Australian Open Betting Guide
| Updated: 
The year’s first major tennis tournament dates back to 1905, when it was first held 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 including Christchurch and Hastings in New Zealand and Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne in Australia. Although the tournament was not initially established as a premier tennis event, it is now the Grand Slam attended by the highest number of viewers. Among other factors, which we will discuss later, this great interest is probably due to the Australian Open being held at the beginning of the year (late January), when the sports calendar is not yet packed with events.
The timing of the tournament is greeted with enthusiasm by both punters and spectators, but the same cannot be said for the players. Many of them think that three weeks after the Christmas holidays is too short a period to return to peak form. What is more, January is one of the three hottest months in Australia, with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40°C. When it comes to wagering on Australian Open matches, online betting devotees have the full range of tennis bet types at their disposal, including outright winner bets, match bets, handicaps, and Over/Under bets. In-depth knowledge of tournament specifics and statistical data about top players’ performances will help you make well-founded decisions when placing real-money bets.
Best Rated Bookmakers for United States-
Claim
$1000
Match Bonus9.718+ New customers only. 100% match bonus up to $1000. Min deposit $50. 10x rollover requirement. Promocode: MYB100 -
Claim
$250
Match Bonus9.4Join Bovada, make your first deposit and instantly receive a 50% Sports Welcome Bonus up to $250. -
Claim
$500
Match Bonus9.3Get a 100% Bonus, up to $500, to wager in the Xbet Sportsbook when you sign up and fund your new account with minimum of $45. Be sure to use promocode XB100 to claim this offer on your first deposit. 7x rollover requirement prior withdrawal. -
Claim
$200
Match Bonus9.2The bonus and the deposit need to be rolled over 4x at min. odds of -200 (1.5) before a payout is possible Max. $200 of every bet count towards the rollover. -
Claim
$150
Match Bonus9.1Get a 150% Bonus, up to $150, to wager in the BetUSR Sportsbook. Deposit minimum $100 and wager at least $500 within 30 days of registerening your account and you will automatically qualify for $150 CASH BONUS with just 1x wagering requirement.
Australian Open History and Specifics
We can safely say that the term Grand Slam emerged and gained popularity because of Australia. In 1933, Australian tennis player Jack Crawford managed to win his home-country tournament, followed by the events in Paris and Wimbledon. Just before the final of the US Championship, an article in The New York Times appeared, containing the first documented mention of the term: “If Crawford beats Perry today, it would be something like scoring a Grand Slam on the courts…”. He ultimately failed to do so, but he 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 striking: 17 of the last 20 titles are in the hands of one of these players. Marat Safin (2005) and Stan Wawrinka (2014) pulled off something of a miracle by managing to lift the trophy.
Melbourne Park has been the home of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament since 1988. The event was moved to the new location because its previous facilities simply could not accommodate the scale the Australian Open had gradually reached. Nowadays, matches are played on 39 courts, and the three main ones (Rod Laver Arena, John Caine Arena, and Margaret Court Arena) are equipped with retractable roofs, allowing play to continue even in heavy rain or extreme heat. 1988 also marked another major change. The tournament was no longer played on grass but switched to a hard-court surface. Since 2020, the tournament has used the blue GreenSet surface. 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 is the constant implementation of technical innovations. The most recent significant innovation was the electronic line calling introduced in 2021 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 in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The main draw is preceded by a four-round qualification stage. Ranking points start at 10 for those who reach the round of 128 (1/64 finals) and climb to 2,000 for the champion. The prize fund also deserves attention. The singles champion currently receives A$2,875,000, while the prize for the best doubles team is A$675,000. The length of matches is standard for a Grand Slam event: best of five sets for men and best of three for women. That is why punters will find a 3.5 threshold for the Over/Under Sets betting market, a line that cannot be seen at lower-tier tennis tournaments. The longer men’s matches are also reflected in the Sets Handicap bet, where odds are usually presented as follows:
| Australian Open Sets Handicap | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 (-2.5) Sets | 8.4 | Player 2 (-2.5) Sets | 1.05 |
| Player 1 (+2.5) Sets | 2.13 | Player 2 (+2.5) Sets | 1.67 |
Given the many categories in which Australian Open matches are played, this Grand Slam is a sight for sore eyes for avid online punters from around 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 market for which odds are available all year round. As soon as the winners are announced and the courts of Melbourne Park fall silent, top online betting platforms start accepting bets on the next year’s potential champions. The earlier you place such a bet, the more lucrative the potential payout, but the risk is also higher. We do not advise staking large amounts long before the event, because too many unknowns can impede an accurate prediction. Just think of the top favorite Djokovic, who not only failed to win the title in 2022 but was not even admitted to participate because of 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 for experienced online punters who have not yet bet on this particular Grand Slam. Why do we say this? Because, for example, predicting the winner of a tournament held at the end of the active season, when you have had months to track the players’ performance, is quite different from predicting the Australian Open, which begins almost immediately after the Christmas holidays and offers no recent statistics.
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 consider, does not play much of a role here, as players either begin their push for top ranking positions in Melbourne or have played at most one tournament beforehand. The more information you have, the better, but spend your time wisely: study the preparation of tennis players rather than their most recent performances. Often, players who finished the previous year strongly focused their efforts on that period and are unlikely to have enough time to regain top form and be competitive in Australia. Of course, this is not a hard-and-fast rule, but if you uncover 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 secure the title, and matches against “easier” opponents early on can be especially important. The favorites enjoy an advantage in this regard, as they are given the opportunity to conserve energy for a few days longer than lower-ranked 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.
When it comes to match betting, and the 1×2 market in particular, checking head-to-head results is essential to your strategy. Regardless of their overall abilities and level of preparation, some tennis players simply do not fare well against certain opponents. Psychological resilience is just as important as physical conditioning. However, do not treat all head-to-head results equally; pay attention to factors such as the court surface and the number of sets played in previous meetings. A couple of two-set wins against an opponent on grass does not necessarily translate into 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. Because of its ever-growing popularity, it has become an integral part of the portfolios of top online betting platforms, which offer a full range of betting markets together with some specific promotions and enhanced odds. Such diversity can only work in your favor, so review the hallmarks of the good betting sites mentioned in our guide and choose the bookie that best suits your needs and preferences. Taking the specifics of this Grand Slam event into account and following the betting tips provided here should contribute to a pleasant, and hopefully profitable, betting experience.