• Australian Open Betting - where is the best place to bet on the first Grand Slam event of the season?
• All the key information ahead of the Australian Open with world number one Andy Murray attempting to lift the trophy for the first time.

• Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds
• Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds Genesis Open
• Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds Ncaa Basketball

Britain’s other major hope in the singles Johanna Konta heads into the tournament in superb form, having won her. Australian Open winner odds (Sky Bet).

Melbourne is one of the world’s great sporting cities. Amongst the huge sporting events it hosts are the AFL Grand Final, the Australian Grand Prix, international matches in all forms of cricket and rugby and the World Cup of Golf. Perhaps the biggest sporting event of all taking place in the Victorian capital is the Australian Open.

Taking place in January every year, the Australian Open gets tennis’ Grand Slam season underway and as such has a vital role to play in the tennis calendar. Thousands of tennis fans have already made their way to Melbourne Park before the tournament begins to cast their eye over the qualifying rounds but the action really gets underway on Monday the 14th.

Most of the biggest names in both the men’s and women’s game will be in attendance including the 2018 champions, Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki. They face an almighty battle to defend their titles against a combination of youth and experience in both draws so there is an excellent fortnight ahead.

Australian Open Men’s Tournament Winner Odds

Novak Djokovic 5/4 (bet365)

Roger Federer 11/2 (Unibet)

Rafael Nadal 8/1 (Paddy Power)

Alexander Zverev 8/1 (William Hill)

Marin Cilic 25/1 (Betfred)

Kei Nishikori 33/1 (Sportingbet)

Karen Khachanov 33/1 (bet365)

Andy Murray 40/1 (888Sport)

Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds

(Please note odds are correct at time of article publishing)

Roger Federer has long since been one of the most popular sportsmen in the world. The Swiss ace could have retired 10 years ago and still been in the argument for the best tennis players in the world but the fact that he is still competing at such a high level settles that argument for many.

Federer’s wins in the last two Australian Opens owed as much to his longevity and quality as his ability to get to grips the faster playing surfaces at Melbourne Park. Some even went as far as to suggest that the courts were sped up for Federer, a claim that the tournament organisers rejected out of hand last year. The fast courts are sure to suit Federer once again this year and he will doubtless make a run through to the latter stages but Novak Djokovic is the bookies’ favourite for very good reason.

2018 was arguably the best year in Djokovic’s career. It wasn’t his most successful but it very much marked his return to the pinnacle of tennis after years of struggle with injury and loss of form. Djokovic is hungrier than ever having tasted what it’s like to lose the ability to compete at the top level. He can justify his favouritsim to win his third Grand Slam in a row and his seventh Australian Open at 5/4 with bet365.

Australian Open Women’s Tournament Winner Odds

Serena Williams 9/2 (Ladbrokes)

Angelique Kerber 9/1 (Sportingbet)

Naomi Osaka 10/1 (bet365)

Simona Halep 11/1 (bet365)

Aryna Sabalenka 12/1 (Coral)

Elina Svitolina 14/1 (Betfred)

Karolina Pliskova 14/1 (Paddy Power)

Sloane Stephens 16/1 (Ladbrokes)

Australian tennis has had some real heroes and heroines over the years but Margaret Court stands alone. Her 24 Grand Slam victories (which included 11 Australian Open wins) is the most in the history of the game but Serena Williams is still working very hard on breaking that record at the age of 37. The American superstar was unable to win any of 2018’s Grand Slams following her return from maternity leave but is the firm favourite in the betting for the 2019 Australian Open.

Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds Genesis Open

Williams returned to action in the Hopman Cup after a lengthy break that stretched back to her controversial loss in the US Open and it’s all systems go in Melbourne but does she represent value at a best price of 9/2 with Ladbrokes? Women’s tennis has rarely, if ever, been as open as it is now so you can scroll a long way down the betting and find players with realistic chances of winning.

With such an open draw it makes sense to have a couple of options in the women’s draw. The first player to consider is Angelique Kerber. She put a horrible 2017 firmly behind her last year by winning at Wimbledon but the German is arguably a better player on hard courts than on grass. She won the Australian Open in 2016 and played some very good stuff in Sydney to get ready for Melbourne Park so looks well priced at 9/1 with Sportingbet.

The second player to back is the defending champion, Caroline Wozniacki, at a very generous 30/1 with Unibet. Finally getting over the line in a Grand Slam at last year’s tournament was a major positive for Wozniacki and although she has been hit with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis she is still confident that her game is good enough to compete in the biggest events so has a real chance of defending her crown.

Betting Recommendations

Novak Djokovic to win the men’s tournament at 5/4 with bet365

Angelique Kerber to win the women’s tournament at 9/1 with Sportingbet

Caroline Wozniacki to win the women’s tournament at 30/1 with Unibet

Australian Open Pre Tournament Odds Ncaa Basketball

All eyes will turn to Australia as it welcomes the best of the best in the world for the Australia Open 2018 Tournament. The event will be taking place between the 15-28 January in Melbourne Park. It will be in its 106 edition and will also act the first Grand Slam event of the year. It will be in its 50 edition of the Open Era tournaments and also the 200th Grand Slam event. The tournament will consist of games for professionals taking part in singles, doubles and mixed plays. There will also be events for junior players and wheelchair players taking part in both singles and doubles. As part of the 2018 AFP World Tour, the tournament will be run by the International Tennis Federation.

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History of the Australian Open

The first tournament was held in 1905 and since then it has traditionally been held every year in January in the city of Melbourne. It has been attracting numerous fans over the years and has even been dubbed the Fans Slam due to the enthusiasm and great atmosphere witnessed every time the event is held. In its inauguration in 1905, the tournament was held in Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground. It went on to become a major tournament in 1924. During its history, the tournament has been moved to different locations such as Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane among others. However, the tournament has found a permanent home in Melbourne since 1972. It was held at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club from 1972-1987. The tournament was usually played on a grass surface. Its success meant that a bigger facility was needed due to the huge numbers turning up. The tournament is now held in Melbourne Park every year since 1988. It is now considered as the biggest event in Australia attracting over half a million visitors every year it has been held.

Players

Until 1983, the tournament was not attracting the big names since Australia is very far from Europe. However, the tournament received a boost in 1983 when big names such as John McEnroe, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl confirmed they would participate. This was the turning point and the event now attracts almost all of the big names as they aim to make history by winning in their respective participation. Some of the big names to win the coveted singles in the men’s category include Roy Emerson with 6 titles, while Andre Agassi and Roger Federer have 4 titles each. The most successful players in the women’s category include Margaret Court with 7 titles and Serena Williams with 5 titles.

The Arenas

The tournament is usually held in the three arenas. The main court is the Rod Laver Arena which has a capacity of 14,850. It hosts the finals of the tournament. The other is the Hisense Arena which has a capacity of 11,000 and was completed in 2000. The last arena is the Margaret Court Arena which holds 6000 spectators and was completed in 1988. Some of the big names expected to participate in this year’s event include Andy Murray, Novak Djovovic and Victoria Azarenka among others. Those who have not confirmed they will attend include Serena Williams and Kuznetsova.

Bookmakers

• bwin - Do not be restricted on just betting on the winner of a tennis match and the outright winner of the tournament, bwin allows you to place a wager on events within the match: how many games will be played in total, who will win the first set, what will the final set-score be, who will win the most games or will there be a tie-break? Look out for fantastic offers and bwin bonuses.

• 1xbet - Tennis is an action-packed sport with a large number of possible outcomes which 1xbet understands allowing you to bet before and during the match - in-play betting. View stats and current rankings along with a myriad of betting options.

• Sportingbet - Where there are over 400 types of bet you can place that include tiebreaks, set related bets and even if a player will win whilst being a set down.