2017 Australian Open: Men's Betting Preview

The Australian Open begins on Monday, the 16th of January and concludes with the men’s final on the 29^th. Today we preview the men’s side of the draw in detail, and give some tips as to who we think will come away with the silverware. You can check out our women’s preview here!

2017 Australian Open – Men’s Betting Preview

After a dominant 2016 in which he won the most titles on the ATP Tour (9) and reached the most finals (13), Brit Andy Murray ($2.75) enters the Australian Open as the number one seed for the first time in his career. Although he performed so well in 2016, he only captured one Grand Slam win, that of the elusive Wimbledon crown. He will be looking to capitalise more on some hot form in 2017 with more Grand Slam victories.

Many think it’s a two-horse race on the men’s side, and I agree with them. Six time and reigning champion Novak Djokovic ($2.75) will once again be back to defend his title, after beating Murray in 3 sets in last year’s final. It’s a different story heading into this year’s tournament, however, as the momentum and form looks to be with Murray. It’s such a hard call with these two guys, their rivalry over the past 5 years since the fading of Roger Federer ($26) and Rafael Nadal ($15) has been stuff of legends, Novak has had the better of his rivalry with Murray, winning 8 of the 10 Grand Slam finals they have played.

If I had to choose one, I’d still go with Djokovic, at his best, he’s the better player and I think all those Grand Slam defeats has really put some doubt in Murray’s mind when he plays against his main rival. If you can’t decide though, you can effectively get $1.38 for either of them to win at CrownBet, which is as good as we’ve seen in that market for a long time.

The other two guys who might be worth a mention are Stan Wawrinka ($13) and Milos Raonic ($17). Besides the Big 4 (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray) Wawrinka is the only player to have won multiple Grand Slams since the beginning of Roger’s reign of terror in 2003. The Sport has been dominated by these four players, and Wawrinka has consistently been the guy on the outside looking in, until 2014 when he finally broke through, winning the Australian Open and cracking the top four rankings in the process. His game style translates well to playing against Murray and Djokovic and is a serious threat.

2017 could be the year of Milos Raonic. The 26-year-old is currently ranked number three in the world after a blistering 2016 which saw him win his 8^th title and reach his first Grand Slam final, going down to Murray at Wimbledon. His monster serve is something that Murray and Djokovic have never really possessed, and it keeps him in games even when his baseline play isn’t at its best.

2017 Australian Open – Men’s Winner Prediction

It’s really a tossup, if you like going with form and momentum, then Murray is probably your guy. I am going with pure talent and champion pedigree, taking Novak to win his 13^th Grand Slam title. The $1.38 for either of them is also very appealing.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic

*** Click to bet on Djokovic to win the 2017 Australian Open - $2.75 ***

2017 Australian Open – Men’s Value Play

Although I have predicted them to both to easily reach the final, Murray and Djokovic seemed to have somewhat lost their air of invincibility in 2016, with some challengers coming through the crop. If there’s going to be an upset, I like Milos Raonic’s serve to carry him through the tournament and make a statement in the final.

Value Play: Milos Raonic

*** Click to bet on Raonic to win the 2017 Australian Open - $51 ***

You can see the odds for all the main chances at the 2017 Australian Open below, while there is also a link to sign-up to CrownBet - just make sure to gamble responsibly!