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French Open 2024 Betting Guide

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The French Open is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the professional game. It’s been around since the late 1800s, making it one of the longest sports traditions. And considering that the cream of the crop of the world’s tennis competes at the French Open, this tournament is extremely popular among fans.

Each May, thousands of tennis fans hurl to the 16th arrondissement of Paris to watch French Open matches in person. And millions of other tennis enthusiasts from around the world tune in to watch them on television.

Apart from being popular among tennis fans, the French Open is also a commonly-talked-about subject among sports bettors. The reason? French open odds are often very attractive, which is not surprising knowing that the world’s best tennis players are pitted against each other.

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A Brief History of the French Open

The early beginnings of the French Open go back to the late 19th century. This was the period when the world got tennis fever for the first time. Only a decade after the Wimbledon Championships were born, the entire world was talking about this event.

In 1891, the French Open was born. At the time, the tournament was called the French Championships, and only French male players could participate. Six years after the establishment of the competition, the organizers decided to start accepting female players. And in 1924, the tournament became an international championship.

The next big milestone in the history of the French Open was in 1928. That’s when the tournament moved to the tennis courts complex in the 16th arrondissement of the French Capital, the venue called Roland Garros.

Since then, the term Roland Garros has been used interchangeably with the French Open. Named after a legendary French aviator, the tennis complex is famous for using clay as the surface of its courts. Thanks to this fact, the French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament played on the slow-playing surface.


Men’s French Open Champions Since 2000

YearChampion
2022Rafael Nadal
2021Novak Djokovic
2020Rafael Nadal
2019Rafael Nadal
2018Rafael Nadal
2017Rafael Nadal
2016Novak Djokovic
2015Stan Wawrinka
2014Rafael Nadal
2013Rafael Nadal
2012Rafael Nadal
2011Rafael Nadal
2010Rafael Nadal
2009Roger Federer
2008Rafael Nadal
2007Rafael Nadal
2006Rafael Nadal
2005Rafael Nadal
2004Gastón Gaudio
2003Juan Carlos Ferrero
2002Albert Costa
2001Gustavo Kuerten
2000Gustavo Kuerten

French Open 2023 Schedule

DateFeatured MatchesEntryGame Start
Sun May 28 – DayFirst round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Mon May 29 – DayFirst round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Tue May 30 – DayFirst round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Wed May 31 – DaySecond round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Thu June 1 – DaySecond round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Fri June 2 – DayThird round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Sat June 3– No playThird round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Sun June 4– DayFourth round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Mon June 5 – DayFourth round10:00 AM11:00 AM
Tue June 6 – DayQuarterfinals10:00 AM12:00 PM
Wed June 7– DayQuarterfinals10:00 AM12:00 PM
Thu June 8 – DayLadies’ Semifinals10:00 AM12:00 PM
Fri June 9 – DayGentlemen’s semifinals10:00 AM3:00 PM
Sat June 10 – DayLadies’ final10:00 AM11:30 AM / 3:00 PM
Sun June 11 – DayGentlemen’s final10:00 AM11:30 AM / 3:00 PM

One of the Four Grand Slam Tournaments

There are hundreds of tennis tournaments in which professional players compete. But, not all of them are equally popular. Actually, there are four tournaments that are considered to be elite. Therefore, you can’t become a tennis legend without winning at least one of those four.

The four premium tennis tournaments are called the Grand Slams. Furthermore, the term Grand Slam originally refers to winning all four major tournaments in a calendar year. These events are- the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open.

The French Open takes place in late May every year, which makes it the second of the four Grand Slams – the Australian Open is played in January. The tournament at the Rolland Garros complex lasts two weeks, during which the eyes of the tennis world are set on what’s happening on these courts.

Winning the French Open means writing your name in the history of elite tennis. Glory is the number one motivation for the top-rated players to do their utmost at this tournament, but is not the only reason. That is due to the huge prize money on offer at the French Open.


Legendary French Open Players

The French Open has been around for more than a century, so it’s no surprise that many dramatic events have played out on the courts. Let’s start from the very beginning, with the story about the first-ever winner of the tournament. In 1891, only the players registered at French clubs were allowed to compete in the tournament. Obviously, most of them were French nationals, but the winner of the first-ever French Open was actually British.

However, that’s not the only reason his story is interesting. What makes it really strange is that we don’t know his name. H. Briggs is credited to be the first champion of this tournament, but the only thing we know about him is that he was a British national living in Paris at the time. This is the case because, in the first few years of the tournament, no one thought of it as a major championship. However, that changed a few decades later.

By the 1930s, the French Open had earned its place on the tennis calendar. During this period, it was referred to as a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Don Budge was the first player ever to win the Grand Slam, as the American achieved the feat in 1938.

During World War II, the tournament was reserved only for French Players. However, things returned to normal after the end of the war. Jaroslav Drobny was the star at the Grand Slam event in the 50s, winning the tournament for the first time in 1951.

Drobny is an interesting character because despite being born in Czechoslovakia, he represented the country of Egypt. Also, tennis wasn’t the only sport Drobny played, as he is also a former ice hockey champion.

In the 1970s, the Bjorn Borg era started. The Swedish player won the tournament six times, earning himself a reputation as the king of clay. But, he was dethroned when Rafael Nadal came on the stage. Since 2005, Nadal has won a total of 14 French Open titles, setting an all-time record.  


Famous French Open Moments

With Rafael Nadal winning 14 tournaments in the past 20 years, saying that the French Open has been an extremely thrilling championship in recent times would not be true. Especially knowing how exciting this tournament was back in the 1980s.

Considered one of the best tennis players of the 20th century, John McEnroe did not manage to win a single French Open. The closest he got was in 1984 when he played in the final against Ivan Lendl, who was the big favorite. Everything seemed to be going in the American’s favor. However, after winning two sets, McEnroe started losing his nerve. The next three sets went into Lendl’s favor.

Ivan Lendl took part in another memorable French Open match in the 80s. In 1989, he played the final against the 17-year-old Michael Chang. Lendl was a giant favorite in this match, but David managed to beat Goliath, thus becoming the youngest-ever winner of the French Open.

The 1980s were an interesting decade when women’s tennis at the French Open was also concerned. In 1985, the world saw a nerve-wracking final between two fierce rivals, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. It was 1-1 in sets and 5-5 in games in the third set when Evert went 0-40 down on her own service. But, she somehow managed to turn it around in her favor, eventually winning the set 7-5 and grabbing herself the French Open title.

One of the most bizarre moments in the history of the sport happened at Rolland Garros in the women’s draw in 1999 when Martina Hingis played Steffi Graf in the final. That match saw Hingis leaving the court for a bathroom break to change her clothes. She stayed in the toilet for over 10 minutes. And when her opponent scored the match-winning point, Hingis demonstratively left the court.


French Open Singles

The French Open is a tournament with five championships: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Although all of these championships are packed with excitement, it’s the men’s singles category that attracts the most attention, especially among sports bettors.

Tennis bettors love men’s singles action at the French Open because the favorite wins most of the time. Betting on Rafael Nadal has proven to be a smart decision.

Apart from Nadal, that period also saw his two main rivals winning the trophy on some occasions. Novak Djokovic has won the men’s title on two occasions- 2016 and 2021, while Roger Federer won once in 2009.


Women’s Singles

Unlike the men’s singles, the women’s singles championships at the French Open haven’t been dominated by one player. Instead, several players have won the trophy in recent years. Actually, each championship from 2007 has had a different champion, with a total of 14 different players winning the trophy in that period.

However, we could be set to enter a unique period in women’s French Open history. Iga Swiatek has looked formidable on the WTA Tour, and her French Open performances have captured the imagination. The Polish star won her first Grand Slam title in Paris in 2020, before she recaptured her title in 2022 with a straight sets victory over Coco Gauff.


Doubles at the French Open

The Bryan Brothers have dominated the world of men’s tennis in the doubles category for nearly two decades. Still, Bob and Mike haven’t been too successful at Roland Garros. They have won it only twice, which doesn’t put them on the list of the most successful people in men’s doubles at the French Open, even when only active players are concerned.

Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor are the two most successful active tennis players in this category. They have four titles each, winning two titles while playing as a team. When it comes to the all-time records, Roy Emerson is at the very top of the table, with six trophies. However, the Australian won those titles during the amateur era of the tournament.

When it comes to the women’s doubles at the tournament, American players have been dominant. In fact, female players from the United States have won a total of over 60 so far, including the trophies from the amateur era and the French Open era.

American players lead the way when it comes to mixed doubles as well, although only when the French Open era trophies are concerned. The French nationals are at the top of the table when it comes to the trophies from the amateur era of the tournament.


French Open Betting Markets

Depending on your sportsbook, you can pick from all sorts of markets when betting on the French Open. Still, there are some markets that are more popular than others. As such, they are more commonly found in bookies’ offers. We’re now going to talk about some of those markets.


Match Winner

The match winner is the most popular type of bet in tennis, regardless of the tournament. The reason is that it’s pretty straightforward – you just have to pick the player who will win the match. If they win it, you get the money. If not, you lose your stake.

Considering that there are hundreds of matches in the French Open, you can place a high number of these bets.


Total Sets

Another popular type of wager in tennis betting is the number of sets or games. Men’s Singles at the French Open can have up to five sets in total, while the maximum number of sets in other categories is three. Therefore, it’s up to you, the bettor, to guess how many sets will be in a specific French Open game.  


French Open Outrights

Apart from betting on individual French Open matches, you also have the luxury of placing bets that have to do with the tournament as a whole. For example, you can bet who will win the Women’s Singles trophy at the next French Open.


In-Play Betting

In-play betting can be very profitable because some players take time to get in the right form. Even the biggest favorites might struggle in the first few rounds of the tournament. But, that’s when they’re playing against opponents who are much weaker.

In the first round of the French Open, Davids are pitted against Goliaths. But, unlike in the Biblical story, the giants rarely lose in the French Open, even if they start the match poorly. That said, if a major title contender, like Rafael Nadal, is losing to a major underdog, it’s wise to back the King of Clay through live betting. You can be sure you will get much better odds than before the match!


French Open Betting Tips

The French Open is one of the tennis tournaments with the highest number of participants. A total of 128 players are competing for the trophy.

By doing simple math, you can see that there is a huge number of French Open matches you can bet on. Finding a sportsbook that has those matches in the betting offer is the easy part. Most of them do, which is not surprising considering the French Open is among the most prestigious events in the world.

Picking the right bets is the difficult part. Knowing how much is at stake at this tournament, you can be certain that every player will give their utmost in every match. This is why predicting the winner is not an easy job. But, that’s exactly why the French Open winner betting odds are really attractive.

It would be a shame not to take advantage of such high odds. But, how are you supposed to know which player to back?

The rule of thumb when the French Open is concerned is to bet on the players who do well on clay. This is the only Grand Slam tournament that is played on this surface, so you can expect players like Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek to rule the courts.


Advice Before You Bet

The French Open 2023 starts on Sunday, May 28, and lasts for two weeks. The Men’s final concludes the Grand Slam event on Sunday, June 11.

The best advice we can give you at this point is to bet on Nadal. He’s an absolute legend when playing on clay, and with 14 titles, he’s the most successful player in the tournament’s history. Making an outright bet that the Spaniard will win his 15th French Open trophy seems smart. Unfortunately, you can’t expect to get great odds on this bet. The reason? Everyone, including bookies, knows that he’s the biggest favorite for the title.

If you want bigger prizes, perhaps it’s better to look elsewhere. Betting on dark horses is guaranteed to bring more value. And the best thing is that you don’t have to back them to win the tournament; you can bet a player like Casper Ruud will reach the semi-final.

Whatever you do, the most important thing is to research before spending a lot of money. Only then will you have the right to hope for big spoils.  

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