Australian Open Betting Guide

The first major tennis tournament in the year dates back to 1905 when it was first run at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. This is one of the tennis events that have “traveled” the most with its host cities so far being Christchurch and Hastings in New Zealand, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne in Australia. Although the tournament was not initially established and organized to be a prime tennis event, nowadays it is the Grand Slam attended by the highest number of viewers. Among other factors, which we will discuss later, the great interest is probably due to the fact that the Australian Open is held at the beginning of the year (end of January) when the sports calendar is still not so full of events.

The time of the tournament is greeted with enthusiasm both by punters and spectators, which, however, can not be said about players. Many of them think three weeks after the Christmas holidays is a too short period for getting back to form. What is more, January is one of the three hottest months in Australia with temperatures reaching and exceeding 40°C. As regards wagering on Australian Open matches, online betting devotees have the whole range of tennis bet types at their disposal – outright winner bets, match bets, handicaps, Over/Under bets, among others. In-depth knowledge of the tournament specifics and statistical data about top players’ performance will help you make well-founded decisions when placing real-money bets.

Australian Open History and Specifics

We can safely say that it was due to Australia that the term Grand Slam emerged and later gained popularity. In 1933, the Australian tennis player Jack Crawford managed to win his home country tournament followed by the one in Paris and Wimbledon. Just before the final of the US Championship, an article in the New York Times appeared which is the first documented mention of the term – “If Crawford beats Perry today, it would be something like scoring a Grand Slam on the courts…” Well, he failed to do he but will go down in history as the player who gave rise to the Grand Slam concept. Much later, in 1989, the teams behind the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open officially joined forces and created the Grand Slam Committee.

As for the most successful tennis players over the last twenty years, the dominance of the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) is just crushing – 17 out of the 20 titles are in the hands of one of these players. Apparently, Marat Safin (2005) and Stan Wawrinka (2014) have created a real miracle by being able to lift the trophy.

Melbourne Park has been the home of the first Grand Slam tournament in the year since 1988. The event was moved to the new location because its previous facilities simply could not respond to the scale the Australian Open gradually reached. Nowadays, matches are played on 39 courts with the main three, Rod Laver Arena, John Caine Arena, and Margaret Court Arena being equipped with retractable roofs which allow for the play to continue even in case of heavy rains or extreme heat. 1988 marks another major change – the tournament is no longer conducted on grass but switches to hard court. Its latest version is from 2020, blue GreenSet. A somewhat interesting fact is that the owner of the supplying company is the former tennis player Javier Sánchez, brother of the 1995 World’s No. 1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Six of the minor courts have a clay surface.

A distinctive feature of today’s Australian Open tournament is the constant implementation of technical innovations. The last significant novelty was the electronic line calling introduced in 2021 in an attempt to reduce the number of on-site staff. The system functions by means of multiple tracking cameras that automatically send pre-recorded audio calls in real-time. The initiative continued in 2022 when calls were recorded with the voices of Rebel Wilson and seven local staff members.

Tournament Structure and Popular Bet Types

As with the other Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open starts with 128 participants both in the men’s and women’s competitions. The main course of the event is preceded by a four-round qualification stage. Ranking points start from 10 for those who take part in the 1/64 finals and reach 2,000 for the winner. The prize fund also deserves attention. The singles champion currently gets A$2,875,000 while the prize for the best doubles is A$675,000. The duration of matches is the usual for a Grand Slam event – best-of-five for men and best-of-three for women players. This is the reason why punters will find a 3.5 threshold for the Over/Under Sets betting market, a number that cannot be seen with lower-tier tennis tournaments. The duration of men’s matches is also reflected in the Sets Handicap bet where odds are usually presented as follows:

Given the many categories in which Australian Open matches are played, this Grand Slam is a sight for the sore eyes of avid online punters from all over the world who seek diverse and profitable tennis betting markets. It goes without saying that one of the most commonly placed wagers is the Outright Winner, the only bet for which odds are available throughout the whole year. As soon as the winners are announced and the courts of Melbourne Park are hushed, top online betting platforms start accepting bets on next year’s eventual victorious players. The earlier you place such a bet, the more lucrative the payout but also the higher degree of risk. We do not advise you to stake much money way before the event since there are too many unknowns that impede your correct prediction. Just think of the top favorite Djokovic who not only did not win the title in 2022 but was not admitted to participate due to the Coronavirus restrictions.

Tips for Successful Australian Open Betting

Now that we have covered all the basic features of the Australian Open, it is time to provide you with our tips for placing successful wagers. These will be especially helpful both for novices and experienced online punters who, however, have not yet bet on this particular Grand Slam. Why are we saying this? Because, for example, it’s certainly not the same to predict the winner of a tournament that takes place at the end of the active season, when you have had a few months to follow the players’ performance, and one like the Australian Open, which starts almost immediately after the Christmas holidays with no recent statistics available.

Let’s see what you can do when it comes to the first Grand Slam of the year. Fatigue, which we usually advise you to keep in mind, does not play any role here, as players either start their raid on the top ranking positions in Melbourne or have played a maximum of one tournament before that. The more information you have, the better, but spend your time properly – study the preparation of tennis players rather than their last performances. Often, players who had a strong end of the previous year have focused their efforts on that time and are unlikely to have enough time to get back in top form and be competitive in Australia. Of course, this is by no means a general rule, but if you get such information, you will have an advantage over other betting enthusiasts.

The tournament is long and exhausting, taking place in the middle of the hot and dry Australian summer. It takes seven wins to conquer the title and matches with “easier” opponents in the beginning can be especially important. The favorites enjoy leverage in this regard since they are given the opportunity to preserve their energy for a few more days than the other players. That is why you should not underestimate seeding and always keep it in mind, especially when it comes to betting on the winner of the Australian Open.

As regards match betting and the 1×2 market, in particular, checking head-to-head results is a must-have in your strategy. Despite their overall abilities and level of preparation, some tennis players simply do not do well against certain opponents for no good reason. Psychological resilience is just as important as physical one. However, do not put all head-to-head results under the same umbrella, but pay attention to factors such as the court surface and the number of sets played in previous matches. Achieving a couple of two-set wins against an opponent on grass does not necessarily mean an easy match on a hard court.

Conclusion

The Australian Open kicks off the entire tennis season and is eagerly awaited by millions of fans around the globe. Due to its ever-growing popularity, it has become an integral part of the portfolio of the top online betting platforms that offer a full range of betting markets together with some specific promotions and enhanced odds. Such diversity can only be to your advantage, so take a look at the hallmarks of the good betting sites mentioned in our guide and find the bookie that will best meet your needs and preferences. Taking into account the specifics of this Grand Slam event and following the betting tips provided here will surely contribute to a pleasant and hopefully profitable betting experience.