federer over the years but in Alexander Zverev we look to have a player with everything required to become number one in the world.
It’s easy to forget that Zverev is still only 20 and that he only won his first ATP 1000 Masters tournament last year in Rome given the hype around him. For his part, the German appears to have his feet firmly on the ground and he understands just how much work is left ahead of him. Still, he’ll quietly fancy his chances of making a run deep into the second week in Melbourne and may well have an outside chance at 14/1 with Ladbrokes. With doubts over so many of the top players, those odds certainly seem worth a small each way bet.
Who Will Win The Women’s Singles Title?
This is a question that’s much more difficult to answer. The absence of defending champion, Serena Williams, has made the women’s draw even more open than it already was and there are around 20 players who have a genuine chance of winning come the 27th. Looking at the outright winner odds, we can see that there indeed 20 players priced between 8/1 and 80/1.
Whilst Anastasija Sevastova won’t have too many backers as an 80/1 shot, with no clear favourite we certainly wouldn’t rule her out altogether. Obviously the open nature of this year’s tournament makes it tough for punters to pick out a winning bet but, on the flip side, it does mean that some massive talents are available at some very tempting prices.
The price that really stands out in the early betting is the 12/1 that Betfair are quoting on Angelique Kerber. We all know that the world of tennis moves quickly, especially in the women’s game, but you simply cannot afford to write Kerber off. This is a woman who won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016 and who finished that year number one in the world. Yes, she had a much tougher time of it last year but it appeared as though her problems revolved around the mental challenge of trying to live up to her billing as the best player in the game.
At 29, Kerber should be at the peak of her career. She’s also mature enough to understand that not doing something to change the trajectory she was on last year would result in yet more poor performances. To that end she’s made a change in her backroom set up, bringing in Johanna Konta’s former coach, Wim Fissette. The Belgian has worked with some of the most talented women in tennis and is especially well known for having an impact on mentality. The Kerber/Fissette partnership has already produced some promising tennis in the very early days, enough to suggest that 12/1 is way too big a price about Kerber’s chances in Melbourne.
Betting Tip – Angelique Kerber at 12/1 with Betfair
Women’s Outsiders & Each Way Tips
Given the nature of the women’s draw and the incredible depth of talent in the field, it makes little sense to give all your backing to just one player. When there are so many viable options, it makes sense to use a couple of them and you’d have to say that CoCo Vandeweghe (25/1 with Coral) and Ashleigh Barty (33/1 with Betfred) are both very tempting from an each way stand point.
For much of Vandeweghe’s career it looked as though the talented American would fail to live up to her undoubted potential. That has changed in recent months though as the appointment of Pat Cash as her coach has made a real difference. The Australian legend has done some stellar work with both the technical and the mental side of Vandeweghe’s game and the 26-year-old now sits inside the world’s top 10. She reached the semis in Australia last year and could well go even further 12 months on.
As for Barty, her best days look very much ahead of her but there is something about this steely competitor that suggests she might just be able to upset the odds. She’s secured some big wins after returning to tennis following a brief but relatively successful flirtation with cricket and, backed by the Australian fans, crowd favourite Barty is worthy of each way support.