Australian Open Best Bets: Federer, Pliskova, Medvedev futures are $$$

All figures from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Even money may seem like enough value, even for this 38-year-old, but since 2004, Federer has failed to reach the semifinals in Melbourne just twice. If that’s not enough to instill confidence, consider his competition within his quarter of the draw. To reach the semifinals, Federer will likely need to get through Hubert Hurkacz, either Grigor Dimitrov or Denis Shapovalov, and then either Fabio Fognini or Matteo Berrettini. His combined record against those five opponents is 15-1, with his only loss coming to Dimitrov last September at the US Open. Despite his age, Federer has shown few signs of slowing down, and has reached the semifinals in nine of his last 14 majors.

Pliskova just keeps getting better. A semifinalist in Melbourne last year, Pliskova enters the Australian Open in nearly perfect form, having dispatched Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys en route to the Brisbane title. In her semifinal win over Osaka, she served four aces in the final game, and she can trade groundstrokes with anyone. At +210 to win her quarter of the draw, a $10 bet wins you $21. With both Angelique Kerber and Kiki Bertens struggling with injuries, her draw could part like the Red Sea. Her trending UTR is currently 13.45, tied with Serena Williams for the top spot. This is not just a safe bet—it would be irresponsible to not wager on it.

In tennis, confidence isn’t just everything, it’s the only thing. If you believe you can win, you can. Over the past year, Medvedev has shown that in order to beat him, you will have to go to hell and back. Already one of the best movers on tour, the 6’6” Great Wall of Russia has flummoxed and infuriated seemingly every opponent he’s faced, short of Rafael Nadal. Medvedev treats his matches like a marathon, and the sweltering heat down under should only  help him in his quest to mentally and physically destroy his opponents. Andrey Rublev, Stan Wawrinka and John Isner potentially stand in his way, and his combined record against them is a bagel-tasty 6-0.