2020 Australian Open Men’s Singles Odds & Betting Preview: Djokovic Favored to Defend Title
- Online betting sites favor Novak Djokovic to defend his men’s singles title at the Australian Open
- At least one of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer have appeared in the last 14 Aussie Open men’s singles finals
- Djokovic owns a record seven titles in this event
No one has dominated the men’s singles competition at the Australian Open like Novak Djokovic. When the Serbian star won last year’s tournament, it was his third title in five years, sixth in nine years and seventh since 2008.
His seven tourney victories are a record since it became an open event in 1969.
Books are anticipating that Djokovic’s winning will be continuing. Each sportsbook has pegged him as the favorite to again capture this year’s men’s singles final in their Australian Open odds.
2020 Australian Open Men’s Singles Odds
| Team | Odds at Book 1 | Odds at Book 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | +120 | +125 |
| Rafael Nadal | +400 | +400 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +700 | +800 |
| Roger Federer | +1000 | +1000 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +1200 | +1100 |
| Dominic Thiem | +1600 | +1800 |
| Nick Kyrgios | +2500 | +2500 |
| Denis Shapovalov | +3300 | +3300 |
| Alexander Zverev | +4000 | +3300 |
| Stan Wawrinka | +5000 | +6600 |
| Alex De Minaur | +6600 | N/A |
| Andrey Rublev | +6600 | +6600 |
| Gregor Dimitrov | +6600 | +6600 |
| Karen Khachanov | +6600 | +6600 |
| Marin Cilic | +6600 | +6600 |
| Matteo Berrettini | +6600 | +6600 |
| Roberto Bautista-Agut | +6600 | +6600 |
| David Goffin | +8000 | +8000 |
| Kevin Anderson | +8000 | +10000 |
| Borna Coric | +10000 | +10000 |
Odds taken Jan. 16th.
The Australian Open is being contested from January 14th-February 2nd at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic Wins in Bunches
Other than last year’s title and his first win in 2008, all of Djokovic’s Australian Open titles have been bunched together.
He won three in a row from 2011-13, and later followed up with back-to-back wins in 2015-16. Overall, Djokovic holds a 68-8 record at Melbourne Park.
Good practice today ???? #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/TgXbGaKSvm
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 16, 2020
Lately, Australian Open men’s singles titles have been arriving in pairs, which could trend well in Djokovic’s favor. Following Djokovic’s 2015-16 triumphs, Roger Federer won back-to-back Aussie Open championships in 2017-18.
Consecutive crowns of at least two years in a row have occurred in men’s singles in this event eight times since 2000.
Are the Big Three Fading?
Djokovic, 32, isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. When the world’s #2 player was forced to bow out of his US Open fourth-round match last year due to injury, it was the first time in six Grand Slam events that Djokovic didn’t reach the semifinals.
He posted four Grand Slam wins during that span.
Australian Open Men’s Singles Champions 2015-19
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2018 | Roger Federer |
| 2017 | Roger Federer |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic |
World #1 Rafael Nadal, 33, struggled with a nagging knee ailment last year. But during the second half of 2019, he looked like his old self. Nadal won the French and US Open titles.
Nadal’s next crown will be his record-equaling 20th Grand Slam championship. He’s 61-13 at Melbourne. He hasn’t won the Australian Open since 2009, though. Nadal was the losing finalist to Djokovic last year, as well as in 2012, 2014 and 2017.
As for Federer, might Father Time have finally caught up to the Swiss star at the age of 38? Since his 2018 Australian Open title, Federer is 0-for-7 in Grand Slam events. He’s reached just one final in that time frame, at Wimbledon in 2019.
Medvedev Ready to Take Next Step?
Djokovic was on hand for the Australian Open draw on Thursday. Afterward, he was questioned as to which players he thought were ready to take that next step and challenge for a Grand Slam title.
The name he emphatically cited was Russian Daniil Medvedev.
?? @DaniilMedwed will start his #AusOpen campaign against @FTiafoe! pic.twitter.com/BJqjdfaLp5
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2020
A strong end-of-season roll saw Medvedev reach the finals of six straight tournaments which he’d entered. He won three of them. Medvedev lost to Nadal in the US Open final. That was his first appearance in a Grand Slam final.
Medvedev, 23, won four tournaments last year and reached nine finals. He’s currently ranked #4 in the world.
Who’s the Winner?
Djokovic is the easy call based on his history at the Australian Open. He recently beat Nadal 6-2, 7-6(7-4) in the final of the ATP Cup.
Djokovic and Federer fell on the same side of the draw. Stefanos Tsitsipas, a semifinalist last year, is also on this side of the draw. Nadal and Medvedev are situated on the opposite side.
A new career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 4 for @DaniilMedwed ?
What are your predictions for him at the @AustralianOpen? pic.twitter.com/rcqQJgPKML
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 14, 2020
Medvedev lost to Djokovic in the fourth round last year but was one of only two players to take a set off him at the tournament.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
