Maybe nobody cares but am I the only big tennis fan here?

The Djoker loves the Aussie open because the surface is a bit slower than the U.S. However I think Murray is the best player in the world right now and would pick him to win. Hopefully Raonic challenges for a QF spot but he is not at an elite level nor the second tier level of Ferrer, Del Potro, Tsonga...

Maria SHarapova? that's the only tennis player I've heard of.

I'm going to watch a good % of the matches, so I'm interested in who he thinks some of the darkhorses might be since I want to put a few dollars down on a couple of longshots.

I'd pick Murray. Like you said, he is probably the best player in the world right now after winning the Olympics and the U.S. Open - momentum is clearly on his side now.

As an underdog, I'm picking Richard Gasquet who has become my favourite player now since Roddick retired. He's really underrated, and I think he's starting to come in his own as a player. He's ranked 10th in the World right now, and will be the 9th seed likely heading into the Australian Open since Nadal withdrew. I don't think Gasquet will touch the top 4 since they are untouchable right now, though I could see him moving up in the rankings this year and sitting around the 5-7 spots. He'll likely reach the quarters, though he'll have a tough task against Murray or Djokovic. He's beat Federer before a couple of times, when he was younger and before he got injured.

Federer, I think he is playing well enough and still can beat Murray if they meet in the final. However if the finals is fed vs djokovic I think djokovic will win just based off of their matchup. My dark horse is Del Potro just based off of the fact that if he gets hot, he can beat the elite guys even if they are playing well too.

I was actually looking at Gasquet before you mentioned him since he's 250:1 which I find shocking. For comparison my site has Raonic at 80:1 and Berdych at 65:1. Sweet 1 handed backhand and coming off a tournament win too. Gonna put maybe $5 on him. Thanks!

Wouldn't really call Del Potro a darkhorse a lot of guys are picking him from what I've seen- but yes obviously huge underdog compared to the big 3 and he is a guy who I really like watching. I think the court might be a bit too slow for Federer but it's hard to doubt the GOAT.

Pick someone random in the WTA whose last name ends in -ova or -ic.

I was shocked to see how big of a favourite Serena is (these are random odds I found neither of my sites have main event odds up). At these prices I'd take a chance on Ivanovic or Stosur.

WOMEN ODDS
Serena Williams 4-5
Victoria Azarenka 7-2
Maria Sharapova 8-1
Petra Kvitova 16-1
Li Na 20-1
Angelique Kerber 25-1
Agnieszka Radwanska 25-1
Sam Stosur 35-1
Caroline Wozniacki 45-1
Venus Williams 50-1
Ana Ivanovic 65-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 65-1
Sloane Stephens 65-1
Marion Bartoli 80-1
Sabine Lisicki 80-1
Mona Barthel 100-1
Sara Errani 100-1
Kaia Kanepi 100-1
Laura Robson 100-1
Field (All Others) 12-1

Wow Spanky is right those are ridiculous odds. Errani is ranked #6 on the WTA and made it to the QF last year and the semis at the US although Serena dominated. Still 100:1 is crazy.

Haha it's women's tennis I don't think the lines are going to be a good guess to the "true odds".

Ya you are right, dark horse was wrong term. I think I just assume the top 3 have such a great chance of winning that anyone else counts as a dark horse haha In my mind that is a testament to how ahead of the pack the top 3 are. At least we have 3 (4 with Rafa) now, instead of 2.

Haha so the fact that the Williams sisters revolutionized women's tennis, becoming fitter and stronger (actually Navratilova was first) allowing them to hit more powerfully you now hate it?! Yes they are able to gain more free points off of serves means the strategy and execution is gone?

You can insert a comment like that into every sport in the world as players become stronger and faster.

"I was actually looking at Gasquet before you mentioned him since he's 250:1 which I find shocking. For comparison my site has Raonic at 80:1 and Berdych at 65:1. Sweet 1 handed backhand and coming off a tournament win too. Gonna put maybe $5 on him. Thanks!"

Those are crazy odds, I'm shocked. Heck I'll put $10 on him as an underdog. He has one of the smoothest one-handed backhands in tennis. I love Gasquet, I think this year he breaks out for good!

Kev, can you put money down on me for Gasquet? What are his odds? and I'll pay you on Sunday.

he's 200-1, sure can. How much? SI has the Each Way bet as well which is a split bet. It's two bets, one for the win and one to make the finals at half the odds (in this case 100-1, but you can only get the finals bet if you bet the win as well). Let me know and I'll send you the confirm by email.

Gasquet has no shot. He has extreme conditioning issues and the hot australian weather wont help this. Theres a reason why he almost always comes up short later in tournaments and its certainly not because of skill (stamina and mental shortcomings).

Putting money on anyone outside the top 4 or then Ferrer, Tsonga, Delpo and Berdych is basically dead money.

Novak imo is the best bet on the board even if its just at even money. Last season he was worn down and had his grandfather pass away suddenly and it totally rattled him. He looked in great form when I saw him a week or so ago and when hes healthy and focused hes the best player in the game nowadays. Fed hasnt played one leadup event and I still dont trust Murray to mentally keep it together slam in slam out.

For me Ill be betting large on Djokovic and sprinkling a little on Ferrer at 34:1