Betting on the French Open
How to Bet the French Open
The French Open is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament commences in late May and is the second of the four major grand slams tournaments that occur annually.
The French Open was founded in 1891 and is coming up to its 130th anniversary in the 2020 edition. It’s the only grand slam to take place on clay and is the last tournament to be held on clay before the conclusion of the clay-court season.
It’s widely considered as the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world due to its slow-playing surface and the best-of-five sets we see in men’s singles tournaments.
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The True King of the French Open
There’s only one name that comes to mind when we think of the French Open, and that is Rafael Nadal. The “King of Clay” himself is far and beyond the greatest ever clay court player and leads the way for both men’s and women’s tennis with 12 grand slam titles. 12 of Nadal’s 19 grand slams; the second most in men’s tennis behind Roger Federer, has been won at Roland Garros. Therefore, betting on the French Open is always dicey if you are thinking, “anybody but Rafael Nadal.”
Nadal’s well-known topspin and his incredible athletic ability make him a player most suited to a clay court. The clay favors indefatigable players who can keep rallies going—players of Nadal’s ilk—rather than a serve and volley player like a Federer who’s won the competition just once and Sampras, who never won the French Open.
Nadal’s dominance of the French Open in the last 15 years has been unmatched in any of the other grand slam tournaments. Tennis for the past twenty years has been dominated by the “Big Four:” Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. If you take away Nadal, the other three have won a combined two French Open titles; that in of itself is unthinkable.
The Women Had Their French Open Queen as Well
Chris Evert, one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, won seven French Open titles, more than any other female tennis player in history. Steffi Graf, who’s won 22 Grand Slam’s titles, behind only Serena Williams (23) and Margaret Court (24) won six French Open titles.
There’s been a lot of turnover in women’s tennis with new blood and the emergence of a new era following two decades from Serena Williams and its most notable in the French Open. The last six French Open competitions amounted to six different winners with current champion Ashleigh Barty becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to win the French Open with both straight sets and an absence of a tie-break.
Looking Ahead for Betting the French Open
Ahead of the French Open this year, in the men’s tournament, it’s hard to look past Nadal who’s won it in the last three years. He defeated the Austrian Dominic Thiem in the last two finals with the latter also reaching the final of the Australian Open this year before falling to Novak Djokovic.
Thiem could be a dark horse this year for those wanting a bit of profit from bets, however, Nadal remains the overwhelming favorite and for good reason.
In the women’s tournament, it’s much more difficult to call who will win the French Open. There are four different reigning champions for each Grand Slam in the women’s competition. However, Barty deserves to be favorite as she is the reigning champion and ranked No. 1 in the world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the likes of Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu, and even 15-year-old Coco Gauff end up lifting the trophy.
