ATP 2023 Grand Slams: Odds, Analysis and Long Shot

Will We Have a Grand Slam Winner in 2023 After Win of Australian OpenThe first tennis major is in the rearview mirror with wins by Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. The two are drastically different when it comes to grand slam titles as Djokovic just tied Rafael Nadal for the all-time men’s record with 22 wins while Sabalenka claimed her first title.

Now the question turns, as it has so often at the end of January, to whether or not one of the Australian Open winners can win all four majors and claim a Grand Slam. Players, including Djokovic, have held all four titles at the same time. No man has won all four in the same calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969, and no woman has done so since Steffi Graf in 1988.

Will one of these two Australian Open champions break the streak and win the 2023 Grand Slam? One of them has a much better chance than the other. Let’s take a look at their chances from MyBookie.

Will We Have a Grand Slam Winner in 2023 After Win of Australian Open?

Djokovic Favored in All Slams

The tennis year is a long one with many variables. One bad match, one small injury, and elements out of your control can end any tournament run and chance to complete a grand slam.

Last year, Djokovic wasn’t allowed to play in the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, and numerous other tournaments due to his lack of a vaccination. With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, Djokovic will likely be able to play throughout the season in 2023. With that said, he’s currently the favorite in all three remaining slams.

The closest Djokovic has come to completing the Grand Slam was in 2021, when he won the first three but lost in the U.S. Open final to Danill Medvedev. He completed the “Nole Slam” in 2015-16, winning Wimbledon and U.S. in 2015 and Australian and French in 2016 to hold all four titles at the same time. He also won three of the four titles in 2011 and 2015, missing the French both times.

The biggest challenge to a Djokovic Slam in 2023 comes at the French Open in May. Djokovic is the favorite with a +156 moneyline at MyBookie. Carlos Alcaraz (+171) and Rafael Nadal (+250) are right behind him.

Nadal has won the French 14 times, more than any other player has won a single tournament, but he left Melbourne injured. Alcaraz, 19, is also hurt and skipped the Australian Open. The 2022 U.S. champ won three tournaments on clay last year, and if he can get back to 100% before May, he will be a force in Paris.

Djokovic is a massive favorite at Wimbledon, where he’s a two-time defending champion. MyBookie has him at +107, and no other player is better than +700, with Matteo Berrettini, Alcaraz, Nadal, and Medvedev all between +700 and +800.

The U.S. Open is always a major variable. If Djokovic has all three titles in the trophy case, like he did in 2021, the pressure really cranks up. In addition, he has just three titles in New York and none since 2018.

The U.S. Open has also had five different champions in the last five years, including a three straight first-time slam champions in Dominic Thiem (2020), Medvedev (2021), and Alcaraz (2022). Djokovic is +132 to win the U.S. Open, with Medvedev at +300 and Alcaraz at +350

Even when he had a near-perfect season in 2015, Djokovic lost the U.S. Open final and couldn’t complete the slam. He has the best chances, but it’s still a long shot to win all four slams in the same season at the age of 36.

Sabalenka a Long Shot

On the women’s side, Sabalenka is a long shot to accomplish something that even the great Serena Williams never did. After claiming her first career major in Melbourne, Sabalenka isn’t favored to win another major title in 2023. While she has made the semifinals in her career at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the 24-year-old has never been past the third round at the French Open and has won just one professional tournament on a clay court.

The No. 1 ranked player in the world, Iga Swiatek, is the favorite at each of the remaining slams. A three-time champion, Swiatek is +118 at the French Open, where Sabalenka has the sixth-best odds at +1425.

Sabalenka is +750 on MyBookie at the Wimbledon Championships, third on the list. Swiatek is the favorite at +410, while defending champion, and Australian runner-up Elena Rybakina is +620. Swiatek, the 2022 winner, is +240 at the U.S. Open, with Sabalenka at +700 and Rybakina at +800.

Sabalenka is a strong contender to make another major final this year, likely at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. But she isn’t a favorite to win another major, and her lack of success on clay makes a season-long Grand Slam a very long shot.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?