As the beginning of May arrives thus comes the next Grand Slam in tennis. The French Open is about 3 weeks away and for betting purposes this means there’s some money to be made!
Part of betting on tennis is understanding that each Grand Slam is different. You can’t always just bet on the top ranked player. Each person usually specializes in a certain type of surface. From hard court to grass to clay each surface is unique.
The French Open is played on clay so that will be our focus at the moment. Before each Grand Slam there are a series of smaller tournaments that are played primarily as “tune ups” for the next Grand Slam. The important thing for us to do is watch the tournaments played on clay closely. Who is injured? Who is playing hot? Which players make clay feel natural?
For the women’s side of the French, here are a few names I’ll throw out as possible winners of the tournament:
Jelena Ostapenko (+1200):
She won last years French and is in great shape at only 20 years of age. With clay being a slow surface, points last longer and endurance comes into play. She is set up nicely for another big run.
Elina Svitolina (+800):
Svitolina is looking very good coming into the French. With clay being her favorite playing surface, she is comfortable with the style of play and ready to make an impact.
Caroline Garcia (+2500):
This is my dark horse of the tournament. She’s gritty! Look for her to cause an upset or two in the tourney. She is someone we can make some money on as an underdog for sure.
Personally I’m staying away from Serena Williams (+650). Clay surface favors players who have a strong ground game which is definitely her strength. However, just coming back from having a baby and trying to get back into tennis shape is a big factor in me deciding to stay away.
If I had to give you one name to win it all I’d have to say Elina Svitolina. At +800 there’s plenty of value there and I’m confident she’ll be ready to make the run at the title.
Follow me @natedogne on twitter for picks and info!
