Tennis

2024 Australian Open predictions and hot takes

2024 Australian Open predictions and hot takes
Photo by Icon sport

Finally, the time has arrived for me to share my Australian Open predictions for the 2024 event. With the Australian Open qualifying draw in progress as we speak, technically, the tournament has already started! However, the main draw will not begin until January 14th.

This means that if you fancy placing an outright wager before the tournament begins, you have just a few days left to do so. Of course, the 2024 Australian Open betting odds are readily available right now too. So, as you can see, now is the perfect time to supply you all with some well-researched Australian Open predictions as we head into Melbourne.

My predictions will not just focus on the possible outright winners, however. While yes, these are part of it, I’ve been a little more creative to give you predictions that don’t just follow the standard selections given by other tennis pundits. So if you’re looking for something a little extra – something that isn’t supplied by other sites, you’ve come to the right place.

Anyway, I’m excited to share these predictions with you ahead of the 2024 Australian Open, so let’s begin, shall we?

Australian Open predictions 2024 – my outright tips

Before I dive into some of the more creative predictions I have for the 2024 Australian Open, let’s get the outright tips out of the way. After all, as exciting (and potentially rewarding) as it is to look at some of the alternative markets that bookmakers have available, the possible outright winners still form a big part of the picture. So let me provide my outright predictions now:

Men’s winner – Novak Djokovic

Although Novak Djokovic is the outright favourite according to the latest odds, you can still get great value on the Serbian. Despite being 36 years of age, he is still the top dog, and he seems to bring his absolute best in Australia. And for me, while talk of the Novak Djokovic injury has sent a few punters running for the hills, he is still the man to beat in Melbourne.

Women’s winner – Iga Swiatek

Following her flawless string of singles performances in the 2024 United Cup, I feel it would be crazy to ignore Swiatek as the obvious outright choice. And to add further justification here, Swiatek hasn’t lost since September 2023.

Australian Open predictions
Photo by Icon sport

She finished the 2023 season by winning the Beijing Open (a 1000 event) followed by the WTA Finals – two of the biggest events of the year. Additionally, it looks like she has brought this form forward based on her United Cup results. So based on these factors, I believe that this could be the year that Swiatek secures her first Australian Open title.

Creative 2024 Australian Open predictions – what could occur in Melbourne

Given that you now have my outright predictions in mind, as promised, I wish to move on to some predictions that aren’t quite as ‘fixed’ as the tournament winners. By this, I mean that I’d like to supply a range of predictions that aren’t being talked about quite as extensively as who might win the Australian Open.

I have several Australian Open predictions to discuss based on this approach too. So let me share the details now.

Men’s underdog pick – Grigor Dimitrov

Although this is an outright winner market, it’s not one that most pundits dedicate any time to. However, isn’t it always exciting to shoot for an outsider to win an event like the Australian Open? I believe that it is, and my potential underdog to win the tournament is Grigor Dimitrov. 

After making the finals of the Paris Masters to end his 2023 season, he has since won his first ATP title since 2017 in Brisbane last week. So could this be the moment that Dimitrov steps up to shock us all on the big stage? 

Women’s underdog pick – Elina Svitolina

To keep things balanced, I wish to put forward an underdog pick for the women’s event in the form of Elina Svitolina. Since becoming a mother, her WTA comeback has been quite incredible. Specifically, Svitolina reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2023, followed by the semi-finals of Wimbledon a few weeks later.

And just last week, she pushed Coco Gauff, the current US Open champion, all the way during the finals of Auckland. 

Alcaraz to lose before the final 

As things stand, Carlos Alcaraz is the second favourite to win the 2024 Australian Open. However, for a man of his capabilities, he really went off the boil at the end of 2023. And given that he hasn’t competed in 2024, I can’t see him making the final.

Rybakina to lose before the final

Rybakina made the finals of the Australian Open last year. But after that, her Grand Slam season wasn’t too great. She lost in the 3rd round at both the French Open and the US Open, and she lost two of her three matches at the 2023 WTA Finals.

Mirra Andreeva to make the semi-finals

In my opinion, this 16-year-old is destined to do great things in tennis. Therefore, as part of my 2024 Australian Open predictions, I’m shooting for Andreeva to make a real breakthrough in Melbourne this year. Previously, her best result in a slam was the 4th round of Wimbledon in 2023. 

However, she’s beaten several top 20 players in the last 12 months, so a deep draw run is definitely possible.

Jannik Sinner to make the semi-finals

Despite all of the excitement about Jannik Sinner right now, which is definitely justified, people tend to forget that the young Italian has only made the semis of a slam on a single occasion. This came at Wimbledon in 2023, yet for the other three slams that season, his best result was the 4th round. 

Australian Open predictions 2024
Photo by Icon sport

Then again, I can’t ignore the way he finished the 2023 season, which is why one of my Australian Open predictions is for Sinner to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne.

Tsitsipas to lose early on

Last but not least, I predict that last year’s finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas, will lose early on. Despite the Australian Open being his most successful slam, I feel that Tsitsipas isn’t quite as driven as he was at this point in 2023. 

Furthermore, he withdrew during the ATP Finals in November 2023, and he lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev last week at the United Cup.


Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!