French Open men’s singles odds – can Djokovic stop Nadal?
The 2021 French Open is scheduled to take place between 30 May – 12 June, with the men’s singles event taking centre stage and all eyes will be on whether the legendary Rafael Nadal can continue his dominance on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Nadal is now the most successful men’s singles player in the history of the French Open and the King of Clay is odds-on in the betting market to claim a fifteenth Grand Slam title in Paris, with the 34-year-old having won his first crown in 2005 and there haven’t been many that have beaten him since.
Is Rafael Nadal a Banker to Win 2021 French Open?
It would appear that the bookies think Nadal is marginally more likely that the rest of the field to triumph at his second home, with the best tennis betting sites offering 9/10 that the Spaniard is triumphant once again and it’s admittedly hard to bet against a player who has won the past four consecutive French Open titles.
Since winning in 2005, Nadal has only faltered on three occasions, being beaten by Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open, while he was comfortably beaten in the quarter finals of the 2015 tournament by Novak Djokovic. A year later, injury reared its head and Nadal had to walk away from his third round clash.
Since then, the dominance has returned and a quarter final showing in the Australian Open earlier this year illustrates that Nadal remains among the elite players and will be regarded as the one to beat, although it’s clear that his dominance has to also end at some stage.
Djokovic Bidding to Win Second French Open
Novak Djokovic might be the King of Australia after landing his ninth Grand Slam title Down Under recently, although the Serbian has found things tougher going when it comes to the clay courts of Paris and it’s ultimately been difficult to overcome a rather large Nadal-shaped obstacle.
Djokovic did win his maiden French Open title in 2016 although a string of finalist appearances tell their own story, with the likeable Australian Open champion having lost out on four occasions and he’s trading at betting odds of 7/2 to double his Roland Garros tally later this month.
Who Are the Other French Open Title Contenders?
Dominic Thiem certainly has more time on his side at the age of 27, with the Austrian having broken his Grand Slam duck by winning the 2020 US Open title and it’s clear that he’s able to perform on clay courts considering that there were two semi-final appearances in 2016 and 2017 before he reached the final in both 2018 and 2019.
Last year, Thiem was surprisingly beaten by Diego Schwartzman at the last eight stage of the event, although the former is a progressive sort who will be targeting a big run this time around, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas who reached the semi-finals of the competition last year.
The 2019 French Open starts on Sunday 26 May and runs right through to Sunday 9 June, with this Grand Slam tennis tournament being one of the most prestigious events on the tennis calendar.
The French Open is the final tournament of the clay court season, with the men and ladies singles events attracting the world’s best players who will play in a knockout format until there are two players left to contest the final.
Can Rafael Nadal Land a 12th French Open title?
Rafael Nadal is already a Roland Garros legend, with the Spaniard having won an incredible eleven French Open tennis titles. The 32-year-old won his first French Open title in 2005 and he then won a further three French Open titles before missing out in 2009.
From 2010, Nadal then won five successive crowns in Paris, while he’s won the past two renewals in 2017 and 2018, with the man from Manacor clearly preferring the clay court surface over any other and he’s regarded as the player to beat during the 2019 French Open fortnight.
Nadal is trading at odds of around 7/5 to win the 2019 French Open men’s singles title which suggests that the world number two could possibly fall short compared to previous years where the Spaniard has traded at odds-on.
Rafa’s last experience of a Grand Slam final saw him lose in the Australian Open final against Novak Djokovic, with that straight sets defeat seeing Nadal record just eight games throughout the match although the odds could be stacked in his favour should the pair meet again.
Novak Djokovic 9/4 to Win 2nd French Open
Djokovic finally cast off his French Open bridesmaid tag when winning the 2016 title at Roland Garros, with the Serbian previously falling short in the final in the years 2012, 2014 and 2015. That solitary success came against Andy Murray although he might face stiffer opposition this time around.
It should also be noted that the 31-year-old has won his past three Grand Slam events, with the Djoker bidding to win a second “calendar Grand Slam” after previously landing four Grand Slam victories in consecutive fashion when winning the 2015 Wimbledon and US Open titles before following that up with triumphs in the Australian Open and French Open.
Djokovic is trading at around 9/4 to win the French Open and will probably reflect on the fact that he would have enjoyed more success at Roland Garros had his career not clashed with Nadal who has essentially been a colossus in this event.
Will Dominic Thiem Claim Maiden Title?
Thiem might not be a household tennis name in the same way that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are box office, although the 25-year-old is now the world number four and he’s reached the last four of the past three French Open tournaments.
The Austrian clearly loves playing on the clay surface in Paris and the bookies respect him to the extent that he’s priced at 4/1 to overcome his older adversaries and potentially start a legacy of French Open titles.
Thiem has only really gone close to winning the French Open as far as Grand Slam tennis is concerned, with the player having reached the quarter final of the 2018 US Open although he was knocked out of the Australian Open at the second round stage and will be glad to be back on a clay court.
The second Grand Slam of the year could be an absolute thriller as the world’s tennis stars head to Paris for the French Open and Rafa Nadal looks to claim a ninth title at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard has been all but unstoppable on the crushed Parisian clay, losing just once in 60 games and he will again be the favourite for success. However, 2014 looks to be an interesting year for tennis, with some of the youngsters and other “lesser” players showing signs they may be able to challenge Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray and really make an impression at the Slams.
Stanislas Wawrinka has already won the Australian Open, beating Djokovic and Nadal in the process, whilst Milos Raonic is finally in the top 10 and Grigor Dimitrov is also making great strides. With Djokovic beating Nadal recently in Rome, the King of Clay has enjoyed – or not, as the case may be – his worst clay court season for some time, despite a win in Madrid.
With Andy Murray showing signs of a return to his A-game, and also major improvements on clay, this French Open could well be the most fiercely contested for some time, with four or five players in with a real chance of glory, including clay specialist and world number five David Ferrer.
Of course, Nadal remains both the man to beat and the bookmakers’ favourite and whilst odds of around 6/4 are longer than for some time, we feel Rafa could struggle. Djokovic is a shade longer at around 13/8 and is sure to attract plenty of money but whoever wins, this year’s French Open looks set to be one to remember.
The King of the Clay Rafael Nadal is in serious danger of being dethroned, with the defending champion and seven-time winner ranked just fifth in the world after a long-term injury. Moreover, Novak Djokovic recently beat Nadal on clay in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, ending the Spaniard’s amazing 47 game unbeaten run there.
Djokovic, the world number one, can be backed at best betting odds of 13/8 with Paddy Power to win his first French Open and complete a career Grand Slam and whilst many are sure to be betting on him, just as many will find it hard to overlook Nadal. The clay court master is available at odds of 18/19 with Bwin and despite defeat in Monte Carlo that looks like decent value given his record here in recent times.
Further down the market some may be tempted by Andy Murray at best odds (found using our handy odds comparison tool) of 16/1 with BetVictor, whilst Roger Federer would probably need a good deal of luck to claim a second French Open title at the same odds and also with BetVictor. For a real outsider in the betting how about the powerful Tomas Berdych at 66/1 with Bwin?
Of course, it’s not all about the men and in the women’s market the betting odds are topped by Serena Williams at 10/3 with 888sport, although the women’s game tends to be a little more unpredictable and so any of the top 10 in the betting could have a great chance if things go their way.