The second of tennis’ Grand Slams takes place in late May at Roland Garros and it is a hugely enjoyable event for sports fans. The two-week showdown is staged in Paris and is the only Grand Slam to be held on the clay courts. With a prize pot of 32 million Euros, it is always a much sought-after prize and it also regularly throws up unexpected outcomes.
The tournament tends to favour those players who grew up in either Southern Europe or South America and learnt their craft in similar surroundings. The clay court season takes place throughout spring and this tournament brings the curtain down and helps make way for the grass court action which is staged during the summer season.
The clay courts are much slower than any of the other surfaces and that plays into the hands of those players whose game is centred around hitting winners as opposed to relying on an unstoppable serve. As a result, it has been deemed the most physically demanding of the Grand Slams.
Rafa Nadal is the ‘King of Clay’ and has been victorious at the tournament on eleven different occasions. He has dominated the French Open for many years with his first victory coming in 2005 and his latest arriving in 2018. It is notoriously difficult to win and many all-conquering players such as Pete Sampras failed to secure a title at Roland Garros despite enjoying plenty of success elsewhere.
When and Where?
It is held in Paris at Stade-Roland Garros in late May each year. The tournament is staged over a two week period and signifies the end of the clay-court season.
The Popularity of the French Open
The French Open is extremely popular with tennis fans and is watched by millions of sports fans worldwide. After the Australian Open, there is a four month wait until the second Grand Slam of the campaign gets underway and therefore there is always a huge appetite for this tournament.
There are also a number of top-class clay court events in the build up to the French Open which help whet the appetite.
What Betting Opportunities Are Available?
There are plenty of betting opportunities available ahead of the French Open. The outright market is available all-year round and this is usually dominated by Rafa Nadal. Most bookmakers will have this market listed in their ante-post tennis section.
Ahead of the tournament, the draw will be made and all of the first round games will be priced up shortly afterwards.
Each match will have match outright betting, under/over sets and handicap markets and further options will be added throughout the week. The match-up will also see correct score markets available and live in-play betting is always popular throughout the fortnight.
Popular Betting Markets
Match Outright – The simplest bet available on French Open matches is just a case of correctly predicting which player will emerge victorious. These markets often throw up short-priced favourites and are ideal for accumulator betting. These prices will fluctuate in-play depending on the current flow of the game.
Correct Score – Significantly tougher for punters but it’s still a very popular market. Some players such as Roger Federer will often just need a single break in order to wrap up the set and ease through the games in the early rounds. The better players usually prevail during the early rounds and a 3-0 score-line will offer a better pay-out than simply backing a player on the match outright.
Match Handicap – This is a good way of increasing the value on each player. -1.5 handicap will require your chosen player to win 3-0 or 3-1 whilst +1.5 on the underdog will require them to stay within a set of their opponent.
Correct Score (Set Betting) – Each set will be priced up accordingly. The better players will often dominate proceedings and will often cruise to victory in the opening set so correct scores such as 6-2 and 6-1 are very common in this market.
Tie-breaks – Tie breaks are more infrequent in the French Open due to the slow courts but big-servers will often play out long, arduous games and sets and punters are able to back a tie-break in each set. The prices are shorter on players such as John Isner and Kevin Anderson who reply upon power.
Total Games – This market is incredibly popular and asks punters to predict the number of games in any given match. With the men playing five sets at Roland Garros, these totals can often be relatively high. This is a tremendous way of betting without predicting which player will progress to the next round.
Other Types of Bet
Accumulator – Accumulator bets are extremely popular with fans of the French Open. These require every single player to be victorious in order to secure a pay-out and are particularly prominent during the early rounds of the competition. With several matches played on the same time, this is an ideal chance to win big for small stakes.
In Play Betting – Tennis is one of the most popular sports when it comes to in-play betting due to the fluctuations in the game. It is possible to back players at decent odds simply by waiting for the right opportunities. The market reacts heavily to players going a break up or falling behind in a tie-break and this can be fortuitous for French Open punters.
Bobby’s Big Betting Tips for the French Open
- Clay Court Records are Crucial – This is extremely important. Whilst Wimbledon favours grass-court specialists, the French Open heavily favours players who are adept on the slower surface. Spanish players and South Americans are usually fairly successful at this particular event due to their upbringing. Some players arrive with negative records on the surface and they should be avoided at all costs. The clay court season is also incredibly short and some players can go several years with very few matches on this surface.
- Focus on Players who are capable in Grand Slams – A number of players win various tournaments throughout the year but routinely crumble when it comes to the bigger events. Always pick players who have decent records of progressing in the slams.
- For Ante-Post Bets – Plot a Players Path – When the draw is made, players will be situated in either the top half or the bottom half of the draw. This will allow punters to work out who they face in each round of the Grand Slam and it is possible to work out which players will make it to the final four. This is a huge help for ante-post punters and can also allow each-way bets to be made pre-tournament.
- Look out for Lively Newcomers – Grand Slams will often see upcoming players shine. Jelena Ostapenko was victorious in 2017 and started as a 100/1 shot. The Latvian wasn’t expected to prevail but had been playing well in the minor events. She was young, hungry and eager to impress and that came across in her performances. Don’t write off these players and I always look out for French players who are eager to perform in front of a partisan crowd.
- Preparation is Key – The French Open is the most energy-sapping of the four Grand Slams and players with a fitness edge will often prevail. Make sure that the players have had some preparation and warm-up tournaments ahead of Roland Garros. This will certainly help them avoid and overcome any sluggish starts.
