Betting Odds and Top Contenders for the 2021 Australian Open Men’s Singles Title

The tennis season is over and the best players in the world are now resting for the upcoming year. The early signs are that the Australian Open 2021 will start in January, even if there’s a delay. The opening Grand Slam tournament of the year was scheduled to begin on January 18, but the date might be moved by a week or two.

Most betting sites already have early odds for the 2021 Australian Open Men’s Singles and they are not too surprising. I explore the prices in this post and share my thoughts on the likely winners of the tournament.

As you can see, the betting sites view Novak Djokovic as a huge favorite for the crown and that’s hardly a surprise. The Serbian has eight Australian Open titles to his name and won the tournament in 2019 and 2020.

If Djokovic is at his best, it would be hard for the rest of the field to stop him. And yet, the world number 1 is not unbeatable and there are at least several players that could lift the trophy.

I share my thoughts on all likely winners and I’ve split them into two groups based on their chances.

Let’s begin with the players who have the highest chance of winning the Australian Open 2021.

There’s little doubt that Novak Djokovic will be the man to beat in Melbourne. The world number one won the last two editions of the Australian Open Men’s Singles, and this might be his strongest Grand Slam tournament.

Djokovic knows how to prepare for the competition, and he loves the surface. If he’s anywhere near close to his best, Nole will likely win another title. The online sportsbooks know that which is why the price for him is so low.

For the second year in a row, Daniil Medvedev finishes the season as arguably the best player in the world. The Russian won the ATP 1000 in Paris before beating everyone at the Nitto ATP Tour Finals for the first time in his career.

MEDVEDEV'S THE MAN IN LONDON!

?? @DaniilMedwed is the 2020 #NittoATPFinals champion ? pic.twitter.com/B6VtaUKJfr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 22, 2020

Medvedev failed to transform his form into the new season in 2020, but I think that 2021 will be different. The Russian was exhausted after five or six consecutive finals and couldn’t recover in time for the Australian Open last time around.

The load was way more reasonable this time around, and with proper rest and preparation, Medvedev should be a force to be reckoned with. The Australian Open 2021 early odds show that you can get +600 for him to win, and that’s an excellent choice.

You can’t exclude Rafael Nadal from the list of favorites for any Grand Slam tournament. The Spaniard’s attitude has brought him 20 Majors so far, and he’s looking to surpass Roger Federer in the all-time rankings.

Rafa has only one Australian Open title that came way back in 2009, but he has another four finals since. He often finished second only behind Djokovic and Federer, so the Spaniard has been dangerous. I expect more of the same in 2021, and Nadal is certainly in the mix.

2020 was great for Dominic Thiem, who won his first Grand Slam title in the 2020 US Open. The Austrian just issued a warning to Nadal and Djokovic that he’s coming after the top two spots in the ATP Rankings.

I love this attitude, and I believe that Thiem is ready to fight for the first place in the world. He has proven that he’s more than a clay-court specialist in the past two seasons, so he can certainly challenge for the Australian Open 2021 title.

Let’s not forget that the world number three reached the final last season and lost after a tough battle against Djokovic that went the distance.

Thiem is in the prime of his career, and he’s hungry for greatness, so going a step further in 2021 makes a lot of sense. He’s my personal favorite for the Australian Open next season.

It’s time to move on to the players who have a shot at winning the 2021 Australian Open but are not among top contenders.

The Swiss maestro is 39 nowadays and underwent two surgeries in 2020. He has been away from the courts for many months now, but it would be foolish to underestimate what many believe is the greatest tennis player ever.

The last time Federer was out for a long time, he returned with a victory in the Australian Open 2017 and then defended his title in the next edition. Former great Jim Courier predicts a successful return once again and I certainly agree with his opinion.

I don’t think that FedEx is a favorite for the title, but he can certainly fight for the trophy if the other big guns are not at their best.

I said at the start of this year that it might be too soon for Alexander Zverev to fight for Grand Slam titles, but I can certainly see the German getting there in 2021. His trajectory during the season was pretty much as expected.

Zverev improved his performance in Majors dramatically, reaching the last four in Melbourne and going a step further in New York. He was on the brink of winning a title, and I won’t be shocked if that happens in the 2021 Australian Open.

The German looks ready to me despite his young age, and he loves hard courts, so Zverev is one of the players that could lift the trophy.

The other prodigy that seems destined for greatness and deserves a mention here is Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek youngster is where Zverev was at the start of this season in the sense that he still lacks consistency in the best-of-five format of Grand Slams.

Tsitsipas has the talent to succeed, but he needs more experience and confidence. I expect great strides in 2021 and he already stated that he’s not a kid anymore.

I’m inclined to agree, but I still think that Tsitsipas is a step or two behind the best out there, so he’s a dark horse for the 2021 Australian Open, at best.

Several other players that are good enough to have a deep run, but they’re doubtful to go all the way and the odds for betting on the Australian Open reflect that. Guys like Rublev, Kyrgios, Sinner, de Minaur, and a couple of others should be entertaining to watch.

Do you agree with my assessment, or do you think I might be missing a potential winner? Let me know in the comments below and make sure to check our tennis blog for a similar post on the Australian Open 2021 Women’s Singles.