In the last week of May, the eyes of the tennis world will once again be on Paris for the 123rd edition of the French Open; one of the most distinctive and popular sports events in the world.
Over two weeks, the elite players of men’s and women’s tennis will take to the famous red clay at Roland Garros to fight for the second Grand Slam trophy of the season in a tournament that provides a gruelling test of stamina, willpower, skill and athleticism.
And if one player in the men’s game has earned the right to call himself the King of Roland Garros, it is the legendary Rafael Nadal. The Spanish star, who will turn 33 during the tournament, has dominated this event, and while his prodigious talent has also enabled him to win at Wimbledon and to lift the Australian and US Opens, his most dominant form has always been showcased in Paris.
He won his first French Open title in 2005 and has hardly relaxed his stranglehold on the event in the years since. His victory over Dominic Thiem last year was his eleventh French Open win, outstripping the next best player during the Open Era, Bjorn Borg, by five. The youngest of the five players during the Open Era to complete the career Grand Slam, he also holds a record 57 clay-court titles and his 81 consecutive wins on the surface is another modern tennis record.
And when tennis fans tune in to the ITV coverage of this year’s tournament, Nadal will once again be the centre of attention. Not surprisingly, he is the clear favourite to win the French Open for a twelfth time, being rated as a 7/5 shot by most bookmakers, with his nearest challenger, Novak Djokovic, priced at around the 5/2 mark and Thiem the only other serious contender at 9/2.
So, can Nadal extend his record-breaking run and win in Roland Garros for a twelfth time? His form this season so far has been mixed. A run to the final of the Australian Open was followed by a second-round loss at the Mexican Open and a withdrawal from the Masters event at Indian Wells. He then lost consecutive semi-finals, on his favoured clay surface, to Thiem and Italian Fabio Fognini, which will have given hope to Nadal’s rivals that perhaps he may be beatable this time round.
But the little Spanish genius should never be underestimated. He knows exactly what it takes to peak in Paris, and there is no doubt that he will be prioritising Roland Garros above any other tournament this season as he aims to add another chapter to his legend. So when it comes to the big one, we can be sure that Nadal’s tenacity, stamina and prodigious top spin ground strokes will make him the overwhelming favourite with tennis fans looking for the best odds on Bigbetbookmakers. And as any tennis punter will tell you; you back against Nadal in Paris at your peril.
