The second grand slam of the tennis season is upon us as the world’s top players descend on Roland Garros for the 2022 French Open. The French Open is the only grand slam played on a clay surface which makes it a slower court than the other slams. The points traditionally last longer as the ball has a higher bounce and a slowed pace on the clay courts, which has an impact on the tennis betting odds as it favors certain players.
On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal has flat out dominated the French Open with 13 titles in 17 appearances and a record of 105-3. Serena Williams has the most active titles on the women’s side with three, but she will not play in this year’s tournament. Also missing from the 2022 French Open will be 2009 champion Roger Federer who underwent knee surgery in 2021.
The tournaments on both the women’s and men’s side feature 128 players in a bracket format, meaning it takes seven wins to lift the trophy.
The top 32 players in both brackets are seeded and matches in the men’s tournament are best-of-5 sets while those in the women’s tournament are best-of-3. Starting this year, a 10-point tiebreaker will be used if the final set of any match is tied 6-6.
Players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete in the French Open, but they cannot play under their nation’s flags. As of now, those players will not be allowed to play in the next grand slam, Wimbledon, scheduled to start in late June.
Last game records
Djokovic, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, is the defending men’s champion. As the No. 1 seed in 2021, he rallied from two sets down to beat No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets last May. Djokovic also knocked off No. 3 Nadal in four sets in the semifinals giving the Spaniard his first loss at Roland Garros since 2015. Those two are among the favorites again this year in the French Open betting odds, having won 16 of the last 18 tournaments.
Barbora Krejcikova won the French Open title last year, but the world No. 3 has been injured and may not be able to defend. Unseeded for last year’s event, the Czech native knocked off Venus Williams, No. 5 Elina Svotolina, No. 24 Coco Gauff, and No. 17 Maria Sakkari to reach the finals. In the final, she beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the No. 31 seed, in three sets to win the title.
Matchup Information
- French Open
- Paris, France
- Sunday, May 22 to Sunday, June 5
- Draw scheduled for May 19
French Open Betting Analysis
Men’s Tournament
With Federer sidelined, the 2022 French Open will feature just three former champions, Nadal, Djokovic, and 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka. Dominic Thiem, Andy Murray, and Tsitsipas have also made finals at Roland Garros, but none have lifted the trophy, each falling to Djokovic or Nadal. The latter two have met in three French Open finals, with Nadal winning each time; those Djokovic won in the 2021 semifinals.
The 2022 clay court season has been dominated by teenager Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz won the Rio Open in Brazil and the Barcelona Open in Spain, both ATP 500 events. He put everyone on notice at the ATP Masters in Madrid with wins over Nadal and Djokovic en route to a 6-3, 6-1 thumping of Alexander Zverev in the final. He withdrew from the Italian Open in Rome with Djokovic as the top seed, Zverev No. 2, Nadal No. 3, and Tsitsipas No. 4.
Others with clay-court success this season include Tsitsipas who won at the Monte Carlos Masters after beating Zverev in the semifinals. Andrey Rublev won the Serbia Open, beating Djokovic in the final with a 6-0 third set.
Women’s Tournament
Even with Williams out and Ash Barty retired, there could be as many as five former champions in the field on the women’s side. Krejcikova won in 2021 with Iga Swiatek as the winner in 2020. Simona Halep (2018), Jelena Ostapenko (2017) and Garbine Muguruza (2016) are all former champions in Paris. Krejcikova, Swiatek, and Ostapenko were all unseeded champions, and Halep is the only No. 1 seed to win the French Open since 2015.
Swiatek, now ranked No. 1 in the world, won the Stuttgart Open on Clay in April with just one set lost. She withdrew from the Madrid Open the following week, and Ons Jabeur took advantage with a win over Halep in the quarterfinals and a championship win over Jessica Pegula. Swiatek has won 23 straight matches heading into the Italian Open, and three of her career titles are on clay.
Swiatek is back in action as the No. 1 seed at the Italian Open where she is the defending champion, in the final French Open tune-up. Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, and Sakkari are the other top four seeds. Muguruza is seeded No. 8 with Jabeur No. 9 and Ostapenko No. 11 in Rome.
Updates
Williams and Federer are the biggest names out with injury, but maybe not the only ones. Keep an eye this week on world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev as he returns to action with hopes of playing at Roland Garros. The 2021 US Open winner hasn’t played on tour since the Miami Open in March.
Multiple grand slam champion Naomi Osaka is a wild card. She withdrew from this week’s Italian Open with an Achilles injury and famously walked away from the French Open last May.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also withdrew from the Italian, putting her French Open in doubt. Matteo Berrettini, who had a breakthrough 2021 season, missed his home event in Rome with hand surgery and is questionable at best for Roland Garros.
French Open Betting Preview
The tournaments are historically different as unseeded or lower seeded women have a better chance of running through the draw. Upsets tend to happen early in the French Open on both sides, especially to those unfamiliar with clay courts. But the men still have Nadal and Djokovic to contend with while Zverev, Thiem, and Tsitsipas have shown great success at the French and Masters tournaments on clay.
French Open Betting Prediction
On the men’s side of the French Open odds, Nadal is the favorite at +175 with Alcarez at +200 and Djokovic at +300. There’s a drop after those three with Tsitsipas at +550 and Zverev at +1400. Thiem is +1800, and a dark horse to keep an eye on is Rublev at +2500.
On the women’s side of betting tennis picks at the French, Swiatek is an even bigger favorite than Nadal at +150 to win her second title in Paris. The gap is large with Halep next at +700, despite being unseeded at the Italian Open. Paula Badosa is +1200, and the defending champion, Krejcikova is +1300. American teenager Coco Gauff had her best-ever grand slam at last year’s French with a run to the quarterfinals, and she is listed at +1800 to win her first major title.
How to bet on the French Open
The odds will likely change once the draw is revealed, especially on the men’s side. The way Alcaraz is playing, he’s worth a look, especially if he doesn’t have to go through both Nadal and Djokovic to reach the final. At +200 he has solid value, as does Djokovic at +300 since both have beaten Nadal on clay in the last year.
On the women’s side, it seems to be Swiatek or bust. But remember this is a tournament where the unheralded comes through. A bet on the Italian Open finalists can bring value, and keep an eye on Gauff’s odds. This could finally be her breakthrough event, and at +1800 it is worth a flyer.
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