Wimbledon: Frances Tiafoe among dark horse contenders

With Wimbledon beginning Monday, all the talk will be surrounding Novak Djokovic’s hope for a fifth-straight Wimbledon trophy and his quest for the calendar Slam. Djokovic already has won the first two majors of the year. His next real challenge might not even come at Wimbledon but at the US Open.

As Djokovic is the heavy odds-on favorite, it’s hard to consider other players. Still, no player is infallible.

So let’s assume Djokovic loses and you feel like gambling and placing money on other players. The three that follow might be worth a bang for your buck.

Wimbledon 2023: 3 Players to gamble on

1. Lloyd Harris +25000 (see FanDuel for the up-to-date odds)

2023 has been a strange year for Lloyd Harris, but coming off a semifinal finish in ATP 250 Mallorca, the 26-year-old South African is finding momentum at the right time.

Harris has served up a whopping 48 aces and 54 winners in his previous three matches. Though he fell to Christopher Eubanks in the semifinals of Mallorca, Harris is in formidable form. He has now won 5 of his last 6 on grass.

The question will remain the same: Can Harris hold up for a best of five sets? Assuming Harris can do this, he emerges as one of the best value plays for all of Wimbledon 2023, as his serve can carry him the distance.

2. Frances Tiafoe +6000

Whenever a slam begins, everyone inevitably asks the same question: Can an American finally win? Well when Wimbledon begins tomorrow, Frances Tiafoe is worth keeping an eye on. The 2023 Stuggart Open champion made it to the fourth round last year here, and has won five of his six grass matches this year.

Since Andy Roddick won back in 2003, no American has won a Slam. Tiafoe equips all the tools and is pointed to give Wimbledon yet another deep run.

3. Alexander Bublik +8000

Like Tiafoe, Alexander Bublik is coming in with tons of momentum. The 26-year-old won the Halle Open, defeating the likes of Jan-Lennard Struff, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev to name a few.

Bublik is finally clicking at the right moment and seemingly is playing the best tennis of his career. With his deadly serve, solid groundstrokes, and movement, Bublik’s odds are tempting and worth splashing a bit on (if you are so inclined).

With Wimbledon starting Monday, there are, of course, tons of dark horse contenders all around, yet these three emerge as potentially the strongest currently.