Wimbledon 2023: Not even Carlos Alcaraz can keep Novak Djokovic from tennis history
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle, a weekly column by Bet For The Win senior writer Prince J. Grimes.
The 2023 Wimbledon tournament began Monday, and all eyes are on Novak Djokovic, who can break a tie with Serena Williams for the most Grand Slam wins by a man or woman in the Open Era and tie Margaret Court for the most all-time.
Betting odds favor Djokovic to get it done, with DraftKings setting him as a -175 favorite and FanDuel giving him -190 odds. It’s with good reason. In addition to all his previous titles, the 36-year-old is still the world No. 2 ranked player after winning this year’s previous two majors, including the French Open in June.
In fact, Djokovic has won each of the last three Grand Slams he’s participated dating back to last year’s Wimbledon. Now, the reigning champ can become just the sixth man or woman ever to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1988, with another win in The Championships and a title at the U.S. Open in September.
The one person oddsmakers give a chance to come between Djokovic and all that history is the No. 1 player, Carlos Alcaraz (+380).
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For anyone betting small sums of money on The Championships, Alcaraz is the man they’ll want to put that money on because of the potential of a better payout. And he has a chance. His past success at Wimbledon includes appearances in the final in 2021 and the round of 16 in 2022. But bettors shouldn’t be especially confident this is the year he gets over the hump.
For all the deserved hype that follows the talented 20-year-old, his last Grand Slam loss was to Djokovic in the French Open semis. Now, he’s attempting to dethrone the champ on a court Djokovic has dominated since 2018, winning every Wimbledon tournament in that time. Overall, Djokovic has won seven of the last 11 Wimbledon men’s singles titles.
That’s as close to a lock you can get in tennis, and it’s why Djokovic is a safer bet, even if his odds don’t net the best return on your money.