What Happened in Tennis in 2023?

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek stood above the rest, and bettors cashed her tennis betting odds throughout the year.

Still the King

Djokovic made the final in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, winning three.

His lone defeat came at Wimbledon to Carlos Alcaraz, who looked like he was going to take over from Djokovic, but that didn’t eventuate.

The Serbian didn’t slow at the ripe age of 36, and those who took his odds at the sportsbook cashed.

Because there was plenty of attention with Alcaraz, Djokovic wasn’t always the favorite to win the likes of the US Open.

With his win at Flushing Meadows, he tied Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles, so he’s still playing his best tennis.

It’s about time a younger player dethroned the champion, but he has a bigger desire to win than his opponents. That’s what sets him apart, and Djokovic’s play in 2023 was the highlight of the year.

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Swiatek Takes Honours

The best WTA player was Iga Swiatek, who was overtaken by Aryna Sabalenka at one stage. However, Swiatek showed much better poise in the big matches.

Sabalenka was a perennial choker in the big moments, and with Swiatek’s third French Open title, plus the season-ending WTA Finals, she was the one to follow with betting online markets.

2023 Player of the Year 👏

World No.1 @iga_swiatek has been voted as the WTA Player of the Year for the second year in a row! Winning a tour-leading six titles. pic.twitter.com/KNCaRXqkrM

— wta (@WTA) December 11, 2023

She won the WTA Finals without dropping a set, and she lost 20 games throughout the tournament. When she’s playing well, there isn’t a player on the WTA circuit that can stop her.

She’s 22 years old, which makes it more impressive, and she could get better. There are times when she’s not playing her best, but to win 68 matches in a calendar year is a credit to her class.

Coco Gauff Breaks Through

American teenager Coco Gauff was the breakthrough player of the year in our eyes.

She had always shown promise but never delivered on the big stage, until she won the US Open.

She went 18-1 throughout the American hard-court swing, including picking up titles at the Citi Open and Cincinnati Open.

Gauff was riding the crest of a wave during that period, and she ended the season with a career-high No. 3 ranking.

We were keen on her tennis odds for the US Open, and she didn’t let us down. She silenced the doubters.

“Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said. “Like a month ago, I won a (tour) title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago I won a (tour) title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get. So three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now.”

Gauff is a player worth following in 2024. We expect tennis betting markets to have her odds much shorter than usual, but she’ll still be a good bet on the hard courts.

Longest winning streak on the WTA tour this year, well done @CocoGauff 😎👏

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— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 5, 2023

Sinner Makes Impact

Jannik Sinner is on the rise, and his 2023 proved as much.

The 22-year-old Italian had gone through the motions of being a young tennis star. He didn’t win on the big stage, but he had many good performances at the Grand Slams.

However, it now looks like he could challenge Djokovic for a title in 2024.

He ended the season by beating Djokovic during group play at the ATP Finals, which broke a 19-match winning streak for the Serb.

Alcaraz believes Sinner will be world No. 1 next year.

“I think he’s going to reach No. 1 in 2024 or he’s going to give himself the chance to reach the No. 1,” Alcaraz said.

That’s high praise from a man who is likely to be the next No. 1, which goes to show how much belief in Sinner his opponents have.

He was one of the better bets in 2023, and we don’t see that changing in 2024.