Men’s Tournament: Two Young Canadian Phenoms Can Make Some Noise, But Djokovic, Alcaraz & Nadal The Favorites
It’s not a stretch to say that when it comes to professional tennis players, the nation of Canada is entering its golden era.
Less than three years ago, a 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu defeated Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open finals. It was a milestone victory for Andreescu, who became the first Canadian tennis player to win one of the four Grand Slam singles (Wimbledon, Australian, French and US Opens.)
Milos Raonic was never able to build off a thrilling run to the 2016 Wimbledon Championships men’s singles final, where he fell to Andy Murray. But 23-year-old Denis Shapovalov and 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime suddenly give Canada some hope in bringing a men’s singles Wimbledon championship to the country.
Sports fans in Canada’s most populated province should know that online and mobile sports betting launched in Ontario back in April. You can play online casino games like poker and blackjack while also placing wagers on Wimbledon and other sporting events through major betting sites such as BetMGM sportsbook Ontario.
Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov are among the betting favorites to win the men’s Wimbledon tournament. Only five men’s players have better odds at DraftKings than Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, who are both listed at +1400.
It’s no surprise that Djokovic is the favorite at multiple sportsbooks. He has won each of the last three men’s singles Wimbledon tournaments (the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic), having defeated Matteo Berrettini in last year’s final.
19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has made some noise with a major breakout over the past year, having reached the third round of this year’s Australian Open and the quarters of the French Open.
Alcaraz is surging with momentum entering Wimbledon. He reached the second round of the 2021 Wimbledon Final, ultimately falling to Daniil Medvedev.
The ageless Rafael Nadal is coming off a thrilling French Open victory, having defeated Casper Ruud in the finals. With the victory, Nadal claimed his 22th Grand Slam singles — adding to his own prestigious record.
Nadal, 36, has two Wimbledon titles on his resume (2008 and 2010). The tournament hasn’t been awfully kind to him in recent years, but history has warned us to never bet against the legend.
Women’s Tournament: Iga ?wi?tek & Naomi Osaka Among Favorites Eyeing First Wimbledon Title
Ashleigh Barty’s abrupt retirement in March confirms that there will be a new women’s Wimbledon singles champion this year.
Iga Swiatek, who’s ranked No. 1 in the world, is widely regarded as the favorite to win the women’s tournament. ?wi?tek is coming off her second French Open win (the first was in 2020), having defeated Coco Gauff in the finals.
Swiatek advanced to the fourth round of the Wimbledon tournament last year, where she fell to Ons Jabeur.
Osaka, a two-time Australian Open champion (2019 and 2021) and two-time US Open (2018 and 2020) champion, has never advanced past the third round of Wimbledon. She was eliminated by Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber in the 2017 and 2018 tournaments, respectively.
The 24-year-old Osaka withdrew from last year’s Wimbledon tournament. In a statement, her agent said that Osaka was “taking some personal time with friends and family.”
The Williams sisters are not on the entry list for this year’s Wimbledon tournament. As such, it looks like the two icons who’ve combined for 12 Wimbledon championships (seven for Serena, five for Venus) will be absent from the 2022 tournament.
30-year-old Simona is just three years removed from a career-defining victory over Serena Williams at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, so one also can’t rule out the Romanian’s chances of going the distance again in 2022.
Gauff has consistently performed well at the grandest of stages, reaching this year’s French Open Final as well as the fourth round of the 2019 and 2021 Wimbledon tournaments. The 18-year-old certainly shouldn’t be ruled out as a contender for the title this year.
Kerber is another sleeper to keep an eye on in this tournament. The 34-year-old German star won the Wimbledon tournament four years ago, having defeated Serena Williams in the tournament finals.
Needless to say, the field is wide open in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. There is plenty of unpredictability heading into the 2022 Wimbledon Games, which will run from June 27 to July 10.
