French Open Betting 2021

As the legal sports betting environment continues to evolve, sports fans are beginning to expand their horizons out of what they consider to be natural comfort zones. Among the sports that are seeing a boom in interest as a result is tennis.

The action on the court already receives a ton of attention as it is, as tennis is a sport with a very loyal and passionate following. That said, it’s poised to grow to even greater heights moving forward, and it’s not tough to draw a parallel to sports betting as being a big catalyst for that.

There’s almost always a tennis tournament going on. Betting on it is lots of fun, potentially profitable and a great complement to other betting markets you may be focused on. There are a number of different ways to wager on tennis, including live betting.

This makes even the average match all the more exciting, as you can drill down and bet on the individual points, games and sets. There’s a learning curve to getting started, but we’ll cover everything you need to know right here in a bit.

For a great way to begin, look at diving into one of the four majors, such as the French Open. These tournaments attract the top players on both the men’s and women’s side, and they garner a ton of attention.

As a result, you’ll have plenty of easily accessible information to dig into. For example, the court at Roland Garros plays differently from other majors, but there’s a solid amount of data and metrics that you can use to your advantage to find the best plays.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the best tournaments on the tennis circuit each year, starting with the way the oddsmakers see things.

Best French Open betting sites

Odds on the French Open

While the French Open remains a ways away, you can still get your bets in on the outright winners for both the men’s and women’s draw. That’s thanks to the active tennis futures market. You can find tennis odds to win the major events well in advance of the tournament itself.

Men’s French Open odds

There are three clear-cut favorites at the top of the tennis odds board on the men’s side of the draw. That said, the field as a whole is packed with talent and players who could surprise.

Name	DraftKings	William Hill	FanDuel
Rafael Nadal	-112	-120	-125
Novak Djokovic	+275	+300	+300
Dominic Thiem	+350	+300	+320
Stefanos Tsitsipas	+2000	+1400	+1700
Alexander Zverev	+2000	+2000	+1800
Daniil Medvedev	+3300	+2500	+2700
Stanislas Wawrinka	+4000	+3300	+4800
Gael Monfils	+5000	+3300	+7000
Marin Cilic	+1000	+8000	+8500
Milos Raonic	+1000	+8000	+7000

Women’s French Open odds

It’s a similar story for the ladies at the French Open. There’s a pair of favorites on top, but another group right behind them that could make some waves.

Name	DraftKings	William Hill	FanDuel
Simona Halep	+450	+500	+600
Ashleigh Barty	+800	+900	+1100
Kiki Bertens	+1000	+1100	+1400
Bianca Andreescu	+1300	+1100	+1400
Garbine Muguruza	+1400	+900	+1400
Serena Williams	+1500	+1200	+1400
Petra Kvitova	+2000	+2000	+2400
Naomi Osaka	+2000	+1600	+1700
Karolina Pliskova	+2000	+2000	+2300
Elina Svitolina	+2000	+1600	+1800

Best French Open betting apps

Betting at a retail sportsbook is a great experience, but tennis tournaments such as the French Open last up to two weeks. To be able to stay fully engaged throughout, you’ll need to have basic betting knowledge and a sports betting app in your back pocket. Here are our three best sports betting app choices.

1. DraftKings Sportsbook — $50 free and up to $1,000 in bonuses: A slick platform that’s perfectly enhanced for live betting, DraftKings is one of the best destinations for betting on the French Open.
2. William Hill Sportsbook — $500 Risk-free bet: Tons of bookmaking experience is helping William Hill to climb up the US charts. It’s an excellent place for a wide range of markets, including tennis.
3. FanDuel Sportsbook — Risk-free bet up to $1,000: Simple to use and generous with promotions, FanDuel is crushing it in every state it enters. You’ll find all of the tennis betting opportunities you need right here.

Creating an account to use each of these three apps is a piece of cake, and they’re available to use in a number of legal and regulated sports betting states to boot.

Simply click through on our exclusive links to begin the sign-up process so that you can take advantage of the awesome bonus offers. Enter a few pieces of information, and your account will be set up instantly.

From there, follow the instructions on the main website to download the app to your iOS or Android device. Afterward, log in on mobile and you’ll be ready to bet whenever and wherever in your state.

One other note: If you’re ready to take the plunge with live betting, then an app is a must. The odds and markets move fast, so you’ll need everything at your fingertips to dive in and get involved.

How to bet on the French Open

When you get started with tennis betting, you’ll notice that there are offerings that are in the same ballpark as what you’ll find in other markets. Naturally, there are also some differences that you’ll have to consider.

Let’s take a look at the main different bet types you’ll come across and an example for each.

Money line betting on the French Open

For each match in the tournament, oddsmakers will set lines on the outright winner. The favorite will have negative odds attached, while the underdog is designated with positive odds.

• John Isner +140
• Rafael Nadal -120

Spread betting on the French Open

For tennis betting, the spreads revolve around sets or games, as in what the winning margin will bet. For sets, it’ll look something like this:

• Nick Kyrgios +1.5 (-110)
• Novak Djokovic -1.5 (-110)

The listing for game spreads will be similar.

• Petra Kvitova +4.5 (-110)
• Ashleigh Barty -4.5 (-110)

Totals betting on the French Open

A totals bet in tennis revolves around the total number of games for a completed match. Oddsmakers set the benchmark, and bettors then decide if they like the over or under on that number.

• Over 27.5 (-110)
• Under 27.5 (-110)

Prop betting on the French Open

Prop bets are additional wagers you can place on the matches regarding something that may or may not happen, individual accomplishment or other circumstances. Example: Will a tiebreak be needed?

• Yes +120
• No -110

Outright betting on the French Open

You can place bets on the outright winners of the tournament. At some operators, you may even see French Open odds on players to reach milestones such as the semifinals. Odds on outrights will be listed for all players in contention, such as:

• Rafael Nadal +110
• Novak Djokovic +150
• Dominic Thiem +180

French Open live betting

After you have a good handle on the ins and outs of tennis betting, you can set your sights on live betting. This is a facet of sports betting that continues to grow, and it has also helped to spark rising interest in tennis.

For the 2020 French Open, you’ll find a number of opportunities as the tournament plays out. To fully take advantage, a sports betting app is a must. The markets move quick and opportunities can disappear quickly, so you need to be ready as it happens.

Flash Bet, a feature from DraftKings, is one way in which users are maximizing their live betting experience. Viewers can track their bets in real-time with embedded graphics, and they’ll even receive payouts nearly instantaneously once a successful wager is settled.

Here are a few of the different live betting opportunities you’ll come across.

• Points: Yep, you can bet on each individual point in a game. This is a fast-paced market that provides a plethora of opportunities during each match.
• Games: To slow it down a bit, you can focus on each of the individual games within the sets of a match.
• Sets: You can also take a more laid back approach and look for opportunities revolving around the winner of a set.
• Updated outrights: As the match plays out, the money line odds on the outright winner will evolve, which creates new opportunities for profit or to hedge your bets.

Remember — these markets move fast, and you will have numerous betting opportunities during the 2020 French Open. As such, be selective and practice good bankroll management along the way as you pick the most appealing spots.

Safe bets for the French Open

As we look ahead to the 2020 French Open, there’s a pair of favorites on both the men’s and women’s side who look as though they have an excellent shot at doing some celebrating at Roland Garros.

• Rafael Nadal: Quite simply, Nadal owns the French Open. His 12 titles at Roland Garros are the most of all time. The three-time defending champion is the favorite for a reason. A fourth consecutive win here would be less than stunning.
• Dominic Thiem: For two straight years, Thiem has made it to the finals at Roland Garros before being upended by Nadal. The dominant run of Nadal here will eventually come to an end, and Thiem could be the one to make it happen.
• Simona Halep: The current favorite on the board, Halep came up just short in 2017 before returning to win it all the following year. Currently the second-ranked player on the WTA circuit, Halep is also the defending Wimbledon champion.
• Ashleigh Barty: The defending champion and currently the top-ranked ladies player in the world, Barty is expected to once again be a huge factor at Roland Garros. A Barty-Halep final on the clay court would be quite a treat.

Potential dark horses who could win the French Open

While the favorites mentioned up above look like solid bets, that doesn’t mean they have the tournament on lockdown. We could see plenty of surprises at Roland Garros. Here’s a handful of players who could turn some heads.

• Cristian Garin: As of this writing, Garin has notched two titles on the clay court for the season to date and has a record of 10-1 on the surface. He’s at the top of the list of lesser-known names to watch.
• Gael Monfils: Currently ranked ninth by the ATP, Monfils has a pair of titles this season and an overall mark of 16-3. We’ll have to wait and see if his hot level of play will continue through the French Open.
• Sofia Kenin: The Australian Open win was no fluke. The 21-year-old has climbed to fourth in the WTA rankings and looks poised to keep going. She made it to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros last year and could go even further in 2020.

Worst bets at the French Open

When choosing outright winners, there are a number of players you need to think twice about. Here are a few who fall into that category.

• Roger Federer: One of the greatest players of all time has already announced he’s skipping the French Open this year due to arthroscopic knee surgery, so cross him off the list.
• John Isner: Isner could be a solid bet for early-round matchups, but expecting a deep run may be asking too much as his best performance here brought him to the fourth round.
• Serena Williams: A three-time French Open champion, Williams hasn’t advanced to the final round at Roland Garros since 2016. She’s certainly capable of a deep run, but use caution on outright win wagers.

General tips for betting on the French Open

Anytime you bet on tennis, you have to consider how players perform on certain surfaces and at certain venues. That’s true whether we’re talking about some random ATP or WTA events or one of the four majors.

When it comes to the French Open, this can’t be stressed enough. One needs to look no further than the dominance of Rafael Nadal at this event to know that the clay court at Roland Garros is an intimidating hill to climb.

For this year’s edition, be sure to take some time to study the draw once it’s released. Each player will have a clear path ahead, but those who are running into landmines in the form of exceptional clay court players may find the sledding tougher than normal.

Here are some other tips to keep in mind as you get set to place your bets on the 2020 French Open.

• Study the odds board: We can glean a whole lot about the current lay of the land by studying the futures market in advance of tennis tournaments. Favorites are where they are for a reason, as are the underdogs. Know what the odds are telling you, but don’t be afraid to pounce if you come across an intriguing dark horse.
• Roland Garros history: It’s a big stage and a tough surface to have success on. Some players are up to the task, while the games of others translate much better to other courts. As part of your research, take some time to study how the players you’re interested in have performed here in the past.
• Season-to-date: While each tennis tournament is its own individual event and should be treated as such, there’s a lot to be said for recent performance. Those who have some tournament wins under their belts deserve a spot on the shortlist, while those with poor year-to-date records need to be viewed with caution.

How does the French Open draw work?

The field for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the French Open include 128 players. Both sides are set up as single-elimination tournaments. Those who win their first round matchups advance while losers go home, and so on through all seven rounds until a winner is determined.

The tournament is laid out in bracket form, which is helpful to think of as four quadrants. The top four seeds will be the favorite in each quadrant, followed by the next four seeds and all the way through to the final qualifiers.

Speaking of qualifiers, there is a tournament in advance of the French Open for players to move into consideration. Typically, the top 12 finishers will earn spots.

The top 100+ players in the rankings will automatically qualify. Meanwhile, the remaining spots are reserved for wild cards, which could be used for those on the cusp of the rankings, a talented local junior or a player who just missed out on the qualifying round.

Once the field is set, it’s a matter of seeding the players. The current rankings for the ATP and WTA play a big part in that, and care is given to spread out the top pros into different quadrants.

The final draw is released in advance of the tournament. Coverage can be found on the Tennis Channel upon release, and you can also follow along at RolandGarros.com for the latest news on the draw.

Past French Open champions

The French Open final is always a big highlight of the year, and we’ve seen some epic matches in recent times. Here’s a look at the last five winners, starting on the men’s side.

French Open men’s singles winners

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Sets
2019	Rafael Nadal	Dominic Thiem	3-1
2018	Rafael Nadal	Dominic Thiem	3-0
2017	Rafael Nadal	Stan Wawrinka	3-0
2016	Novak Djokovic	Andy Murray	3-1
2015	Stan Wawrinka	Novak Djokovic	3-1

While Nadal has been a dominant force at Roland Garros for the men, we’ve seen more variance on the women’s champion side.

French Open women’s singles winners

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Sets
2019	Ashleigh Barty	Marketa Vondrousova	2-0
2018	Simona Halep	Sloane Stephens	2-1
2017	Jelena Ostapenko	Simona Halep	2-1
2016	Garbine Muguruza	Serena Williams	2-0
2015	Serena Williams	Lucie Safarova	2-1

French Open dates/schedule

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2020 edition of the French Open.

• Dates: September 20 – October 4, 2020
• Location: Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France
• Playing surface: Clay court
• TV coverage: NBC, Tennis Channel
• Prize pool: $48 million in 2019
• 2019 men’s winner: Rafael Nadal over Dominic Thiem
• 2019 women’s winner: Ashleigh Barty over Marketa Vondrousova

The official prize pool for this year’s tournament hasn’t been released as of yet. Last year, both the men’s and women’s winners walked away with a cool $2.7 million. The minimum payout for participants in the singles tournaments was over $50,000, and it scaled up based on how far players were able to advance.

The futures market for the 2020 French Open continues to take shape, but clear favorites are emerging on both the men’s and women’s sides.

• Men: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas
• Ladies: Simona Halep, Ashleigh Barty, Kiki Bertens, Bianca Andreescu

As always, the French Open field will be completely loaded with talent. We can safely expect the above eight players to be among the top seeds. The official draw for the 2020 French Open will be released as the tournament approaches.

NBC and the Tennis Channel are handling TV coverage in the states. Both networks can be found on cable, satellite and streaming providers. For other streaming options, check out the website for both networks for specific details on how you can watch on the go. In addition, be sure to check out your sportsbook app for any live coverage options that may be available.