We’re looking full steam ahead to the 2023 tennis season — specifically which men's and women’s players will end the new year ranked the world’s best. There’s a big futures market on that bet, which we’ll cover at length here. Keep reading to get our best bets to finish 2023 as No.1!
Men’s Singles: Best Bet To Be No. 1 By End of 2023
Carlos Alcaraz is the current No. 1 — the youngest men’s player to finish a year in the spot being all of 19 years old. He’ll have stiff competition to be in the same spot a year from now. Take a look at the current odds for men's No. 1 ranking in 2023, as listed by the top-used tennis betting sites:
| Player |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | -125 | -125 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | +200 | +200 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +500 | +500 |
| Rafael Nadal | +1200 | +1200 |
| Nick Kyrgios | +1800 | +1800 |
| Alexander Zverev | +2000 | +2000 |
Alcaraz's ascent in 2022 came at the expense of the “old guard” aka the Big Three. Djokovic had a volatile year — mostly off the court as his unvaccinated status got him banned from multiple events and unleashed limitless scrutiny. Then there was Nadal, who did claim two Grand Slam titles. However, an injury slowed him down in the back half of the year. If not, Nadal could own the No. 1 ranking right now. And then there’s Roger Federer, who is now retired.
Alcaraz isn’t the only new face that’ll be fending off the now “Big Two.” Other using stars to look out for are Taylor Fitz and Nick Kyrgios. This new school vs old school narrative could dominate 2023, but you know what? We still think the old school has the upper hand. This is why we’re stuck between betting on Djokovic or Nadal here.
Retirement rumors have swirled over Nadal the last month, but we’re not buying it. This man is half a year removed from his 14th French Open title, a tournament he looked as unbeatable as ever. He’s had time to heal over the past few months, and we expect Nadal to pick up where he left off once into 2023, where he’ll be defending his Australian Open title.
And then there’s Djokovic. With COVID behind us, we can at least get back to normal with the all-time great. And if normal is anything like the 2022 ATP Finals, then watch out! Djokovic dominated the field en route to victory, giving him much-needed momentum going into the new year. The Australian Open is his best tourney and we’d expect him to be the betting favorite to win a year after being banned from it.
This isn’t an easy betting choice, but our gut tells us to wager with Djokovic. We just think he has a bigger fire underneath him. A fire to right the wrongs of 2022 and also catch Nadal for most Grand Slam titles of all time. Therefore, we’re wagering with Djokovic here and waiting patiently until next January 1, 2024, to cash out this wager.
Women’s Singles: Best Bet To Be No. 1 By End of 2023
We jump over to the women’s side now. If you look at the odds underneath, you’ll notice the women’s No. 1 ranking bet is a lot less open-ended than the men’s. There’s one runaway favorite and then a host of distance contenders:
| Player | | |
|---|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | -300 | -300 |
| Ons Jabeur | +1000 | +1000 |
| Aryna Sabalenka | +1200 | +1200 |
| Cori Gauff | +1400 | +1400 |
| Jessica Pegula | +1400 | +1400 |
| Caroline Garcia | +1600 | +1600 |
No one should be surprised by just how big of a betting favorite Swiatek is. Honestly, she was historically good during 2022. The 21-year-old finished atop the WTA rankings with 11,085 points, the second highest year-end No.1 in the rankings’ history, trailing only Serena Williams’ 2013 campaign(13,260). Swiatek’s year included two Grand Slams and a 37-match unbeaten streak too.
Swiatek didn't end 2021 on a super high note, though. At the WTA Finals, she suffered a surprise defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal. But honestly, we’re not deterred by it. It was a throwaway event anyway, and more a sign of fatigue than anything else.
You’d be crazy not to bet on Swiatek to keep her No. 1 spot next year. However, we’re not super in love with Swiatek's -300 betting line. Let’s be real, you won’t make much money off a line like that. Therefore, we’ll actually be putting money on someone else. Not because we’re doubting Swiatek (we’re definitely not), but it’s a smart betting strategy to find hidden value elsewhere.
If not Swiatek, then who? We’re going with Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. She is currently No. 2 in the rankings and is knocking on Swiatek’s door. Jabeur’s 2022 season included a pair of titles (Madrid and Berlin), but perhaps more memorable, two Grand Slam Finals defeats. She’ll need to win a couple of those to surpass Swiatek in 2023, which we believe is plausible. Plus, Jabeur's +1000 betting line is a steal.
How To Bet On 2023 Tennis Futures
Who finishes ranked No. 1 is only one 2023 tennis betting future you can wager on right now. There’s a host of others, including who takes next year’s Grand Slam titles, which begin in January with the Australian Open. To get in on these bets, hit one of the bookmakers listed underneath. The sites you see here were rated highly in our unbiased sportsbook reviews.
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