The first tennis Grand Slam tournament of the season is upon us as the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on Monday morning local time with No. 1 Novak Djokovic the favorite on the men’s side and No. 1 Ashleigh Barty the favorite on the women’s side.

We take a closer look at the latest 2022 Australian Open odds, along with the latest expert preview.

2022 Australian Open Tournament Info

• When: January 17 – 30, 2022
• Where: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• TV: ESPN, Tennis Channell
• Live Stream: AusOpen.com

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic 2022 Australian Open Betting Preview

2022 Australian Open Men’s Odds

2022 Australian Open Men’s Preview

On the men’s side, six-time Australian Open winner Roger Federer of Switzerland is not playing and his career might be over due to knee troubles. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been inactive since losing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last July and has now had three rounds of knee surgery. Federer is tied with Rafael Nadal and Djokovic in the race to be the most successful men’s singles Grand Slam champion of all time.

Nadal considered skipping the Australian Open but will play, although he’s a +1100 longer shot. The Spaniard’s lone Aussie Open title came way back in 2009. He has been runner-up four times since.

As for Djokovic, he’s notably not vaccinated from COVID and when he arrived in Australia the status of his visa become of the biggest stories in the world as the country tried to deport him but a judge allowed a reinstatement of that visa. As of today, Djokovic will not play the tournament and had his Australian visa cancelled by immigration minister, Alex Hawk. The whole issue revolves around the revelation that Djokovic provided false information on an immigration form.

The Serb has won this tournament a record nine times, including three straight. Last year, he routed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Medvedev had come into the final on a 20=match winning streak and was seeking his first Grand Slam title. But Djokovic overwhelmed Medvedev throughout the match, breaking his opponent seven times on the way to another championship at Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic went on to win the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon but was shocked by Medvedev in the final of the U.S. Open to end his chances at the calendar-year Grand Slam.

The Russian Medvedev finally broke through for his first major title by defeating Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Medvedev became the first member of the 20-something generation to defeat one of tennis’ so-called Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer in a Grand Slam final. Medvedev is a +200 second favorite this year and would obviously take the favored role if Djokovic is deported.

Because Djokovic is the top seed and Medvedev the No. 2, they could only meet in the final. In the semifinals, Djokovic could see either Nadal or third-seeded Alexander Zverev. Medvedev could meet No. 5 Andrey Rublev, No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime and American big-hitter John Isner in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis.

2022 Australian Open Women’s Odds

2022 Australian Open Women’s Preview

On the women’s side, top-ranked Barty and defending champion Naomi Osaka (+600) ended up in the same section of the draw, meaning two of the best players in the tournament could meet in a fourth-round match. Osaka, who has been ranked as high as No. 1, slid down the list because of her lack of matches in 2021 and is seeded 13th. She also won the Australian Open in 2019. The Aussie Barty won the 2019 French Open title for her first major then followed up with a Wimbledon crown last year.

American Serena Williams, arguably the greatest female player, is not in Australia. The 40-year-old seven-time Australian Open singles champion has not played on the WTA Tour since June 28, when she retired late in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon because of an injured right hamstring. The injury was slow to heal, and it also kept her from competing in the 2021 U.S. Open.

Serena has 23 career Grand Slam titles, one behind Margaret Court’s record, but with Serena’s age and her health breaking down, it now looks unlikely she will tie Court.

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