By Nick Georgandis
How much of a lock is Serena Williams to capture the title at Wimbledon two weeks from today? Apparently, so much so that the betting public has thrown down massive money on her.
Williams is currently a 1:2 favorite to win Wimbledon for a sixth time, which in ordinary terms means that in order to win $100 on her victory, you'd have to bet $200 first.
Williams is far and away the most popular bet among players in the women's field. No. 2 seeded Victoria Azarenka is currently at 7:1 odds, while Maria Sharapova is at 15:2.
Azarenka has reached the semifinals in each of the past two seasons, while Sharapova won the title in 2004 and reached the finals in 2011.
On the men's side of the board, things are a lot more spread out. Current No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the current leader at 7:4, even though Djokovic has only won the Australian Open (albeit twice) out of the last six Grand Slams.
Andy Murray, the overwhelming local favorite, is at 7:2. Murray won the Summer Olympics last year at Wimbledon as well as the US Open. French Open champion Rafael Nadal is also at 7:2. He has two Wimbledon titles - 2008 and 2010.
And defending champion Roger Federer, who has seven titles overall at the All England Club, is at 5:1, likely due to his ho-hum efforts so far in 2013.
The only other player with less than 20:1 odds is France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at 16:1. Tsonga reached the semifinals at Roland Garros two weeks ago, and made the finals at Queen's Club in London last week, losing to Murray.
And the odds of an American male bringing home the trophy for the first time since Pete Sampras' run ended in 2000? You might want to invest in a lottery ticket instead. John Isner is the "best" bet for American males at a distant 125:1.