Djokovic, Alcaraz, Nadal and Tsitsipas Favored
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic registers as the favorite across French Open betting markets, but he faces stiff competition from teen phenom Carlos Alcaraz, nemesis Rafael Nadal and Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas.
BetUS tips this fearsome four in triple digits on the tennis odds board, beginning with Djokovic at +150 and Alcaraz at +165. Nadal follows the pair as the +300 bet while Tsitsipas rounds out the quartet as the +450 bet.
Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Andrey Rublev follow but with odds of +1600 or greater, the probability of either enjoying success is diminished considerably. Or is it?
The French Open draw sees Djokovic and Nadal fall into the same quarter and Alcaraz into the same half as the legendary pair. This means that only one (if at all) can reach the final.
Tsitsipas, by comparison, falls into the second half of the draw. This means that the Greek, along with those players contained in his section, which includes Medvedev, Ruud and Rublev, might have a better shot than the betting online odds would suggest, at least to reach the final if not better.
BetUS 2022 French Open Odds
- Novak Djokovic +150
- Carlos Alcaraz +165
- Rafael Nadal +300
- Stefanos Tsitsipas +450
- Dominic Thiem +1600
- Alexander Zverev +1800
- Daniil Medvedev +1800
- Casper Ruud +2000
- Jannik Sinner +2500
- Andrey Rublev +3000
- Matteo Berrettini +4000
- Felix Auger Aliassime +5000
- Lorenzo Musetti +5000
- Diego Schwartzman +5000
- Denis Shapovalov +6500
- Pablo Carreno Busta +6500
- Aslan Karatsev +8000
- Roberto Bautista Agut +8000
- Gael Monfils +10000
- Grigor Dimitrov +10000
- Christian Garin +10000
- Milos Raonic +15000
- David Goffin +15000
- Karen Khachanov +15000
- Marin Cilic +15000
- Jo Wilfried Tsonga +25000
First Quarter: Djokovic vs Nadal
Tennis betting fans might feel a bit shortchanged with a potential Djokovic vs Nadal showdown, which in previous years would have been a blockbuster grand slam final matchup, appearing as early as the quarterfinals this season. Alas, that’s the way the draw has fallen.
Djokovic comes into the French Open as the top favorite, a market outlook that is underscored by his recent victory in Rome. The Serbian appears to be peaking at the perfect time as he prepares to launch his title defense campaign.
On paper, the early rounds look pretty straightforward for the Serbian. He’s set to open his tournament against Yoshihito Nishioka. Then, he could face either Alex Molcan or Federico Coria. The R32 could set up a showdown against either Aljaz Bedene Christopher O’Connell, Pablo Cuevas, or Jenson Brooksby.
The first real test could come in the form of Grigor Dimitrov should the Bulgarian reach the R16. However, Djokovic owns Dimitrov in their head-to-heads. Others that could come up against Djokovic are Marcos Giron, Borna Coric, Carlos Taberner, Jaume Munar, or Diego Schwartzmann.
King of Clay. King of jokes? 😂#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/DDuHgfxKMV
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 20, 2022
Nadal’s section is much tougher than Djokovic’s and with the Spaniard coming into the tournament in questionable form, he’s not a shoo-in to reach the final eight.
Nadal opens his tournament against Jordan Thompson. He will then face the winner of Stanislas Wawrinka vs.Corentin Moutet. In the R32, Fabio Fognini Alexei Popyrin or Botic Van de Zandeschulp loom as potential challengers, amongst several others.
In the R16, Nadal could face Reily Opelka or Filip Krajinovic, Alejandro Tabilo, or Felix Auger-Aliassime. The matchup against Auger-Aliassime would be the most fascinating considering the Canadian is working with Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Uncle Toni.
Second Quarter: Alcaraz vs Zverev
Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are on a collision course in the quarterfinals, a matchup that would reprise their Madrid Open final earlier this month. Then, Alcaraz beat Zverev in 62 minutes to clinch his second career Masters title.
'You're one of the best leaders this sport can have'
Heartfelt words from champion @DjokerNole towards runner-up @steftsitsipas 🙏#IBI22 pic.twitter.com/00sQMLdwaj
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 15, 2022
Before Alcaraz can look that far ahead, he must contend with some early stumbling blocks. Thanasi Kokkinakis or Albert Ramos-Vinolas are potential second-round opponents while Richard Gasquet, Lloyd Harris or American Sebastian Korda lurks are potential third-round opponents. Korda beat Alcaraz in Monte-Carlo last month, so a rematch would be met with some interest.
The R16 could see Cam Norrie arise to challenge Alcaraz. As well, as former French Open finalist Dominic Thiem. Longshots such as Hugo Dellien, Denis Kudla or Manuel Guinard can’t be overlooked either.
Zverev’s section is littered with dangerous floaters, including Dusan Lajovic (a potential second-round opponent) and Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina ( a potential third-round opponent). Others in this section that could emerge in the early rounds include Sebastian Baez, Tallon Griekspoor, and Brandon Nakashima, to name a few.
In the R16, Zverev could cross paths with Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz. Americans John Isner, Michael Mmoh, and Taro Daniel are also potential R16 challengers that could surprise with a deeper run than most tennis bettors would expect.
Third Quarter: Tsitispas vs Ruud
Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud have been drawn together into the third quarter and if the draw falls in line with the seeding, they’ll collide in the quarterfinals.
Tsitsipas, however, is set to face Italian hopeful and dangerous floater Lorenzo Musetti in the first round. That’s going to be a tough R128 matchup for the Greek, even though he’s tipped as the considerable favorite in tennis betting markets.
Should Tsitsipas survive the early threat, he could face French hopeful Lucas Pouille in the R64 and then either Mikael Ymer, James Duckworth, Francisco Cerundolo, or Daniel Evans in the R32.
The last 16 could get trickier with Denis Shapolova as a potential challenger. The Canadian beat Nadal in Rome a fortnight ago. Others that could emerge in the last 16 include Alex De Minaur or Holger Rune.
Ruud’s corner is flanked by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, setting up a potential R16 clash between the pair. Others that could challenge Ruud later in the draw include David Goffin, Marco Cecchinato or Frances Tiafoe.
That said, Ruud opens his tournament against veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who’s in the midst of his swansong season. Should Ruud overcome Tsonga, he could face Ugo Humbert or Emil Ruusuvuori in the R64 and then Joao Sousa, Peter Gojowcxyk or Lorenzo Sonego in the R64.
Fourth Quarter: Medvedev vs Rublev
The Russian quarter, so to speak, is wide open. Medvedev is short on match play ahead of the French Open and this opens the door to players in his section that could capitalize on his lack of match fitness. Those include Facundo Bagnis,, Laslo Djere, and Miomir Kecmanovic in the early rounds, to name a few.
Pablo Carreno Busta, the No. 16 seed, flanks Medvedev’s section and looms as a potential R16 opponent. As well, Czech Jiri Vesely, veteran Marin Cilic and Marton Fucsovics could emerge in the last 16.
Rublev won the Serbian Open beating Djokovic in the final. The Russian was also a quarterfinalist in Madrid (l. to Tsitsipas). In Rome, Rublev was a first-round casualty after suffering an untimely defeat to Krajinovic.
Rublev’s early rounds could be tricky with Federico Delbonis, Benoit Paire, Illya Ivashka and Cristian Garin all looming in the mix as potential challengers at different stages. However, the Russian is bound to be favored in all those situations.
Things could get much trickier for Rublev in the last 16 where Jannik Sinner could emerge. The Italian is one of the future stars of the game to watch. Another tricky opponent is Nikoloz Basilashvili. The Georgian is a dangerous floater that could serve up an upset in the early rounds.
