Australian Open Tennis: Best Post-Draw Futures and Win Bets

The beginning of a new year means the first Grand Slam of the tennis season is right around the corner. The first round of the Australian Open begins on Sunday, January 12th.

The main draws were unveiled this week, and Men's Australian Open 2025 futures and Women's Australian Open 2025 futures are up on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Which futures bets stand out before the first round gets underway?

Best Australian Open Men's and Women's Futures Bets

Novak Djokovic to Win (+600)

For years, many speculated when the young guns would finally overtake the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer (and to some extent Andy Murray, too), yet season after season, they continued to dominate the majors with seemingly no end in sight.

Fast forward to now and only Djokovic remains, and the changing of the guard has been set in motion, led by young superstars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Novak's previous aura of invincibility in Grand Slams has finally begun to fade. Last season marked just the second time since 2011 that he failed to win at least one major with Sinner and Alcaraz each winning two apiece.

Still, it might be too soon to write off Novak, particularly at this number and at this event.

Djokovic is a mind-boggling 10-time Australian Open champion, and as recently as last year, he was a -110 favorite to win the tournament. While he ultimately had a "down" year, he still went 37-9 and won a gold medal -- one of the few things that had previously eluded him across a career littered with milestones. The fact he earned that medal by defeating Alcaraz in a high-level match on clay likely made it that much sweeter.

Public models remain bullish on Djokovic, as well. He enters 2025 still ranked second overall in Tennis Abstract's Elo ratings, and Massey Ratings places him third. He's also brought in former rival Andy Murray as a coach, and while it's unclear what kind of impact (if any) that will have, it's possible this surprising collaboration gives Novak the extra fire he needs to keep competing for majors at age 37.

Admittedly, Novak has a tough draw. Not only will he likely need to face Alcaraz before the final, but due to him being just the 7 seed, they would collide in the quarterfinals. In a worst-case scenario, he would have to survive a gauntlet against Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Sinner to lift the trophy, meaning he would have to topple all three top seeds.

While that's a brutal path, upsets happen all the time in Grand Slams, so this outcome isn't set in stone. The unlucky draw has also lengthened his odds, arguably opening up some value.

Ultimately, this event will tell us a lot about Djokovic's prospects in 2025. It's entirely possible he'll struggle compete with Sinner and Alcaraz going forward, and in the end, his 25th major title could elude him.

But if something close to the 2023 version of Djokovic -- who won three of the four majors -- is still in there, then this number might look a little silly when it's all said and done, and that's something to consider taking a chance on.

If Djokovic isn't game, it's harder to see another player taking out Sinner or Alcaraz for this title. However, there could be value in backing Taylor Fritz To Reach the Semi Finals - Quarter 2 (+290) to see if he can build on last year's runner-up finish at the US Open.

Coco Gauff to Win (+500)

Coco Gauff is another contender with a difficult path to the trophy, but this once again could be a buying opportunity.

While the 2023 US Open champion failed to add a second major title last season in an uneven campaign, she finished on an extremely high note, winning a title at Beijing in September and then wrapping up things up by coming out on top at the WTA Finals with wins over Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, and Qinwen Zheng.

All of this success coincides with Gauff moving on from coach Brad Gilbert and hiring new coach Matt Daly following a disappointing fourth-round exit at last year's US Open. Overall, she's now 18-2 since making the change, which includes going 5-0 at the 2025 United Cup with straight-sets wins over Karolina Muchova and Swiatek.

However, her draw could be a tough hurdle to overcome.

Right off the bat, Coco will face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round, and while Kenin has fallen off considerably in the years since that title -- coming in ranked just 81st -- she did beat Gauff at 2023 Wimbledon in three sets.

After that, Gauff could later face either Muchova or Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, following by Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals and then Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.

While that's quite the list of potential opponents, as we've seen over her last matches, she's game to beat anyone these days, and the last time we saw her go on this kind of run in the summer of 2023, she won her first Grand Slam title.

Much like it was noted with Djokovic's draw, upsets can and will happen -- particularly on the women's side in best-of-three matches -- so chances are pretty good that Coco won't have to face all these players.

Tennis Abstract gives Gauff a 17.5% chance to win the title, whereas these odds imply a 16.7% chance, suggesting we're getting value backing Gauff at this price.

If you're not sold on Coco making it through, there could also be value in backing world No. 2 Swiatek (+480) at roughly the same price, as Tennis Abstract gives her an even better championship probability (23.6%). Elena Rybakina (+850) is also intriguing as a former Grand Slam champion who's still inside the top five of Tennis Abstract's Elo ratings.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.