Rafael Nadal Will Not Be Playing Australian Open

Published on January 11th, 2013 7:49 pm EST
In the finals of the 2012 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic edged out Rafael Nadal in a thrilling affair to win his third Australian Open. The match was a long and tortuous affair, with Djokovic winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.

It was widely assumed that Djokovic and Nadal would be meeting again in this year's Finals. Unfortunately for fans of great tennis, Nadal will not be playing in this year's event, due to a stomach illness that delayed the rehabbing of his knee after surgery. So, without Nadal in the event, Djokovic will seemingly have a clear path to victory.

According to Las Vegas bookmakers, Novak Djokovic is currently listed at 1/1 to win the 2013 Australian Open. This means that a $100 bet on Djokovic would yield a total profit of $100 if he is able to take down the event.

Andy Murray, fresh off of an amazingly successful campaign in 2012, is seen as having the next best chance of winning the Open, as he is currently listed at 3/1 to win the entire event.

Roger Federer, who has won the Australian Open four times in the past (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) is currently listed at 5/1 to win.

Here are the odds of the top ten players based on likelihood of winning the event:

Novak Djokovic, 1/1
Andy Murray, 3/1
Roger Federer, 5/1
Juan Martin Del Potro, 18/1
David Ferrer, 25/1
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 40/1
Tomas Berdych, 40/1
Bernard Tomic, 50/1
Milos Raonic, 50/1
Grigor Dimitrov, 100/1

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Will Djokovic cruise to a victory without Rafael Nadal in the field, or will somebody take down the #1 ranked player in the world?