2024 Australian Open men's singles outright predictions, odds & tennis betting tips: Djokovic's dominance down under may come to an end

When does the 2024 Australian Open start?

The 2024 Australian Open begins on Sunday in Australia with the action starting from midnight Saturday in the UK & Ireland.

It’s worth noting that Sky Bet are offering £30 in free bets when you bet on the 2024 Australian Open.

Where can I watch the Australian Open in the UK?

Daily coverage on Eurosport from midnight, Saturday night. All matches are also streamed live on Discovery+.

Best bets for the 2024 men's Australian Open

Jannik Sinner
1pt each-way 13-2 general

Jannik Sinner to win second quarter
2pts 5-6 Betfair, Paddy Power

Grigor Dimitrov
0.5pt each-way 40-1 general

Grigor Dimitrov to win third quarter
1pt 11-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

New Sky Bet customers can also click here to get £30 in tennis free bets

2024 Australian Open men's singles predictions

The stage looks set for Novak Djokovic to claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title at his beloved Australian Open, where he has already won ten times including on his last four visits.

Djokovic’s last ten Grand Slam appearances have yielded seven titles and two runner-up efforts and, with his dominance down under, it is easy to see why punters are still prepared to pile in to back the 36-year-old.

Age is proving to be just a number for the legendary Serb and there shouldn’t be many early concerns with his draw given his toughest test before the quarter-final is likely to come from Ben Shelton, a young American he swatted aside 6-3 6-2 7-6 in the US Open semis in September.

However, bettors going in for more Djokovic delight must be concerned about his recent preparation while there is also the presence of emerging talent Jannik Sinner in his half of the draw.

The world number one was unable to guide Serbia to United Cup glory earlier this month as he lost his singles match against Australian ace Alex De Minaur, having previously been taken the distance by Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka.

Djokovic needed treatment on his wrist in both of those contests and, with Sinner recently showing he has what it takes to defy him on hard courts, that is where the outright value may be found.

Sinner finished 2023 as the hottest player on the ATP Tour, beating Djokovic in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals in Turin before repeating the trick a week later as he inspired Italy to the Davis Cup title in Malaga.

The end of last season also saw the 22-year-old landing silverware in Beijing and Vienna, where his wins included the scalps of Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, while he defeated De Minaur to claim a maiden Masters crown in Toronto in August.

The next step is for Sinner to make his breakthrough at Grand Slam level and, having made the semi-final of Wimbledon last season, it appears to be only a matter of time before is contending on a regular basis.

The Italian has an excellent all-round game, highlighted by his strong serve and effortless ball-striking skills, and his decision to skip warm-up competitions in favour of exhibition events could prove particularly shrewd.

His early draw looks favourable too, as out-of-form seeds Frances Tiafoe or Karen Khachanov would be his stiffest assignments before a potential quarter-final date with home favourite De Minaur or Andrey Rublev.

De Minaur is arguably performing better than ever but he has lost all five meetings with Sinner, winning only one set, while Rublev is forever the bridesmaid having lost in all nine of his Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.

With the ability to defeat Djokovic now proven, Sinner merits each-way support and followers can almost earn their full outright stake by backing the Italian to reach at least the semi-finals.

Carlos Alcaraz has won two of the last five Grand Slam titles and the 20-year-old, who was the only player to defeat Djokovic in major competition last season with his gripping Wimbledon success, could dominate the sport for the next decade.

However, the Spaniard clearly has conditioning to work on as he finished last season by losing five of his final nine matches.

Alcaraz, carrying the Spanish baton following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal, clearly has the ability to reign supreme but his wellbeing is taken a little on trust while his price is skinny enough, especially with the in-form Alexander Zverev in line to meet him.

If Alcaraz fails to come through the bottom half of the draw many will expect hard-court specialist Daniil Medvedev, runner-up in 2021 and 2022, to profit. But the Russian third seed has landed in a tricky quarter of the draw and he could be vulnerable against the rejuvenated Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16.

Dimitrov has flattered to deceive in recent years, given the power and potential he possesses, but the former world number three is starting to make up for lost time.

The Bulgarian finished last season with a run to the final of the Paris Masters, where he defeated Medvedev, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas before bumping into Djokovic.

The 32-year-old has started this season in a similar vein, defeating Holger Rune to claim silverware at the Brisbane International last week.

With confidence restored, Dimitrov, who also defeated Alcaraz in Shanghai in October, is a genuine dark horse and he appeals at the prices to upstage Medvedev in quarter three before potentially going on to challenge for the title.

Get £30 in Sky Bet free bets when you bet on the 2024 Australian Open

We’ve already mentioned that Sky Bet are offering £30 in tennis free bets.

You can follow these simple steps to grab £30 in free bets to place on our Australian Open tips – it's fast, secure and straightforward.

1. Head over to Sky Bet through this link and click the 'Get Bonus' button
2. Create your username and password
3. Place a minimum deposit of £5 and then place a bet at odds of 2.0 (Evs) or greater with a minimum stake of 5p
4. Your free bets will be credited as three £10 free bet tokens

Sky Bet tennis betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new tennis betting sign-up offer before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the tennis free bets offer and what's expected of you as a new customer.

• New customers only
• Applies to first single & each-way bet only 
• 5p minimum stake
• Odds of 2.0 (Evs) or greater
• 3 x £10 bet tokens
• Free bet stakes not included in returns
• Free bets exclude virtuals
• Free bets are non-withdrawable
• Free bets expire after 30 days
• Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply
• 18+. Begambleaware.org

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