2015 Australian Open Betting Preview

The 2015 Australian Open is just around the corner, so what better time than now to start thinking about your outright selections and the tennis stars to follow during the tournament.

With the Hopman Cup, Kooyong Classic, Sydney International and Brisbane International all nearing a conclusion, the focus will soon switch to the outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park for the first Grand Slam of the 2015 tennis season.

The 103rd edition of the Australian Open begins on January 19th with the womens final scheduled for Saturday 31st January, one day before the mens final on Sunday 1st February.

 
Mens 2015 Australian Open Betting

Stan Wawrinka ended an eight-year spell of dominance for the big 3 – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – when upsetting the odds to win his first Grand Slam in this event last year. The Swiss capped off a great year by winning the Davis Cup towards the end of 2014, but online bookmakers don’t appear to rate the chances of him defending his title very highly as Wawrinka can be backed at double figures across the board.

Novak Djokovic has won four of the last seven renewals of the Australian Open including 3 in a row prior to being knocked out by Wawrinka at the quarter final stage last year. The Serb clearly excels on the hard court and must play a part in any staking plan for the mens championship.

Roger Federer has looked in good shape after having to pull out of the 2014 ATP World Tour Final with a back injury. He finished the season on a high by defeating Richard Gasquet to clinch the Davis Cup for Switzerland and has been in good form in the Brisbane International, which can’t be said of Lleyton Hewitt who exited in the first round.

Andy Murray has reached the final on three occasions and could be considered a lively outsider to the two principal dangers, while 2009 Australian Open winner Rafael Nadal is also attractively priced.

Surprise US Open winner Maran Cilic is friendless in the betting at longer odds than runner-up Kei Nishikori, while the likes Gregor Dimitriov and Milos Raonic may be preferred ahead Thomas Berdych and Marin Cilic having done well so far at ATP Brisbane.

Womens 2015 Australian Open Betting

We’ll definitely have a new womens champion at the 2015 Australian Open as last year’s winner Li Na has now retired.

Four-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams unsurprisingly heads the betting and will probably take the world of beating if bringing her A-game, but the fact that she hasn’t made the final since winning here in 2010 can’t be ignored. The American was far from convincing despite winning the 2015 Hopman Cup in Perth where at times she struggled to match Lucie Safarova and would have probably lost against tougher opposition.

Her perennial rival Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open in 2008 and was a beaten finalist in 2012. The Russian has faired well to make it through to the final of the Brisbane International and has probably played her way on to many-a-punter’s radar for Australian Open outright betting.

Victoria Azarenka won the tournament twice in a row and is available to back at a juicy price, while Simona Halep looks to be a woman on the up after reaching the quarter finals last year and must also enter calculations.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki and Euginie Bouchard should not be ruled out lightly, while 2008 Australian Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic’s price could shorten considerably if she beats Sharapova at Brisbane.