The first tennis Grand Slam of the year has come and gone. Now the countdown to the Indian Wells tournament begins. March will see the best male and female players battling it out in this Masters tournament with betting opportunities galore.
First played in 1974, Indian Wells has become one of the most important events on the tennis calendar. Sportsbooks will be offering plenty of odds on the tournament. This is a Masters event, that’s the level just below Grand Slam events.
Gamblers usually bet on events that are exclusively for male or female players. Just as is with the case with a Grand Slam, both men’s and women’s singles tournaments take place at Indian Wells.
The pandemic has disrupted this event in the past couple of years. Those of us used to betting on this event in March have seen that changed. In 2020, Indian Wells didn’t take place at all. Last year, the tournament took place in October. This year it’s back to March between the 7th and 20th.
Canada will be well represented in the men’s singles. Both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will be playing. If you fancy placing some wagers on these players, then check out the betting offers in Canada to get the best deals at bet365.
The defending champion in the men’s singles tournament will be Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The tournament was an absolute minefield for those betting on it. For the first time in an ATP Masters 1000 event, all the semi-finalists were ranked outside the top 25. Gamblers are used to women’s singles tournaments being unpredictable, but this was a real shocker for a men’s event.
Norrie hasn’t made a good start to the new year. He’s still 13th in the world rankings but after a first-round exit at the Australian Open, he’s lost all four of his matches played this year. He’s due in the USA this month for the Delray Beach Open. Hopefully, that will see an improvement in form and give a good guide on whether to bet on him at Indian Wells.
Betting on the top seed to win the men’s singles at Indian Wells can be risky. Not since 2016 has one gone on to win the title. That was Novak Djokovic, who was winning at Indian Wells for the fifth time and the third year in a row. He no doubt pleased all of those who backed him to win the title.
Will he be the top seed this year though? He’s battling to keep that position with Daniil Medvedev pushing him hard. The Russian was the top seed at Indian Wells last year but those betting on him were to be disappointed. He lost in the fourth round to the 23rd seeded Grigor Dimitrov.
That fourth round last year is his best in the tournament. No doubt he’ll be looking to get another big win in America after defying the odds to become US champion last year.
The 2021 women’s champion was Paula Badosa from Spain. Those betting on the players seeded in the top ten were in for a disappointing time. Not one of them made it to the quarter finals. The final saw Badosa (seeded 21st) beat the 27th seeded Victoria Azarenka, who was bidding to win the title for the third time in her career.
Hopefully this year there will be a stronger field for this event. The top seed in 2021 was Karolina Pliskova just ahead of Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova. Of the top ten seeds, only Angelique Kerber (10th) reached the quarter finals.
World number one Ashleigh Barty pleased those who bet on her by winning the Australian Open title in January. Only twice has the Australian played this event and not since 2019 when reaching the fourth round. That’s her best performance at Indian Wells but if playing this year, it’s a good bet she’ll go further.
Aryna Sabalenka is the world number two and like Barty hasn’t played at Indian Wells since 2019. Her best performance is the fourth round, but it’s been a disappointing year for her so far. The Belarusian hasn’t made it past the last 16 in three events. More worrying for anyone who fancies betting on her, the three defeats have come against players all ranked outside the top 90 at the time.
Naomi Osaka won Indian Wells in 2018 and is a former US Open winner. If she plays this year, Osaka is unlikely to be seeded. Losing her Australian Open title in January has seen her slip down to 85th in the world. Anyone drawn to play her in the first round is going to have a tough time. Indian Wells is a great tournament to watch and bet on. Look for more upsets this year but two weeks of exciting tennis.