The 2021 men’s French Open singles tournament begins on May 23 and will continue through to June 13 when the champion will be announced. The annual grand slam tennis tournament is back to its regular position on the tennis calendar.

Online Sportsbooks Rankings

Last year’s French Open was held in September due to the coronavirus. The event is back to its normal spot – the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events each year.

It’s no secret who the favorite is. Rafael Nadal has won 13 French Open titles, including the last four in a row. Can anyone knock Nadal off?

Domination

Over the past 16 years at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, Nadal has been a fixture in the French Open final. He has made the men’s final in 13 of the last 16 years. Nadal has won the event every single time he has made the final.

His only losses since 2005 were in 2009 when Roger Federer took the title and in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Stan Wawrinka claimed the title and the following year it was Novak Djokovic who was crowned the champion.

Nadal has been so dominant at Roland Garros that he has never been taken to five sets in a French Open final. In 46 sets in the French Open final, Nadal has lost just seven of them. He is the world’s best clay court player and that is why he is the only one listed at minus-money (-135) to win this year’s French Open.

Learn How to Bet on Tennis

Top Contenders

Playing on clay is a different sort of experience for tennis pros. Nadal and his chief rival, Djokovic, are the two best in the world. Djokovic, of course, is the world’s No.1-ranked player and is coming off a third straight win at the Australian Open earlier this year. Djokovic is listed at +300 in this year’s French Open.

Just two other players – Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas – are listed at odds better than +1000. Thiem, who has lost the last two French Open finals to Nadal, is listed at +500 and Tsitsipas, who made the semifinals last year, checks in at +600.

Best Sports Handicappers

The Longshot

The best clay court players in the world are Nadal and Djokovic with Thiem not far behind. The only other player with a realistic shot of pulling off the upset is a former French Open champion – Federer.

The problem for Federer is that he hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since winning the Australian Open in 2018. That was one year after winning Wimbledon in 2017. Since, all that Federer has done is age. He is now 39 and well past his prime.

Federer has played in two tournaments thus far in 2021. He was ousted in the second round of the Gonet Geneva Open last week and lost in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in March. He does have experience at Roland Garros and offers a great payout at +3500. The question is can he even make it to the quarterfinals?

The Pick

This is Nadal’s tournament to lose. He’s won four straight and he just beat Djokovic last week to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Medvedev is the world’s second-ranked player, but clay just isn’t his thing as his +2800 odds reflect. Stick with the best on clay even though Nadal at -135 isn’t all that attractive.

How to Start an Online Bookie

Odds to Win 2021 Men’s French Open

Rafael Nadal -135

Novak Djokovic +300

Dominic Thiem +500

Stefanos Tsitsipas +600

Alexander Zverev +1350

Andrey Rublev +1750

Daniil Medvedev +2800

Jannik Sinner +2800

Roger Federer +3500

Diego Schwartzman +4500

Matteo Berrettini +4500

Pablo Carreno Busta +5500

Casper Ruud +5500

Denis Shapovalov +7000

Stan Wawrinka +7000

Roberto Bautista Agut +8500