US Open Tennis Betting Preview: Will Djokovic Make History Or Will Alcaraz Win Back-To-Back?

The 143rd U.S. Open tennis tournament kicked off Aug. 28 and will see some of the top tennis players compete for Grand Slam titles. Unlike past years’ tournaments, the 2023 tournament doesn’t feature top names like Serena Williams, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.

Let's dive into the must-see betting odds and can't-miss storylines to watch.

What Happened: The U.S. Open tennis tournament is underway with matches being shown across the ESPN family of channels owned by The Walt Disney Company DIS, including coverage on the ESPN+ streaming platform.

Here’s a look at the current betting lines as of Friday from DraftKings Inc DKNG for the men’s and women’s singles champion and their ATP world ranking in parentheses.

Men’s:

• Novak Djokovic (2): -105
• Carlos Alcaraz (1): +200
• Daniil Medvedev (3): +1000
• Jannik Sinner (6): +1300
• Taylor Fritz (9): +2800
• Alexander Zverev (12): +3000

Women’s:

• Iga Swiatek (1): +200
• Aryna Sabalenka (2): +450
• Cori Gauff (6): +550
• Elena Rybakina (4): +750
• Jessica Pegula (3): +900
• Karolina Muchova (10): +1400
• Marketa Vondrousova (9): +2000

Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Serena Williams 

High Stakes And Betting Odds: Who's Favored To Win?

A quick look at the betting odds shows that sportsbooks have high expectations for either Djokovic or Alcarez to take home the Men’s title, with the next likely favorite having odds of +1000. On the women’s side, there are five that fit under odds of +1000, suggesting the race is more wide open.

The betting odds also show that sportsbooks think a back-to-back winner could happen at the 2023 U.S. Open, something that hasn’t happened in years.

The Absence Of Legacy Champions: A Williams-Free U.S. Open

The last Men’s back-to-back winner happened in 2008 when Roger Federer won his third straight U.S. Open. Alcaraz won the 2022 U.S. Open and is the runner-up favorite to take the title at this year’s event.

On the women’s side, the last back-to-back winner was Serena Williams in 2014. Swiatek won the 2022 U.S. Open and is the favorite to win back-to-back titles.

With Swiatek as the sole champion from the past five years still in the running, this year's women's field appears to be anyone's game. Past winners Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu are not competing, and Bianca Andreescu has been forced out early due to injury.

This year's U.S. Open won't see a Williams sister as the champion; Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round, and Serena retired last year. The Williams won seven women’s singles titles from 2000 to 2022.

A win or strong tournament run for Swiatek could have a positive impact on apparel company On Holding ONON, which counts the tennis star as one of their sponsored athletes.

Record-Breaking Aspirations: Djokovic And Alcaraz In The Spotlight

Meanwhile, Djokovic has been dominant in recent years and has three U.S. Open Men’s titles. In his career, Djokovic has 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the modern Open era, and a win at this year’s event could tie Margaret Court for the most ever in tennis history.

The Serbian tennis star won the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year before losing in the finals at Wimbledon to Alcaraz, ending his chance of a calendar year Grand Slam.

Alcaraz is likely the biggest potential threat to Djokovic missing out on a record-breaking U.S. Open. In 2023, the Spanish star reached the semifinals of the French Open and won Wimbledon after not participating in the Australian Open. In two career U.S. Open tournaments, Alcaraz went 11-1 in matches, good for a 92% win rate, his best of the four Grand Slams.

In his short tennis Grand Slam career, Alcaraz is 2-0 in finals, winning the 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon.

Read Next: Roger Federer Was Highest Earning Tennis Player In 2020 And 2021 Despite 0 Title Wins 

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