Drake places $210,000 bet on Taylor Fritz to beat Jannik Sinner in US Open final, stands to gain more than $800,000 if American wins maiden Slam
Taylor Fritz will have the backing of rapper Drake if not anyone else in the final of the 2024 US Open, seeing as the Canadian has placed a $210,000 bet on the American to beat Jannik Sinner on Sunday. Should he do so and win the maiden Grand Slam title of his career, Fritz will fetch Drake a sum of more than $800,000 in rewards.
Fritz, playing in his first Grand Slam final ever, will take on Sinner on Sunday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sinner, on the other hand, is playing in his second Major final of the year, having previously won the Australian Open at the start of the year as his maiden Slam title. In the semifinals, Fritz battled past compatriot Frances Tiafoe in a five-set marathon, while Sinner needed just three sets to take down British No. 1 Jack Draper to reach the summit clash.
With the duo set to battle for supremacy in New York, Drake has taken to Instagram to reveal that he placed a $210,000 wager on Fritz at odds of 3.85. The bookies, understandably, see Sinner as the massive favorite, considering that he is the World No. 1 and won the recently concluded Cincinnati Open in the lead-up to Flushing Meadows.
Regardless, Drake was happy with his choice of continuing to be the 'most daring' sports bettor in history.
"Continuing my record as the most daring sports bettor in history with the most losses. Going underdog," Drake added on Instagram.
For those unaware, Drake is no stranger to publicly showing his support in sports, to the point that he is the subject of an internet phenomenon called the 'Drake Curse.' After seeing the sides Drake supports constantly lose, fans coined the term as a joke.
Among his biggest jinxes, the Canadian lost a $1.2 million bet when he picked Jake Paul to beat Tyson Fury in their 2023 boxing bout. He also backed Conor McGregor in his UFC 229 clash against Khabib Numagomedov, only for the Irishman to lose the bout by submission.
What is the head-to-head between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner coming into US Open final?
Coming into the US Open final, the head-to-head between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner is tied at 1-1. While Fritz won their first battle in 2021, Sinner exacted his revenge last year when they faced off at the Indian Wells Open.
A win on Sunday will make Sinner only the third man this century to win both the Australian Open and the US Open in the same calendar season. On the other hand, Fritz is gunning to become the first American man in more than two decades to win the US Open title (the last one being Andy Roddick in 2003).