EXPERT TIPS: FRENCH OPEN 2024

After Jannik Sinner claimed the Australian Open, the eyes of the grand slam world now look to Paris for Roland Garros. This won’t be the last time we see Roland Garros on the tennis calendar in 2024, as the Paris Olympics tennis event will also take place there a couple of months later.

Looking at the top of the market, we have four players in double figures, which is a little tighter at the top of the market than we have seen at many grand slam tournaments in the ATP. The favourite is Carlos Alcaraz, who unfortunately cramped late in the fortnight in Paris last year, before going on to claim the Wimbledon final. There is still a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and May, however I’d be very surprised to see Alcaraz any longer than his current quote come the tournament, unless he re-injures his ankle again in the months ahead.

Novak Djokovic currently sits at $3.65, and I’d be very surprised to see him any shorter come the tournament. I don’t think Novak is playing a particularly heavy schedule, and I feel now more than ever there are multiple players in this draw that can well and truly go toe-to-toe with him across best-of-5 sets on the clay. Happy to leave him at the current price for now and I will keep an eye on him or could at best suggest a very small lay at the current price, looking to back him a little closer to the tournament at better odds.

Jannik Sinner is an interesting prospect. I think his price is currently a little too short, and he is the type of player that I want to see on court and in the conditions within the tournament before jumping in heavily. As an example, he has been known to struggle at times in the heat, and performances like his against Altmaier in the second round are not out of the question with the Italian. He can beat anyone in the draw, though he is also more prone to an ‘off’ day than the other three at the top of the market.

Next we have Rafael Nadal, who is making his return to the tour after injury impacted his start to the season in Australia. I don’t have a desire to be laying him at sizeable odds, though I need to see more from him in the time between now and the tournament before considering backing him. It’s hard to not have doubts over his physical fitness and ability to outlast 7 players across best of 5 sets, without picking up an injury.

Of the rest, who are all $20 and above, there are probably only two players that become potential prospects for trading. At the moment, those two players are Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud. Both have shown their best level on clay in the past is more than competitive against everyone else on tour in all conditions that the clay in Paris can throw up, and both have the potential to not only start the tournament shorter, but also firm across the course of the first week of the tournament.

For now, it’s trading spots on Zverev and Ruud, and I’ll keep a close eye on Djokovic if he drifts across the course of the clay season.

Unlike the men’s side of things, the women’s outright market is currently dominated by Iga Swiatek. And when you look at the records of all the players at the top of the market, it’s hard to make a strong case to oppose her.

The market is still taking shape on the Betfair Exchange, however I’d be more than comfortable with starting my book with a small backing of Swiatek at the $2.26+ that is currently available. I’m happy to let Indian Wells/Miami take place, and the players to step onto the clay before I cast further judgement, as things are very wide open behind Swiatek.

Players I will be keeping an eye on include Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko and Marketa Vondrousova, amongst others. I will look to add to this section in the weeks and months ahead as the market begins to take shape.

The French Open is the world’s most prestigious clay-court tennis tournament, played annually in late-May and early-June at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. The tournament is the second of the four Grand Slam or major events held each year. Betfair is the premier site providing professional, data-driven analysis and expert information including French Open tips for all events and matches to help bettors familiarise themselves with an event that often throws up long and unpredictable battles that can ebb and flow depending on players’ ability to handle tough playing conditions.  

Betfair offers French Open betting tips for every event during the two-week tournament, including the men’s and women’s singles, the men’s and women’s doubles, the mixed doubles, and the wheelchair and junior events. Betfair’s expert analysis can help you get a better handle on likely match trends and outcomes. Our data and advice can guide punters to make astute decisions when considering categories including head-to-head match odds, correct set betting, set winners and the best back and lay bets. Betfair offers French Open tips and the ability to set your own odds for all events, as well as futures markets. When you register with Betfair, you’ll get access to in-depth, betting analysis on major upcoming tennis tournaments. You’ll also get to the largest betting exchange which allows you to bet differently with features such as lay betting and setting your own odds.

French Open matches are played on clay, a red brick dust surface that produces slow, high-bouncing play that tends to favour baseliners with strong, consistent groundstrokes, rather than serve-volleyers. The slow surface negates the advantage big-serving players usually have on faster courts. To be successful at the French Open, players need to be patient, have tactical and strategic nous, and must be extremely fit with supreme stamina to handle what are often long and drawn-out matches sometimes played in swirling winds and stifling heat. In 2004, French pair Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement took six hours and 33 minutes (over two days) to complete their first-round match. At the time, it was the longest recorded match in professional tennis history. By studying Betfair’s French Open tennis tips offered as part of a broad range of betting information and analysis on the tournament, bettors can learn more about which players are better suited to playing in the unique conditions at Roland-Garros.

The two main events at the French Open, the men’s and women’s singles, each feature 128 players. Thirty-two players in each event are seeded according to world rankings, with matches decided in a pre-tournament draw. The seeded system typically keeps the higher ranked players from meeting into the earlier rounds, creating potential matchups of the top players to meet in the final rounds. Often though, big-name players suffer shock defeats in the early rounds of the French Open, beaten by low-profile or little-known players more accustomed to handling the conditions. Follow Betfair’s French Open tips today and use our trusted data to help you study and dissect players’ form and background to make informed betting decisions, particularly early in the tournament when upsets are likely. 

Spaniard Rafael Nadal is the most successful player of all-time at the French Open, having won the men’s singles title 13 times, including five straight from 2010-14 and four in a row on two other occasions. At the 2022 French Open, Nadal will be aiming to win his 22nd Grand Slam. Among those likely to challenge him are Serbian Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, young Spanish up-and-comer Carlos Alcaraz and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. On the women’s side, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the new world number one, Romania’s Simona Halep, who won in 2018, and Spain’s Paula Badosa are expected to be in the thick of the action, with Czech Barbora Krejčíková, the 2021 winner, also likely to be in the mix.Make sure to follow Betfair’s French Open 2022 tips to help you understand likely outcomes in events and for professional guidance on which players to back or lay during the tournament.