Novak Djokovic’s victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open has given him his first Grand Slam title of 2019.
The question punters are asking now is can he pick up a second 2019 Grand Slam at the French Open?
Some will say yes he can. They will point to the fact that the 31-year-old Serbian star is right up there on top of his game. The standout World No 1 has won his last three tournaments. He’s also one of only two men to have beaten Nadal at Roland Garros, home of the French Open.
Other seasoned observers will say no. Nadal is the man They, in turn, will stress that with 11 French Open titles, Nadal has bestrode Roland Garros’ like a Colossus. That is when he was fit – and he is fit and feisty right now.
We all saw that in Melbourne where it took some Djokovic’s finest hard-court heroics to finally stop the Spaniard.
New Jersey’s bookmakers seem to be in no doubt that Nadal will win on Roland Garros’ orange clay courts for the 12th time. For instance, Play Sugarhouse, one the state’s 13 online sportsbooks, had Nadal as its -112 (9/10) favorite on Tuesday, March 6.
Djokovic was their No 2 at +200 (2/1). Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, perhaps the only other contenders with an outside chance, were both at +1100 (11/1).
Roger Federer, a world leader in Grand Slam victories, was some way back on Sugarhouse’s list of leading French Open odds. He was at +3300 (33/1).
So there you have it. If you go for the hot favorite you’ll have a strong chance of winning. However, for every $10 you wager you will only win $9. On the other hand, you can double your stake if you back Djokovic who has won before and might just win again.
Then, of course, there is Federer. He is not a clay court specialist, but he has pulled off some amazing victories over the years. He may just be the dark horse.
Moving away from the men’s championship to the women’s French Open, we note that New Jersey’s sports bookies seem to be somewhat divided about the favorite.
Some like FanDuel prefer Simona Halep at +500 with Salina Williams at +750. World No 1 Naomi Osaka is their 3rd choice at +1200 along with Elina Svitolina.
888sport, on the other hand, have Williams as their favorite at +350 with Halep at +500 and Svitolina and Osaka at +1200.
Halep, the World No 1 coming into the French Open, had had a bad run. She had lost five matches in a row and went out to Williams in the 4th round. She did enough to give notice, however, she was getting back into her best form.
Williams did what she has done in her last three Grand Slams. She looked good enough to win again but then wilted when it really mattered. This time she managed to throw away a 5-1 third-set quarter-final lead and went out to Karolina Pliskova.
Naomi Osaka was all about genuine Grand Slam material in Aussie, but clay-court tennis may not suit her.
With so little clear-cut in the women’s French Open stakes, now may be a good time to hold back.
It may be wiser to hold on to your money and adopt a wait and see attitude.
The top eight odds for the French Open men’s Championship
Rafael Nadal -112
Novak Djokovic +200
Dominic Thiem +1100
Alexander Zverev +1100
Marian Cilic +2000
Juan Martin Del Potro +2000
Stanislas Wawrinka +3000
Roger Federer +3300
The top eight odds for the French Open women’s Championship
Simona Halep +500
Serina Williams +750
Elina Svitolina +12000
Naomi Osaka +1200
Gabine Muguruza +1400
Angelique Kerber +1800
Kiki Bertens +1800
Petro Kvitova +1800.
