Wimbledon 2022: Betting & Contenders Guide

June 23, 2022 | 8:01 pm

Nick Kyrgios will bid to prove he is the world’s best grass-court player when he heads to London to compete at Wimbledon next week.

The outspoken star made that provocative claim last month when explaining his decision to skip the clay-court season this year. That has caused him to slip down to 45th in the world rankings, so he will be unseeded at Wimbledon, but Kyrgios insists he has the necessary weapons to vanquish his opponents.

He leads a strong Australian contingent featuring the likes of Alex de Minaur, Ajla Tomljanovic and wildcard Daria Saville. They will pit their wits against some of the world’s best players during two frantic weeks at Wimbledon. Read on to learn more about it.

Wimbledon 2022 Preview

The build-up to Wimbledon has been shrouded in controversy after the All-England Lawn Tennis Club decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing. The decision was taken in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus has supported.

It means that Daniil Medvedev, the world’s No. 1 player, will not be taking part in the tournament. World No. 8 Andrey Rublev is also barred, along with Aslan Karatsev and Karen Khachanov.

The men’s singles tournament has also been hit by injuries. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is out after leaving Roland-Garros in a wheelchair earlier this month. Roger Federer, the most successful male player in Wimbledon history, is also sidelined. However, Rafa Nadal – who has already won the French Open and Australian Open this year – has recovered from a foot injury in time to compete.

The ATP and WTA responded to the decision to ban Russian athletes by stripping Wimbledon of ranking points. Some say that has turned it into a glorified exhibition, although it is still a Grand Slam, with a record £40,350,000 (A$71,520,000) in prize money, up 15% from last year.

The women’s tournament looks a lot healthier, but reigning champion Ashleigh Barty will not be taking part. The Queenslander retired at the age of 25 earlier this year following her Australian Open triumph, blowing the women’s game wide open. Iga Swiatek has stepped up to become world No. 1, but Tomljanovic is among a large group of players aiming to dethrone her.

When is the Wimbledon men’s final 2022?

The men’s final will take place on Sunday 10 July. The action normally starts at around 2pm local time, which is midnight AEST.

When is the Wimbledon Women’s final 2022?

The women’s final takes place the previous day – Saturday 9 July. It also typically begins at around 2pm GMT, so you will need to stay up late to watch the action back home.

Wimbledon 2022 Men’s Contenders & Their Betting Odds

>> Wimbledon 2022 futures betting markets

Novak Djokovic ($1.80)

Djokovic is the defending champion after sweeping Matteo Berrettini in last year’s final. However, he has endured a difficult year thus far. He was deported from Australia in January following a row over his vaccine status, meaning he could not compete in the first Grand Slam of the year, and he then lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals of the French Open. Yet the Serbian superstar has a tremendous record at Wimbledon, having won 89% of his matches there and lifted the trophy six times, so he is seen as the man to beat this year.

Matteo Berrettini ($7.00)

Last year’s beaten finalist goes into the tournament as the eighth seed after securing some strong results this year. He went to the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the last eight at Roland-Garros. Grass is his best service, so he could capitalise if Djokovic is rusty.

Rafael Nadal ($8.00)

Nadal is now two Grand Slams clear of Djokovic and Federer in the race to become the most decorated male tennis player in history. He has only won Wimbledon twice – in 2008 and 2010 – and he has been struggling with a foot condition, so he is not the favourite for this tournament, but you can never write the tireless Spaniard off.

Carlos Alcaraz ($11.00)

Many pundits view Alcaraz as Nadal’s heir apparent as the world’s clay-court king. He beat Zverev to win the Madrid Open earlier this year, but he is yet to prove that he can translate that form onto grass. He only has one previous Wimbledon appearance under his belt, having lost to Medvedev in the second-round last year.

Hubert Hurkacz ($17.00)

Hurkacz beat Medvedev and Federer en route to reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year. He has won 70% of his matches at SW19, which is a vastly better record than he has managed at the Australian Open, US Open or French Open. He is the seventh seed this year.

Felix Auger-Aliassime ($21.00)

The Canadian prodigy has been consistent at Grand Slams over the past year. He was a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2021, and he then went to the semi-finals of the US Open and the quarter-finals of the Australian Open at the start of 2022. He is 6-2 in eight matches at Wimbledon, and he goes into this year’s tournament as the sixth seed.

Nick Kyrgios ($26.00)

Kyrgios has never been past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. He reached that stage of the tournament as a wildcard in 2014, when he lost to Milos Raonic in four sets. He went to the fourth round in the previous two years, but he has not made it past the third round since 2016. His record at Wimbledon is 15-7, but Kyrgios claims he feels better than ever this year.

Wimbledon 2022 Women’s Contenders & Their Betting Odds

>> Wimbledon 2022 futures betting markets

Iga Swiatek ($2.60)

Swiatek assumed the mantle of world No. 1 after Barty’s shock retirement earlier this year. She lived up to her billing by winning the French Open in June, and now she will bid for her first Wimbledon title and she is the heavy favourite. However, she has never been past the fourth round, so the women’s singles looks wide open.

Cori Gauff ($11.00)

Gauff announced herself to the world at Wimbledon in 2019. She was just 15 years old when she beat the legendary Venus Williams in the first round that year. The American star has now turned 18, and she went all the way to the final of the French Open earlier this month. She lost to Swiatek, but she could turn the tables on grass.

Ons Jabeur ($11.00)

Jabeur is the third seed at Wimbledon after clinching her first WA 1000 title in Madrid last month. She was a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year, and she has been on an upward curve since then.

Simona Halep ($17.00)

Halep won the French Open in 2018, and she destroyed Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final the following year. Since then, she has gone off the boil somewhat, but she remains one of the world’s best players, capable of beating anyone when she is in the zone. Wimbledon was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and she was absent last year, so she has not played in the tournament since beating Williams. This could be the perfect springboard for her to return to the top of the women’s game.

Belinda Bencic ($21.00)

The Swiss star has won six singles titles, including a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games, but she has never turned it on at a Grand Slam. She was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon last year, so she will need to generate a major upturn in form.

Karolina Pliskova ($21.00)

Pliskova reached the final of Wimbledon last year. She ultimately lost 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 to Barty, but she could now benefit from her rival’s retirement decision. Pliskova is the seventh seed, and her quick, aggressive style is well-suited to grass, so she could be dangerous.

Serena Williams ($21.00)

Williams’ last Grand Slam triumph came at the Australian Open in 2017. She was pregnant at the time, which made her victory all the more remarkable. Williams returned to action more than a year later, and she has finished runner-up twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open since then, but she has been unable to add to her tally of 23 Grand Slams. She only needs one to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24, and the 40-year-old veteran will naturally be keen to achieve that feat at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Key Stats & Trends

Novak Djokovic is the only men’s player to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles in the past decade.
Nineteen of the last 20 men’s finalists were ranked inside the top 9. The only exception was Djokovic, who was ranked 21st in 2017 after a long absence.
Eight of the last 10 men’s winners were ranked inside the world’s top 3.
All of the past 10 winners had previously won a Grand Slam, and they had all won at least 74% of their grass court matches.
Seven of the last 10 Wimbledon men’s winners reached the final of the Australian Open the same year.
Nineteen of the last 20 women’s finalists were in the top 25 in the world rankings. Serena Williams was the exception on her comeback in 2018.
The last 10 women’s champions were inside the top 15.
Eight of the last 10 women’s winners had won a previous Grand Slam.