Welcome to the Ultimate French Open Betting Guide!
The French Open is the second of the four Grand Slam tournaments and the only one played on clay, making it a unique tennis betting test. It is held at Roland Garros in Paris and takes place over two weeks starting in late May and is a key date in for tennis betting fans.
With 128 players in each singles main draw, the Grand Slams offer the most matches and the most opportunities for tennis bettors to make money over the space of a fortnight.
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Soon after the French Open has been completed, outright (to win the tournament) odds will be available for the following year’s event. Expect to see the finalists and past winners very much to the fore of the betting.
These odds will change a little due to subsequent Grand Slam results but the most activity is occurs in the month before the French Open when the European clay-court season is up and running. There is a men’s Masters event in Monte-Carlo and a women’s Premier Mandatory event in Stuttgart before the two main warm-up competitions - the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
Betting on Clay-Court Tennis
As well as being the slowest of all surfaces, clay makes the ball bounce highest. This means winners are hard to come by with long baseline rallies the norm. The French Open is a serious test of stamina but without the jarring and muscle strain of hard courts. Matches lasting in excess of five hours for the men, who play best-of-five sets at Grand Slams, are not uncommon.
There are plenty of opportunities and markets, pre-match and in-play. As well as the winner of a match, you can bet on the winner of a specified set, the match score, the score in a set, even the score or number of points in a game.
With 128 players in the main draw, there are also a plethora of markets other than outright. Popular bets include which player will win their quarter of the draw, odds on a player to reach the final, and naming the two finalists. For top players, there may be odds available on how far they will get.
Factors to Consider When Betting on the French Open
The slow speed of clay courts is crucial when betting on the French Open with the surface favouring baseline sluggers over more attacking players. A strong serve, such a potent weapon on faster surfaces, is rendered less effective on clay.
This makes holding serve far more difficult on clay than anywhere else. The ball sits up nicely and a top-class returner can put pressure on the server. With long rallies the standard, athletic ability is key. A top clay-court player can scramble across the baseline forever, and keep the ball deep in order to try and force the error.
Learning to slide and move on clay takes practice, and the courts are conducive to spin making drop shots and kick serves particularly effective. The ‘moonball’ - a high looping shot landing near the baseline and bouncing up towards the opponent’s head - can also be a useful tactic.
Making winners is not easy due to the slow surface, but having a blistering forehand like Rafael Nadal (11 French Open titles and counting) helps. Even so, that shot only usually becomes a winner when the opponent is out of position.
As Roger Federer said after finally winning the French Open in 2009, “On clay you don't need to have a volley. You almost don't need to have a serve. All you need to have is legs, an incredible forehand and backhand and to run things down.”
French Open Betting Tips and Strategy
Don’t Expect Tiebreaks
When breaks of serve are more likely, tiebreaks are less probable. We can look at the big three in men’s tennis, with years of data between them, to get a handle on this. Before 2019, Novak Djokovic had been involved in just 27 French Open tiebreaks in his career compared with 33 at the Australian Open, 50 at Wimbledon and 40 at the US Open. The statistics for Nadal and Federer tell a similar story.The lesson is to tread carefully if you wish to bet on the likelihood of a tiebreak. Clay definitely favours returners over servers so that can be used in your general assessment of a match.
Find One-Sided Encounters
With fewer cheap service games, gulfs in class are more widely pronounced. There may well be value in backing a superior player to win a set convincingly either pre-match or in-play with big odds available for a ‘bagel’ (6-0) or ‘breadstick’ (6-1). Or you can back said player to win in straight sets (3-0 for men, 2-0 for women). Similarly, handicap betting - where the underdog receives a headstart of a specified number of games - is worth looking at. Backing the favourite to ‘beat the spread’ can pay dividends, eg. betting on Nadal -6.5 games v Kyle Edmund means you need Nadal to win at least seven games more than Edmund.
Cross out Players with Injury Worries
Stamina is a key attribute for any player who wants to go far at Roland Garros. It is unlikely, even for a big hitter, to steamroller opponents in straight sets every time so peak physical fitness is essential. Anyone carrying an injury into the event is going to struggle to go the distance so bear that in mind when it comes to outright tennis betting odds for the French Open.
Watch First, Bet Later
In-running betting adds an extra dimension to tennis. You can watch what happens in the first set before deciding to get involved. If a player is dominant on return, you can bet on them to keep that going in subsequent games and sets. The same goes for outright betting. If you like the look of a certain player, you can back them to go far in the tournament with some bookies even offering outright odds while matches are in progress.
Rafael Nadal is the French Open Master
With 11 titles at Roland Garros and countless titles elsewhere, Nadal is fully deserving of his tag as the King of Clay. He usually wins at least a couple of clay events before Paris so it’s easy to see whether he is in form or not. His main rivals on the dirt currently are Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.The women’s picture is less clear. Simona Halep has been the best player on clay in recent years, but Petra Kvitova has also won big events on the surface. Sloane Stephens and Kiki Bertens and Elina Svitolina are also capable of going deep into the fortnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the French Open played?
The French Open is played at Stade Roland-Garros which is in Paris, the capital of France. The facility was first opened in 1928 to host the defence of the Davis Cup.
When does the French Open start?
The 2020 French Open will officially kick on Sunday May 25th, although qualifying matches will take place the week before. The ladies final will take place on June 6th, while the men's final will be contested the day after.
Can I bet on the French Open?
Yes, all of the best tennis betting sites will offer markets on the French Open. Punters can choose from a variety of markets, with matches taking place daily up until the finals.
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