Australian Open Men's Singles Preview – CopyBet
Jannik Sinner is the current king of tennis as far as the Australian Open is concerned, but there’s no rhyme or reason as to why the Italian’s principal title threat Carlos Alcaraz has thus far failed to turn up in Australia at the start of the new season fully prepared.
But why some may question if Alcaraz will ever shine Down Under, the oddsmakers have no such doubts and are clearly expecting Alcaraz, who has never been past the quarter-finals in the year’s opening major, to finally make a fist of it at Melbourne Park.
Alcaraz, who has dispensed with the services of the legendary Juan Carlos Ferrero as coach, looks fit, well and relaxed in his preparation this year and, as a result, it’s difficult to disagree with bookmakers who are anticipating a close title fight between the two market leaders.
Australian Open Men's Singles
Like many of his fellow professionals, Alcaraz was keenly observing the One-Point Slam, this year’s marketing draw in the lead-up to the main two weeks of the Australian Open, and it’s high time the Spaniard got a monkey off his back in Melbourne.
He has a point to prove too, having ended his hugely productive coaching relationship with Ferrero, so Alcaraz will, at the very least, want to make the semi-finals.
However, things could get a lot better than that for the top seed and tournament second-favourite, who should be happy that 10-time Melbourne Park singles king Novak Djokovic has been placed in Sinner’s half of the draw.
Djokovic tends to struggle when it comes to thwarting the big two of Alcaraz and Sinner these days, but he ended the Spaniard’s hopes in the Melbourne quarter-finals 12 months ago and the Serb has been more dominant in this major than in any other.
Alcaraz may also be slightly apprehensive about the possibility of facing Alexander Zverev in the coming days. But the German, who defeated the Murcian in the last eight of this tournament two years ago, is far from guaranteed to set up a semi-final clash with Alcaraz this year.
The draw has done world number one Alcaraz a favour and this may be the year he snaps his Melbourne Park hoodoo.
Australian Open Men's Singles
Anyone looking to take on Sinner in the bottom half of the draw could obviously consider Djokovic after the 24-time major singles hero silenced Alcaraz in Melbourne in 2025.
However, it may pay to go with talented longshot Jakub Mensik taking the tennis world by storm and producing his best effort yet in a Grand Slam singles event.
Mensik was due to contest the Auckland final early on Saturday morning, but the chance of him prospering in Melbourne can still be taken.
Australian Open Men's Singles
Zverev is 2/1 joint-favourite, along with Daniil Medvedev, to reach the semi-finals from the second quarter of the draw, but it may be worth taking a chance on shrinking violet Felix Auger-Aliassime coming up trumps in that section.
Auger-Aliassime has yet to do justice to his blissful talent on tennis’s biggest stages, but there were signs last season that the Canadian is starting to dig deeper in the majors.
Melbourne Park is tennis’s toughest stage, but if FAA finds the will required to shine in the first Slam of the season he has the ability to back it up.