Australian Open Odds – dominant Djokovic-Federer-Nadal trio now a quartet
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Sportsbook odds: surprisingly, Andy Murray leads the way
- Djokovic defending his Australian Open title
- Will Federer rebound from a disappointing season
- Nadal starts the season as the men’s No. 1 player
All eyes will shift down under as the tennis betting season kicks off with the Australian Open. Australian Open lines have been posted and, surprisingly, the tournament figures to be a four-horse race.
It’s been a while now that the men’s tennis scene has been dominated by three players: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The trio combined to win the last 16 Grand Slams and have been the sole focus of tennis betting handicappers.
But as we head into the 2009 Australian Open, a quick glance at the Australian Open odds indicates that sportsbook odds have included a fourth member into that elite class: Andy Murray.
Murray is coming off his best season as a pro and many online betting handicappers seem to think he’s ready to join the small rank of elite men’s tennis players.
Murray finished up 2008 by venturing all the way to the U.S. Open Finals before bowing out to Federer, but he has since defeated Federer three straight times.
His game translates well to the hard courts, which is why he is considered the top dog (+250), along with Federer (+250 online betting odds), for the 2009 Australian Open lines.
Djokovic (+525) is the longest shot of the top four aforementioned players, which is somewhat surprising considering he is the returning champion. Last year was also Djokovic’s most successful season. On top of winning the Australian Open, Djokovic proved his game to be very versatile as he ventured to the semifinals in the French Open and U.S. Open as well.
The No. 1-ranked player in the world is Rafael Nadal (+330) but he is not favored to win this tournament according to the tennis odds. Originally, Nadal’s style of tennis was more defensive, which is why he found success on the clay surface at Roland Garros sooner than the faster surfaces at the other Grand Slams, but now Nadal had added a powerful serve and crushing ground strokes, which means he’s more than just a casual threat. Nadal won two Grand Slams last year and made it to the semifinals in the other two as well.
Aside from the top four, it’s hard to trust anyone else to win the 2009 Australian Open and that’s what the sportsbook odds indicate as well. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who made the Aussie Open final last year but has been relatively quiet otherwise, is listed with +1400 Australian Open odds. Tsonga is very much considered a fluke and, outside of him, no other player is listed below +2500 for 2009 Australian Open betting.
BRADEN’S PICK: Nadal is the best player in the world and is still under estimated on hard court. Bet on Nadal, who is offering good value at +330.
For more analysis on Australian Open odds, visit the Betting Edge for all of Braden Baley’s articles.
Braden Bayley could whip you on the court, and he could do it with his picks, too. He has no patience for other sports ? it’s tennis, tennis, tennis for the Englishman. So, for everything tennis handicapping, keep reading Braden’s BetOnline.com articles. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
