The French Open is the premier clay court tournament in the world and is the second of four Grand Slam events of the tennis season. It is the only Grand Slam event played in clay, and it’s held over two weeks from late May to early June of every year at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France.
It is considered one of the most physically demanding tournaments in the world because it is played on a slow surface and in best-of-five set matches (without a tiebreaker) for the men.
This year, the French Open will begin at 5 pm ET on May 27, 2018. The championship match for the women’s draw will be on June 9, 2018, while the men’s side will decide its winner on June 10, 2018.
Here are the players with the best odds to win the tournament:
Women’s
Men’s
The focus on the women’s draw will be on 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who will be making her first Grand Slam appearance since the 2017 Australian Open. Williams was at Roland Garros last year but only literally as she was relegated to being a spectator as she was already 6.5 months pregnant at that time.
Serena has since returned but has been understandably rusty so far, as she was ousted by sister Venus after reaching round 3 at the Indian Wells and was eliminated in the first round of the Miami Open by Naomi Osaka. But being a three-time French Open winner, Serena is worth a look at +1200.
Aside from Williams, here are the other women to watch at Roland Garros.
Halep recently regained the WTA’s #1 ranking from Caroline Wozniacki. The 2018 Australian Open runner-up also finished second at Roland Garros last year, and it will only be a matter of time before she wins her first Grand Slam. She’s 25-5 this year and should be a worth a play at +550.
Since winning at Roland Garros last year, Ostapenko has risen to #5 in the world rankings. She’s had an up-and-down year, being just 10-10 in 2018, but she is the type to bring it on every match. Winning last year should give her even more confidence as she looks to become the first back-to-back winner since Justine Henin in 2006-07. The defending champion at +1200? There’s a lot of value there.
Recently unseated at the top of the rankings, Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open over Simona Halep. That said, she’s never really had great success on clay, although she reached the quarters at Roland Garros last year. But Wozniacki has defense good enough for clay competition. Given that she is at +1600, she’s worth taking.
Svitolina, currently ranked 4th by the WTA, has made the quarterfinals in two of the last three years. That should be good value for someone at +900. Not only that, but she also reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 Australian Open and is 20-6 this year while serving at a high level. With Svitolina hitting her stride, it won’t be long until we see her with her breakout tournament. It could be at Roland Garros this year.
Caroline Garcia has six wins over top-10 players since last year, and she made the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year during her first Grand Slam appearance. She may not be a top favorite to win the tournament, but she should be ready for a title run here, as she’s played enough games on clay this year, including making the semifinals at Stuttgart. Good for hedging at +3300.
Last year’s champion, Rafael Nadal of Spain, will be returning to defend his title and aiming to win a record 11th French Open title. Nadal lost the #1 ranking to longtime rival Roger Federer last February, but with the Swiss master announcing that he will not play in the clay season this year, the door is open for Nadal to regain tennis’ top spot.
As expected, Nadal is the favorite to win his favorite Grand Slam at -200. But he is not without worthy competition. Here are the men who are poised to take the title away from Nadal.
Del Potro is off to a good start this year with two title wins in March and a 2018 record of 22-5, including 4 victories over top-10 ranked players. He has missed all but one French Open tournament since 2013 and has not played on clay this year. But given that he no longer has wrist issues, his current form is good enough to make a good run at Roland Garros. Del Potro is a good play at +2500.
Nishikori provides great value here at +4000 – that is, if he is fully recovered from his injuries. But he is playing his best tennis of the season, and given his ability to deliver winners on the other end of the court plus his defense, he can thrive on clay and give a good run at Roland Garros. Don’t forget that he’s reached the quarterfinals in two of the last three installments of the French Open.
Thiem isn’t the kind of player who makes a good run in Grand Slams, but he’s made the semifinals in the last two French Open tournaments. He’s 16-4 on clay this year and recently won the Argentina Open, which is on clay. Not many players can boast that they have two wins over Rafael Nadal on clay, but this man is one of them. For that alone, he deserves a look at +700.
Cilic has been one of the more consistent performers in Grand Slams lately. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in four of the last seven Grand Slams he’s played in, including the last year’s French Open. He’s had a roller coaster season this year, but if that serve is working, this Australian Open finalist is a threat to the top contenders. At +5000, he provides hedging room later in the competition.
Djokovic is still struggling to find his old form, and while it’s true that he is still far from his old self, it’s really hard to bet against him in major tournaments, especially the French Open. Djokovic has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of his last eight appearances at Roland Garros, winning the title in 2016. This is a player who rarely goes home early, and it’s hard to pass up on him at +1400.
How can you not pick Rafael Nadal in the French Open? He has the most titles (10) in the Open Era, including five in a row from 2010-2014. And yes, he is the defending champion and the #1 ranked tennis player in the planet today. But if you’d like to earn more money, you might want to consider Dominic Thiem at +700. As for the women’s side, Serena Williams is an intriguing name at +1200. But all things considered, Caroline Wozniacki is in top form and coming off her first Grand Slam win at the 2018 Australian Open. She’s a nice play at +1600.
We’re going with Rafael Nadal to win his 11th title at Roland Garros and Caroline Wozniacki to win her second consecutive Grand Slam at the 2018 French Open.
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