When you think of the French Open tennis tournament in the modern era, 
there is one tennis player’s name that comes to mind ahead of every other player in the history of the game. Spanish legend Rafael Nadal has won arguably the most physically demanding of all of the four Grand Slam events an incredible 10 times in his career, easily the record number of victories at the event by any player, male or female.
Nadal’s dominance of the male event is in contrast to the women’s tournament which is one of the most open French Open’s in recent times. Last year, 50/1 outsider Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia surprised the world by defeating Simona Halep in a remarkable final, and the open nature of the women’s tournament has been further emphasised by Ostapenko losing in the first round in 2018 (along with American veteran Venus Williams).
So, we have the unusual situation where we seemingly have an obvious winner in one of the showcase tournaments of the French Open, while in the other, literally any player remaining in the tournament could stand a possible chance of success, so evenly matched is the field.
Let’s learn a little more about the French Open, before we bring you our tips on how we see the men’s and women’s tournaments panning out.
Remember, you can enjoy plenty of betting on the French Open over the next fortnight with Coral Sport. You can enjoy outright betting as outlined below, as well as betting on all of the matches in both the singles and the three different doubles tournaments taking place. You can also enjoy some fantastic In-Play betting on matches as they are in progress, making it one of the biggest tennis events to bet on of the year.
There’s even a special new player offer for customers to use for the French Open. Sign up with Coral Sport today and you will get a special limited time offer on Rafael Nadal to win the tournament at odds of 33/1 (£1 maximum bet). So if Nadal wins, you win £33 plus your £1 stake back. However, if he loses, then Coral will still reward you with a free bet worth £5 as a consolation.
So with that in mind let’s learn a little more about the French Open.
French Open Preview
Traditionally, the French Open has been the second tennis Grand Slam event of the year coming after the Australian Open and just a few weeks before Wimbledon, with the US Open following on later in the season. The event was initially played on sand, but moved onto clay in 1908. The tournament moved home several times in its early years before setting at Roland Garros in Paris in 1928, where it has been played ever since.
Many pundits feel that the nature of clay courts, which see players engage in long baseline rallies, long points and fewer aces or serve and volley point wins, means that it is the most physically demanding of all tournaments on tour, especially for the men who play seven rounds over five sets.
Prize money has increased over the years and now both the men’s and women’s champion will win the same amount of money €2,200,000, out of a combined prize fund of €39,197,000. Each team in the doubles will claim a €560,000 prize, while the mixed doubles winners pocket €120,000 as team.
Rafael Nadal is the current holder of the men’s trophy after he defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in last year’s final. Nadal did not drop a set in any of his seven matches on his way to claiming his 10th French Open title.
The winner of the women’s tournament last year was Latvian 50/1 outsider Jelena Ostapenko who came back from a set down to defeat top seed Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to claim a shock win. Ostapenko however will not defend her crown after losing in the first round of the tournament this year to Kateryna Kozlova.  Ostapenko was only the second unseeded female to win the tournament (after Great Britain’s Margaret Scriven in 1933).
Record French Open Victories
- Men – Rafael Nadal – 10 victories (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017)
- Women – Chris Evert – 7 victories (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986)
Men’s Tournament Betting
Currently, you can get the following odds on the outright winner for the French Open Men’s Tournament:
- Rafael Nadal – 2/5 favourite
- Alexander Zverev – 7/1
- Novak Djokovic – 11/1
- Dominic Thiem -12/1
- Marin Cilic, David Goffin, Georgi Dimitrov – 33/1
- Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin Del Potro, Kei Nishikori – 40/1
In truth, if you are going to back anybody to win this then I cannot make a case for anybody having the ability to dethrone Rafael Nadal this season. The Spaniard may be well into his 30s now, but he is still imperious on clay and in truth, it would take for him to have a huge loss of form, and his opponent to play out of his skin, for me to even consider Nadal losing at any point in the tournament. I’d expect him at the very least to make the final and likely win it.
However, I think there is still some value in betting on who is likely to face Nadal in the final as an each way option on the outright winner market. Coral are paying half the odds if your each way outright winner bet reaches the final but doesn’t defeat Nadal, and I think that offers far better value for punters.
Of the favourites ranked at odds of 40/1 or less, I think there are pros and cons for all players. I would rule out the heavy servers better suited to grass courts (Cilic and Del Potro), while I think Wawrinka is still struggling for full fitness and Djokovic is nowhere near the talent he was a few years ago.
Zverev and Thiem have had good results on clay this season but I would think that a better value bet is Georgi Dimitrov. The Bulgarian has found some fine form of late and is due a fine run at a Grand Slam sooner rather than later. Â Clay may not be his best surface but he has enough in all aspects of his game to go deep here and at 33/1, I think he could surprise a few people here.
- Tip – Each Way – Dimitrov to win the French Open – 33/1 with Coral.
Women’s Tournament Betting
The women’s odds are much more open than the men’s with the current odds available from Coral at the time of writing being:
- Elena Svitolina – 4/1 favourite
- Simone Halep – 11/2
- Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova – 11/1
- Garbine Muguruza – 12/1
- Serena Williams – 14/1
- Karolina Pliskova – 16/1
- Daria Kasatkina – 20/1
- Caroline Wozniacki – 22/1
- Angelique Kerber, Kiki Bertens, Caroline Garcia – 25/1
- Sloane Stephens – 28/1
As you can see from the odds, the women’s event is much more open and while I don’t think we’ll see a 50/1 winner or longer this year, I can see any of the ladies listed above having a real chance of success in Paris over the next fortnight.
However, I think some stand a better chance than others. I think the French Open is a little too soon for Serena Williams who is still searching for her game following her return from giving birth last year. I also feel the two experienced players at 11/1, Kvitova and two-time French Open winner Sharapova, are both not in the shape to last a gruelling two weeks.
Elena Svitolina is the favourite, but in truth, I think she is too short a price and top seed Simona Halep at 11/2 has problems with her psyche at times that I think undermine her ability and mean that she is another risky bet even at 11/2. For me, the best options here are either Muguruza at 12/1 (a former winner here), Pliskova at 16/1 who has a solid clay court game and was a semi-finalist here last year, or the 25/1 shot Caroline Garcia, who is outperforming her German counterpart Angelique Kerber at the moment.
It’s not an easy selection between the three but for me I just think Muguruza’s all-round game and experience make her the better option.
- Tip – Garbine Muguruza to win – 12/1 with Coral Sport
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