Sports Betting This Weekend: Wimbledon, Braves/Rays, John Deere Classic

Wimbledon might be late this year, but it’s finally here. Predictably, there are loads of online sports betting opportunities over the next fortnight. 

Here are some notable events to consider, including loads of tennis on the London lawn:

Tennis

Wimbledon: The Early Rounds

Monday, July 3 through Sunday, July 16  |  ESPN

The 136th edition of the championships at Wimbledon has kicked off with a rainy start indeed. Wet weather in London has delayed some of the proceedings throughout the first few days of the ultimate fortnight on grass.

Both the men’s and women’s draw were still working through much of the second round on Thursday.

The biggest upset of the first round was in the women’s draw, where Coco Gauff was eliminated by Sofia Kenin in an all-American opening match. Gauff is the No. 7 player on tour and the No. 2 American, behind Jessica Pegula. She was 8-3 at Wimbledon coming into this year’s draw.

Kenin reached as high as No. 4 in the WTA rankings in 2021, but she is currently ranked outside the top 100. She entered the main draw at Wimbledon as a qualifier. 

Gauff’s early exit removes a main competitor from the board, as far as the Wimbledon 2023 odds market is concerned. She was 16-to-1 after the draw was released, behind only four other players: Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Petra Kvitova.

On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic (-175) is the odds-on favorite to continue his domination at the All England club. He has won every Wimbledon men’s singles championship since 2017. 

Major League Baseball

Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays

Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9  |  Apple TV+ (Friday, 6:40 p.m. ET); FOX (Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET)

There could be a World Series preview in Tampa Bay this weekend, as the AL-leading Rays host the NL-leading Braves in a three-set series ahead of next week’s All-Star break.

It’s easy to think of this series as a clash of MLB titans. Both teams have top-five marks in both team ERA and run differential.

However, the Rays have quietly lost six of their last 10 games, while Atlanta is playing with one of the highest offensive ratings in baseball right now. 

Don’t be surprised if this weekend’s baseball odds skew more toward the Braves than expected.

Golf 

John Deere Classic

Thursday, July 6 through Sunday, July 9  |  ESPN+

If you’d like to pair some golf betting with your July 4 celebration, then this weekend’s offering comes in the form of TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

The John Deere Classic title was nabbed by J.T. Poston in 2022. Poston, a relatively obscure golfer that slides in at No. 62 in this week’s PGA tour rankings, was +4500 on Wednesday morning, prior to the start of this week’s tournament.

Golf bettors appeared to favor another relatively obscure player for this week’s John Deere title: Eric Cole, ranked No. 74. Cole, a PGA tour rookie, attracted 10% of the overall market handle at the BetMGM online sportsbook, more than any other golfer in the field.

Russell Henley and Denny McCarthy opened as +1400 co-favorites.