The 2021 French Open has begun and sports fans around the globe are ready for some world-class tennis. Held each year at Roland Garros, the French Open marks the second of four Grand Slam events played during tennis season. The tournament was originally scheduled to begin on May 17, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the French Tennis Association to push the start date back a week to May 24. The COVID-19 pandemic has made things challenging for the sports world, but this year’s tennis season is back on track and ready to serve up some exciting matches in 2021. The Australian Open marked the first major of this year’s tennis season and was played out at Melbourne Park in February. The men’s side was won by betting favorite Novak Djokovic as he claimed his 18th career grand slam title by defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. On the women’s side, it was Naomi Osaka beating Jennifer Brady in straight sets for the fourth Grand Slam title in her young career.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam played on clay and this type of surface can make for some very exciting tennis as players can slide across the court for some incredible highlight reel shots. If you plan on betting on the 2021 French Open, you should know that clay courts are slower, so it’s more difficult for players to hit outright winners. This causes the average point to last much longer and can take a greater toll on the players physically. With that being said, athleticism and strong conditioning are extra important at this tournament.
2021 French Open Men’s Contenders
From a betting perspective, there is one name that stands above all others when it comes to the French Open: Rafael Nadal. The talented Spaniard is a lock for the International Tennis Hall of Fame and is touted by most as the greatest clay court player of all time. With a record 13 French Open titles to his resume and a mind-blowing record of 100-2 at Roland Garros, you can see why they call him the King of Clay.
There’s no denying Nadal’s greatness on this surface, but there are still a number of tough opponents out there to dethrone the 13-time champion. As the top ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic will always stand a chance when he steps out onto the tennis court. The Serbian has already won this event back in 2016 and would love to add a second French Open title to his trophy case. Another player sure to have a big following at Roland Garros is Gaël Monfils. As the top ranked Frenchman at the tournament, Monfils should have a ton of fan support as he looks to break through for his first major victory in his home country.
Betting on the French Open is a great way to enjoy the tournament and you can win some real money with a few smart bets. You can even bet online from anywhere using the Bovada app. To help get you up to speed on this year’s tennis season, Bovada has put together a brief betting preview for the top three contender’s in the men’s draw:
Rafael Nadal -125
It’s not often that we see a tennis player start with negative payout odds to win the tournament, but it shows you just how dominant Nadal is on the clay surface. As mentioned above, the Spaniard has already won at Roland Garros 13 times, which is the most any player has ever won a single major in the history of the sport. At 34-years-old, many fans expect Father Time to start catching up to Nadal, but the fiery competitor is at his best during this event. Placing a bet on Nadal to win the 2021 French Open may not be the sexiest wager when looking at the betting odds, but if history is any indication it should lead to a nice little profit when it’s all said and done.
Novak Djokovic +350
You won’t get betting value like this on Djokovic at any other tournament during the season. The top ranked tennis player on the planet is used to being the odds on favorite to win any tournament he enters, but the French Open remains the exception thanks to a certain Spaniard. Novak is already coming off an impressive Grand Slam victory at the 2021 Australian Open in February and is head and shoulders above the rest of the field in terms of talent. The tennis betting community is eagerly awaiting a Nadal-Djokovic final and the Serbian star may have with it takes to dethrone the King of Clay.
Stefanos TsiTsipas +600
At only 22 years of age, TsiTsipas represents a new generation of talented tennis players from around the world. The Greek tennis star currently sits fifth in the world rankings and is the youngest player ranked in the ATP’s top 10. TsiTsipas is looking to build off his successful run during last year’s French Open, where he reached the semi-finals before falling to Djokovic in five sets. The young star had a successful preparation for Roland Garros by recently winning the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon in France and is one of the popular betting picks to upset Nadal at the 2021 French Open.
2021 French Open Women’s Contenders
There is far more parity on the women’s side of the draw, with a handful of players having a legitimate chance to host the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup as the Women’s Singles Champion. In 2020, we saw Iga Świątek from Poland win the French Open for her first career Grand Slam victory at just 18 years old. As defending champion and a WTA rising star, you can bet Świątek will be in the hunt to repeat as champion at Roland Garros. The women’s tour has no shortage of talent, with up to a dozen players who have a legitimate chance at winning this year’s tournament. Australian Ashleigh Barty is currently the world’s top ranked female tennis player and has already won this event once before back in 2019. Naomi Osaka already has four Grand Slams to her professional resume and is one of the top players on tour, but the fan favorite has yet to get past the third round at Roland Garros. Of course we can’t forget about Serena Williams (AKA The GOAT), who will be looking to claim the 24th Grand Slam singles victory of her illustrious career at the impossible age of 39.
From a betting standpoint, the women’s draw is far more interesting as there are a number of players who can actually win this event. Bovada’s mobile app makes it easy to place bets online while you’re watching tennis on the couch. When reviewing the betting odds for this Grand Slam event, it’s important to track each player’s progress leading up to this tournament, as well as their track record on clay. Bovada Sport betting has compiled the top three betting options based on their current odds to win the 2021 French Open:
Iga Świątek +250
The Polish tennis star is ranked ninth in the world but is the defending champion and odds on betting favorite heading into this year’s event at Roland Garros. Świątek is an excellent clay court player, evident by her recent victory at Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome where she defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 in the final. Her current betting odds at Bovada Tennis speak to her dominance on the clay surface, yet still give solid value if she can put together another dominant performance. Świątek was unbeatable at last year’s French Open, and many betting experts think she can accomplish the feat once again on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Ashleigh Barty +450
After missing this event last season, Barty will be looking to win her second French Open title in the past three years. Despite a slow start to the season, the Australian tennis star has picked up her game as of late, recently winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Germany. There’s a reason why Barty is the world’s number one ranked female tennis player; she’s proficient on clay, has excellent ball placement and a variety of shots in her repertoire. After missing out on the chance to defend her title at last year’s tournament, she will be hungry to reclaim her French Open crown in 2021. It’s worth noting that she recently defeated Iga Świątek in straight sets at the Mutua Madrid Open, so she certainly has what it takes to defeat last year’s champion.
Aryna Sabalenka +600
The 23-year-old Belarusian has already won a Grand Slam this season, taking the 2021 Australian Open in February. That victory marked the second major victory of her young career, but more big wins are still to come for the rising star. Sabalenka recently won the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain, with an impressive upset victory over Ashleigh Barty in the finals. That event was a clay court tune-up for Sabalenka and she looks very comfortable on the surface based on the results. Her current betting odds on Bovada Sportsbook make her one of the more appealing picks to win this year’s French Open. If you’re looking for value, Sabalenka may just be the way to go.
