The highly-anticipated Australian Open 2023 is coming in a couple of months. Dubbed "the happy slam," the event slated to begin in January has tennis players, both male and female, across all tournaments and events gearing up. The 2022 Australian Open saw $75,000,000 prizes on the line. The 2023 Open may see even more money at stake.

This article discusses the readiness of players and teams, available odds, and important Australian Open tips for bettors.

What is the Australian Open?

The Australian Open is a prestigious, highly-anticipated tennis tournament held every year. The tournament is played at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia. The Open is the first in a series of Grand Slam tennis tournaments which happens every year, as well. The Australian Open is the first of the Grand Slam tennis events as the tournament is held every January, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.

Out of all four Grand Slam tennis events, the Australian Open has the highest number of attendance, with the 2020 Open tournament recording over 812,000 people.

The Australian Open Schedule

The Australian Open is scheduled to begin in the middle of January. The tournament lasts for two weeks, occurring simultaneously with the Australia Day holiday.

The event headlines men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; junior's championships; and wheelchair, legends, and, in addition, exhibition events.

Betting Odds

All sports betting sites are ready for the excitement of the Australian Open. Many old and brand-new betting sites have released odds for all categories, teams, players, and rounds of the tournament. Paddy Power gives Djokovic 6/4 odds which puts him as the favorite to win. This win, however, depends on if he will be allowed by the Australian government to participate.

Medvedev comes with an 11/4 odds to win by the majority of betting sites, which places him as a strong competitor behind Djokovic. Rafael Nadal has 7/1 odds, slightly placing him as an outsider.

Medvedev experienced a surprising defeat from Nick Kyrgios during the round of 16 of the U.S. Open, despite starting the tournament strong and beginning with an early lead. This puts him in a desperate position to perform much better in the Australian Open and prove a point. Djokovic's presence as a strong competitor will also be a sort of motivation for him to perform better than in the U.S. Open. This may alter the odds each player is given, as competition will certainly arise, considering Nadal will also be participating in the tournament.

Players

All players across all categories are gearing up for this monumental tournament. Medvedev, one of the players confirmed to be participating in the Australian Open 2023 has not been in the greatest form. He lost the U.S. Open and was forced out of the competition early in the round of 16. He also lost the Moselle Open in the round of 16 and the Astana Open, he made it to the semifinals, but lost to Djokovic and had to retire due to an injury sustained in Astana.

The surprising turn came when Medvedev declared he would be participating in the Australian Open. Many believe it is about time he gets back at his opponents for his many losses, and if Djokovic is unable to appeal his ban from entering Australia and participating in the event, Medvedev would be an obvious favorite to win the Australian Open.

Medvedev is known to have struggled under the pressure of being the world's number one tennis player and the same might occur again if all eyes are on him as a favorite to win the tournament. Having Djokovic as competition will certainly help in keeping Medvedev's eyes and mind on the prize.

Spanish international Rafael Nadal has attained legendary status in tennis and is a top favorite for every Grand Slam event he participates in. He is the only player that has won the highest number of Grand Slams for a single player, having 22 Grand Slam wins. His closest competition Djokovic comes in with 21 Grand Slam wins, and with a record this close, Djokovic would be desperate to tie his record in Australia in 2023.

The long-standing rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic has been exciting to watch, and if Djokovic is allowed to participate, it would be the best tennis competition in recent times.

Nick Kyrgios is an outside favorite to win the Open, but to do so, he will have to keep a tight lid on his temper and keep his cool.

Djokovic has also been prepping up to be a part of the event and hopefully will be given a chance.