2024 French Open Betting Guide

Tournament Overview

The French Open takes place at the beginning of May. The best tennis players battle to win the trophy, and a cheque for €2,200,000. For the last two decades, the tournament has been dominated by Nadal, who has won it a record 14 times. Other notable winners include Djokovic (2), Warwrinka (1) and the retired Federer (1).

This year, the bookies favourite is Djokovic, who won the first GrandSlam of the year, the Australian Open. The teenage sensation, Carlos Alcarez, and last year’s runner up, Casper Rudd, also stand a chance of winning.

French Open Structure and Rules

The French Open follows a single-elimination tournament structure, where players compete in a series of matches until they are either eliminated or reach the final rounds. The men’s singles involves a field of 128 players, which are seeded based on their ATP rankings. The top 32 seeded players get a bye into the second round of the tournament.

Matches are played in a best-of-five sets format, with the men’s singles final traditionally taking place on the second Sunday of the tournament. To win the French Open, a player needs to win seven matches.

Stade Roland-Garros Stadium

Stade Roland-Garros is the venue for the French Open located in Paris. The stadium is known for its distinctive red clay courts, which affects the players in different ways. Even the great Roger Federer struggled, only winning the French Open once.

The stadium was named after the French aviator Roland Garros, who was the first person to fly across the Mediterranean Sea. It was built in 1928 to host the Davis Cup matches between France and the United States, and has been the venue for the French Open ever since.

French Open Playing Surface

The French Open is the only GrandSlam tennis tournament played on clay courts. The red clay surface at Roland Garros is made up of crushed brick and is more demanding than other surfaces such as grass. The way the ball bounces is higher and more unpredictable.

The surface also requires players to slide and adjust their footwork more frequently. It’s physically demanding and increases the risk of injury. One player who thrives on clay is Nadal, who grew up in Spain playing on the surface every day.

Outright Betting

The most common bet to place at the French Open is the outright winner. You are predicting which player will go on to win the Roland Garros trophy. You have two options, before the tournament starts, known as a futures bet, or while the action is underway, in-play. The latter provides much more value, especially if a player is losing, and you think he will turn it around.

Match Betting

At the French Open, there are plenty of individual matches to place bets. Each match is the best out of five sets, and with tiebreakers, there’s many opportunities to profit from. In the match betting market, you’re predicting which player will progress to the next round, and you’re even able to combine bets to make doubles or trebles. Also, bookies will run promotions such as boosted odds on specific matches.

In-play Betting

If you’re watching the French Open live, then in-play betting is ideal. You can place bets on a wide range of markets, from over/under betting to outright winner. The swing of the betting odds French Open can be dramatic, so in-play betting can provide profitable opportunities. Just remember when you choose live betting, you need to be quick, as tennis is a fast paced game.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting for the French Open will be offered on individual matches, or on the tournament as a whole. For example, a bookmaker might offer a handicap of +4.5 games for the underdog, and -4.5 for the favourite. It’s a great bet if you think the favourite will easily defeat his opponent. You’ll also get much better odds than betting on the favourite to be outright winner.

Over/Under Betting

Over/Under betting is a type of bet where bookmakers set a number for an outcome. You are predicting whether the actual number will be over or under that total. Common outcomes include the number of games played, sets played, or the total number of aces served. For the latter, if the bookie specifies 5.5, you need to predict whether there will be more or less aces in the match.

Set Betting

Set betting is a type of bet that involves predicting the exact score of a tennis match. It allows you to place bets on the number of sets won by each player. For both players, there are three options, 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2. It’s a more challenging form of French Open tennis betting than other types, as it requires you to predict the exact outcome. On the other hand, the odds are much higher.

Tennis Accumulators

Tennis accumulators involve combining multiple bets to increase your potential payout. This type of bet can be used for the outcomes of multiple matches, or on different aspects of a single match. For instance, you might choose to bet on outright winners of three different French Open matches. Or, you might back four players to win the first set in each of their games.

Study Each Player’s Performance on Clay

Before betting on the French Open, look at a player’s career record on clay. It gives you an indication of how comfortable they are on the surface, and how successful they’ve been. Check their win-loss record, the number of titles they have won, and how far they have advanced in previous clay court tournaments.

Follow Tipsters

Tipsters are individuals who specialise in providing betting tips and predictions for the tennis tournaments. They look at previous records and other statistics before coming to a conclusion. By following a tipster, you get access to their expert knowledge and analysis. You can use the information to make more informed French Open betting decisions.

Understand All the French Open Betting Markets

When partaking in Roland Garros betting, having a firm grasp on each market is vital to success. On a sportsbook, you’ll find the specified rules on each market, so make sure to read them before placing a bet. By understanding each betting market, you’ll be able to identify more betting opportunities throughout the tournament.

Opt for Handicap Bets

If you back a favourite in a match when betting on French Open, you’ll find much better value in Handicap markets. An outright win for Djokovic to beat Isner might be 1/1, but with a handicap of -1 set, the odds will be higher. This way, you can boost your profits by backing the favourites.