Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite to win the French Open. Can the world number one live up to expectations and take over from compatriot Rafael Nadal and become the latest Spaniard to dominate on clay? Let’s take a look with our men’s 2023 French Open tennis betting picks.
- What; 2023 French Open
- When; May 28th-June 11th, 2023
- Where; Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
About the French Open
If you’re betting on the French Open, you’re going to want to be armed with all the facts. So here we go. For those not familiar with tennis, and tennis betting, the French Open is a two-week long competition held on outdoor clay courts. The competition is one of four tennis Grand Slam events, alongside the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
The defending champion is Rafael Nadal. But unfortunately, the Spaniard is injured an unable to attempt to defend his title.
BREAKING: Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the 2023 French Open with injuryhttps://t.co/UsbOR7QNn5
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) May 18, 2023
The significant difference for a men’s Grand Slam event, is the matches are best of five sets. This is opposed to the best of three set matches held on the weekly ATP Tour. So, it’s generally a case of survival of the fittest.
In a similar way to the Wimbledon Grand Slam held in England, the French Open has its own uniqueness as performing on clay almost involves learning a complete new tennis skills set.
The majority of tennis tournaments are held on hard courts. This is also the surface used at the Australian and US Opens. The French Open is held on clay, and Wimbledon is held on grass. The different surfaces present the players with unfamiliar challenges, which is what makes both of these events so special, and in some cases, almost nearly impossible for certain players to win.
Even the greats can struggle on clay
Two notable examples are the great Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer only managed one win in Paris, out of 20 career Grand Slam wins. But he won a magnificent eight titles on the grass at Wimbledon.
Whereas Rafael Nadal has won a ridiculous 14 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros, but only managed two victories at Wimbledon. He has 22 Grand Slam titles to his name.
King of Clay x 14 👑@RafaelNadal remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GctcC17Ah8
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022
Another great player of years gone by is Ivan Lendl. He won eight Grand Slam titles, two Australian, three French, and three US Opens. But the great man could never conquer the grass at Wimbledon, despite dominating the sport in the 80’s.
Betting to win the French Open
After the disappointing withdrawal of the defending champion Rafael Nadal, there seems to be a two-way split in the betting to win the 2023 French Open. The best tennis betting online sites make Carlos Alcaraz their +160 favorite.
The second-favorite to win is Novak Djokovic at +240. Up and coming 20-year-old Dane, Holger Rune is joint-third in the betting at +750, alongside Daniil Medvedev.
The bookmakers seem to see it as a two-way fight between Alcaraz (No.1 seed) and Djokovic (No.3 seed) for the title, with Rune and Medvedev regarded as the two players most likely to cash in on any slip ups from the number one and three seeds.
More information and odds can be found below on our French Open betting table. These odds are taken from the best online tennis betting sites. More information about these bookmakers can be found on our sportsbook reviews page.
| 2023 Men's French Open Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | +160 | +160 | +160 |
| Novak Djokovic | +240 | +240 | +240 |
| Holger Rune | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Jannik Sinner | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Casper Ruud | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Alexander Zverev | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Andrey Rublev | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Taylor Fritz | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| Lorenzo Musetti | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
| Dominic Thiem | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Nicolas Jarry | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Borna Coric | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Felix Auger Aliassime | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Frances Tiafoe | +12500 | +12500 | +12500 |
Changing of the Guard?
Carlos Alcaraz is the world number one, the number one seed at Roland Garros, and the slight favorite ahead of Novak Djokovic to win the title. Alcaraz came of age last year, when winning his first Grand Slam title, the 2022 US Open. The win also saw him become world number one.
The dream becomes reality.@carlosalcaraz is a Grand Slam champion. pic.twitter.com/sPFaAiVFNR
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2022
There have been a lot of false dawns over the previous four to five years when it comes to the possibility of a younger generation of players taking over from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Plenty will disagree over who is the best of that trio. But what can’t be disputed, is that they are the three best players of the modern era, if not ever.
But now Roger Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal is not here this year. The punishment the Spaniard puts his body through every time he plays seems to be finally catching up with him. Realistically, there is only Novak Djokovic holding the fort for the old guard.
The romantics will be longing for a Alcaraz vs Djokovic final, that would be the dream. In the event of such a match up, would Alcaraz confirm his position as the new kid on the block? Or would Djokovic show him that he’s not ready to relinquish his crown just yet?
Our picks to win the 2023 French Open
We believe that Carlos Alcaraz is more than capable of winning this competition, but at +160, is he really good value? He has one Grand Slam title to his name, and is still only 20. With all the expectations on his young shoulders, he might be a risk too far at odds of just +160.
12 months ago he reached the quarter-finals here, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in four sets. Yes, Alcaraz is a year older, and a year wiser. But that doesn’t mean he is ready to dominate the sport yet. Therefore, if it comes down to a straight call between Djokovic and Alcaraz, we would favor Djokovic based on his experience, court know-how, and better odds.
Also, for an outside value bet, we’re going for Norway’s Casper Ruud at +1600. Ruud has experienced a dip in form in recent weeks, losing early on in both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open. But with the five-set format in Paris offering Ruud a bit more insurance in the opening rounds, we think wagering on last year’s runner-up is a risk worth taking.
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