2018 Australian Open Betting Preview: Cilic vs. Federer (Men’s Final)

Heading into any major tournament, there is always pressure on the top players to perform well and win the title. It’s probably fair to suggest that the pressure gets greater when you are the defending champion, and also when some of the other top players are either out or are coming into the event carry niggling injuries. Prior to the start of the first Grand Slam of the season, the opinion was that nobody can take Roger Federer’s place as the 2018 Australian Open lines favorite. After all, Andy Murray was forced to sit out after undergoing hip surgery, while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were heading into the tournament at less than 100% health. Throughout his career, Federer has been one of the coolest customers on the men’s tour, and if there was any sign that he was feeling the pressure of being the favorite to win here, he certainly did not show it. Roger is once again into the Australian Open Men’s Final where he will defend his crown against the #6 ranked Croatian player Marin Cilic. Are we in for a classic, or will Federer back the Tennis betting lines to ease his way to another title?

2018 Australian Open Betting Preview: Cilic vs. Federer (Men’s Final)

“I’m just happy I’m in the finals to be honest.” @rogerfederer wishes @HyeonChung a speedy recovery and turns his attention to his next opponent: Marin #Cilic.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/EFwIZGOOdm
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 26 de enero de 2018

When: Saturday, January 27 at TBD
Where: Melbourne Park, Australia
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
2018 Australian Open Betting Odds: Roger Federer -430 (Moneyline)

Why bet on Marin Cilic?

Age: 29 years
Turned pro: 2005
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 89 kg
Playing hand: Right-handed
Prize money: $20,944,791 USD

Cilic is coming into the final off of what was arguably his best performance of the 2018 Australian Open, a straight sets win over Kyle Edmund that took only 29 games to finish. Things are sure to be a whole lot tougher for the Croatian in the final, as he is up against a player that he has only beaten once in 9 attempts in his career. The good news for Cilic is that his lone win came on a hard court in the US Open back in 2014, but overall, Cilic is just 1-5 in matches against Federer on the hard court surface. If Cilic is to pull off the upset in the final, he is going to need to get his first serve working as well as it was in the semi-final against Edmund. Cilic dropped just 5 of 50 first serve points in that game, and he is going to need more of the same to knock off the champ.

Why bet on Roger Federer?

Age: 36 years
Turned pro: 1998
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 85 kg
Playing hand: Right-handed
Prize money: $111,885,682 USD

There is really nothing you can say about Roger Federer that has not been said already, as his career stats simply speak for themselves. If Federer wins over the weekend, he will have won 96 career singles titles, which is an absolutely astonishing number. You would think that things would get a little tougher now that Federer is 36 years old, but he has made things look very easy in Melbourne, reaching the final without dropping a single set.

Roger Federer comes in as the 2018 Australian Open Betting favorite to win the Men's Final.

Given his age, it is probably good that he has taken this path, and he should be incredibly well rested after playing a little more than a single set in the semi-final, with Hyeon Chung forced to retire early in the second. A win here would be the 20th Grand Slam title for Federer and his 6th Australian Open crown.

Australian Open Men’s Final Prediction

In the 9 previous meetings between these two, we have only seen them go beyond the third set one time, which suggests that we might see a shorter final than we hope for. It’s tough to bet against Federer given how well he has played at this event, so be sure to back his 2018 Australian Open Betting Odds to win the title.