Australian Open 2020: Who Will Survive In The Smokey Down Under?

The first Grand Slam tournament of the year has begun in Australia, where the best and the brightest in the sport of tennis have convened. This year they will not only be battling each other, but the elements as well, as smoke from the fires that have ravaged much of the eastern coast of the country has already had an affect on players in qualifying matches to make it into the tournament.

The air quality is officially “unhealthy” in Melbourne where the tournament is played, so those unlucky enough to be scheduled on the outdoor courts (essentially all but the best players and their opponents that day), will be dealing with breathing issues. It won’t be fun. Some, including players, say it’s tone-deaf to even put on the tournament as the country has been devastated both literally and figuratively, calling for at the very least a postponement.

The governing body of tennis in the country has barely said a word, leaving it mostly up to the refs to decide on delaying and/or suspending matches based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being “stop playing tennis right now or you will die”--just paraphrasing there. So, the show must go on, even through the smoke.

The storylines that are actually on the court will be can a men’s player breakthrough the dominance of The Big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic), and will Serena finally win that 24th major and tie Margaret Court for the most all-time?

Let’s take a look at a handful of the favorites and how you can bet on tennis at 888 Sport NJ!

Men’s Draw

Novak Djokovic (+120)

One of the aforementioned Big 3, the Djoker has 16 career Grand Slam titles and a record seven Aussie Open titles, winning six of the past ten. He looked strong at the ATP Cup last week, beating Rafael Nadal in the final. He is the best hardcourt player maybe ever, and though this may be the “boring” pick, his dominance here can’t be denied. Potential grueling matches vs Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roger Federer loom, but sometimes the “boring” pick is the smart one that wins you money.

Rafael Nadal (+500)

The Spaniard is attempting to tie Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles, and himself attempting to win his 2nd Aussie Open title. Most importantly, he’s attempting to become the first men’s player in the Open era to win all four major titles twice. Lofty goals, indeed. He will have no shortage of motivation, not that he ever needs any in that department, he’s full tilt every time he’s on the court, be it practice or match. If he can stay healthy (those knees are always going to be a problem with all the pounding they’ve taken over the years), he’s definitely got a chance and worth a bet. Personally, I’d stay away from him to win it all, but there’s definitely value in him winning his Quarter (-143) ​of the draw.

Roger Federer ( +750)

The Energizer Bunny of the men’s game, the 38-year old Federer just keeps going and going and going. Federer’s decision to not play any tune-up tournaments before the Aussie Open (because 38--why bother?) has faced some scrutiny, but at this stage of his career it’s all about the majors. He’s playing against and for his legacy, nothing else. Yes he’s on Djoker’s side of the draw, but he proved last year that even at his age, he can still get to tournament finals. He’s fresh and healthy, and definitely worth a look at those odds.

Daniil Medvedev (+750)

The one player that can crash The Big 3’s party, the 4-seed Medvedev made his first Slam final at the U.S. Open last year, where he took Nadal to a grueling five set match. He also just lost to Djokovic in the aforementioned ATP Cup final, which went to three sets and took over three hours. If he’d won that match, it would’ve made three straight wins over Djoker, so Medvedev is in no way intimidated by the greatest hardcourt player in the world. With a booming flat serve and that backhand on this fast surface, Medvedev’s game, and his head, are in a great place right now, and he’s my pick to win the whole tournament. If you don’t want to go that far, ​taking him to win his quarter of the draw (+105) ​is a great play.

Women’s Draw

Serena Williams (+325)

The queen bee of women’s tennis, Serena is coming into this tournament ranked No.8 in the world and hasn’t won a major in three years. She’s been so close, just hasn’t been able to get over the hump. Good on her that she isn’t just showing up here, as she just won the Auckland Open (her first title in three years) to prepare for this tournament. Winning that tournament was huge just for the fact that she got a taste of winning right before this major, and also it shows her dedication to getting that 24th major. A dedicated Serena is a scary proposition for all of the women in the draw, and taking her at these odds is a wise bet. ​Another value play is taking her to win her quarter of the draw (+130).

Naomi Osaka (+650)

Osaka is the reigning Aussie Open champ, winning it all last January. After that she struggled most of the year but found her form late after bringing her father back in to coach her. She’s healthy, and most important of all, confident, two things that should strike fear into the women’s field. +650 is fantastic value for a reigning champion who has beaten Serena before (they would face each other in the quarterfinals here). I like Naomi to win it all, ​but taking her to win her quarter (+240) is a great value play.

Ashleigh Barty (+700)

The women’s No.1 player in the world and the home favorite, Barty is trying to become the first Aussie in 42 years to win this tournament. Needless to say, with that combination, the pressure will be on. She won the French Open last year; the slower clay surface of Roland Garros suits her playing style, so the faster surface here may give her a little trouble.

That being said, she made it to the quarterfinals here last year, and just last week won her first final in Australia in the Adelaide International (on hardcourts) in her final tune-up before the Open so needless to say, she’s very confident and looking dangerous.

A few others to look out for: Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, Madison Keys, and Petra Kvitova.

It should be a fantastic couple of weeks of tennis. We've got competitive tennis odds to keep you in the game. Enjoy watching, and good luck!

*Credit to the main photo of this article belongs to Andy Brownbill/Associated Press (Djokovic, Osaka), Lee Jin-man/Associated Press (Medvedev, Williams)