Daniil Medvedev Now +185 Favorite to Win US Open After Novak Djokovic Disqualified
By Robert Duff in Tennis
Published:
- Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev is the +185 favorite to win the men’s singles title at the US Open
- Defending champion Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the tournament on Sunday
- Find out below who we think you should bet on now that Djokovic is out
Has the ouster of Novak Djokovic created the path that will finally lead Daniil Medvedev to his first Grand Slam title?
The oddsmakers believe that to be the case. Russian Medvedev is now the +185 favorite to win the men’s singles title in the US Open odds.
Previously-favored Djokovic was bounced from the event on Sunday via disqualification after striking a line judge with a ball.
Medvedev faces American Frances Tiafoe Monday in fourth-round action (7pm ET).
US Open Men’s Singles Odds
| Player | Odds at Bet365 |
|---|---|
| Daniil Medvedev | +185 |
| Alexander Zverev | +333 |
| Dominic Thiem | +400 |
| Denis Shapovalov | +900 |
| Matteo Berretini | +1200 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | +1300 |
| Borna Coric | +1600 |
| Andrey Rublev | +2000 |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | +3000 |
| Alex De Minaur | +3300 |
| Vasek Pospisil | +5000 |
| Frances Tiafoe | +8000 |
Odds as of Sept. 7th
Last year, Medvedev lost the US Open final 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 4-6 to Rafael Nadal. It was the Russian’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final.
Djokovic Did A Bad Thing
Angered by his inability to close out the first set of his match with Spanish opponent Pablo Carreno Busta, Djokovic took his frustrations out on a tennis ball. He smacked a ball backwards from the baseline after Carreno Busta broke his service to leave the set at 5-6.
The ball struck a female line judge in the throat. The horror in the reaction on Djokovic’s face was immediate.
So was his dismissal from the tournament. The top seed and pre-tournament odds-on -125 chalk to win the US Open, Djokovic’s fate was sealed. He was defaulted from the event.
Social media warriors pounded their keyboards, claiming Djokovic’s ouster was too harsh a punishment. Conspiracy theorists claimed it was revenge for Djokovic’s announcement this week of plans to form a new men’s-only players association.
In reality, it was all there in black and white. The rules of tennis clearly state that “actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences” result in the immediate defaulting of a player from the event.
Medvedev Making Short Work
Through three rounds of play, Medvedev hasn’t dropped a set. In third-round action he dispatched American JJ Wolf 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 48 minutes.
Last year, in making his initial Grand Slam final appearance, Medvedev was required to work four sets for victory in the second, third and fourth rounds.
Against Wolf, Medvedev served 13 aces while making only 10 unforced errors in the match. He also held the edge in winners by a 33-29 count.
The two-time Masters 1000 champion reached the semifinals of last week’s Western & Southern Open. As for his fourth-round opponent, earlier this year, Medvedev defeated Tiafoe in the opening round of the Australian Open 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Canadian Content
At last year’s US Open, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu shocked the tennis world by winning the women’s singles title. If you like betting trends, the men’s draw still goes three-deep in Canadians.
🇨🇦 Denis Shapovalov asked for some hockey tape in the middle of his #USOpen match. 😂 pic.twitter.com/ARtutKGZkB
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 7, 2020
Vasek Pospisil and #15 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime play today in fourth-round action. Denis Shapovalov, the 12-seed, is through to the quarterfinals. At +900, Shapovalov wouldn’t be a bad value play.
It’s Medvedev’s Time
With Djokovic out and Nadal and Roger Federer not competing, the US Open will have an inaugural winner for the first time since 2014.
One of these players will win his 1st Grand Slam on sunday:
🆕 Carreno-Busta
🆕 Shapovalov
🆕 Goffin
🆕 Coric
🆕 Thompson
🆕 Zverev
🆕 Berrettini
🆕 Rublev
🆕 Tiafoe
🆕 Medvedev
🆕 Pospisil
🆕 De Minaur
🆕 Thiem
🆕 Auger-AliassimeWho? pic.twitter.com/r9Y8PDBPGW
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) September 7, 2020
It’s hard to look past Medvedev as the guy who’ll do it. He and Dominic Thiem are the only players left who’ve played in a Grand Slam singles final.
Thiem owns a 2-1 edge over Medvedev. They’re 1-1 on hard-court surfaces.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev (+185).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
