For the second time in seven months, we are going to crown a grand slam champion from Roland Garros. After last year’s pandemic altered schedule, the French Open commenced after the US Open in October. Conditions were far different than usual, with many players opting to play in sweaters. This will be the first installment in its usual time slot with a night session, which should be rather interesting to see play out. We are now just over a week away from Day 1 of the event, so let’s take a look at both the ATP and WTA betting opportunities.

Without a draw, all there really is to look at are outrights. In the ATP, we all know Rafael Nadal is the favorite. He has a career 99-2 record at Roland Garros and owns a remarkable 26-0 record in the semi-finals and finals of the tournament. Barring injury, Nadal is going to win his 14th title at this great event.

So, where do we look for value? Dominic Thiem (9/1) has looked well out of form since returning from injury, and his match fitness is a major concern heading into the best of five format. Roger Federer (70/1) is not a factor on the red dirt, with just one French Open title, coming in 2009. Daniil Medvedev (90/1) has never won a match at Roland Garros while maintaining a career 11-20 record on clay. I’ve had some interest in Stefanos Tsitsipas (8/1) with his form heading in, but his price is beginning to lose value having reached single digits.

Simply put, pre-tournament, it is hard to back anyone other than Nadal when an injury feels like the only out to the field winning the event. One interesting bet I like on DraftKings is Stefanos Tsitsipas (-107) over Dominic Thiem in the further tournament progress market. If Rafael Nadal is drawn into the same half of the bracket as Novak Djokovic, names such as Andrey Rublev (33/1), Jannik Sinner (40/1) and Aslan Karatsev (66/1) could all hold value if any end up in the opposite half of the bracket, which would be headlined by Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem.

As is the case with most grand slams, the WTA offers a little more variety. Of the last nine grand slam champions, four closed pre-tournament at 30/1 or higher (Naomi Osaka 2018 US Open, Bianca Andreescu 2019 US Open, Sofia Kenin 2020 Australian Open, Iga Swiatek 2020 French Open). Currently, the defending champion Iga Swiatek is the favorite (+325), while Ashleigh Barty (5/1) and Aryna Sabalenka (6/1) follow.

Last week, Simona Halep (then 5/1) suffered a calf tear, putting her French Open status in serious doubt. So where to look for value? Garbine Muguruza (12/1) is someone I’ve had my eye on all season. She has played as well as anyone on the WTA Tour and comes in with the second highest UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) among the women. Looking a bit beyond 12/1, two names stand out with one being Bianca Andreescu. We know very little about the Canadian on the clay court surface, as she has just one main draw match at WTA Tour level. She is a terrific mover and her groundstrokes can hit through the slowest of conditions. Health is her biggest concern, but she is a fighter and has previously won a grand slam coming off an extended injury absence.

The other is Paula Badosa (40/1), whose draw will be vital to her fate at this running of the French Open. With a favorable draw, Badosa could be the one who seemingly comes out of nowhere to earn her first grand slam title. In three of the previous four French Open’s, there has been an unseeded finalist, while two have gone on to win the tournament. Badosa is coming off semi-final runs in Charleston and Madrid and is suddenly 10th among all WTA players in raw clay court rating.