French Open Tips

Jannik Sinner will never have a better opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam. The Italian is priced at 8/25 by BetMGM for Roland Garros glory as he looks to make amends for last year’s defeat, where he lost a five-and-a-half-hour epic to Carlos Alcaraz.

There is no Alcaraz standing in his way this time. The Spaniard, who has been sidelined with a wrist injury since April’s Barcelona Open, will not be able to defend his French Open crown, nor will he feature at Wimbledon, where he has also triumphed on two occasions.

Sinner is not the only man chasing history, though. Novak Djokovic is pursuing a 25th Grand Slam title, and time is no longer on his side. His Australian Open semi-final victory over Sinner proved he remains capable of competing at the highest level, but he could scarcely have been handed a more demanding draw here.

The most decorated male player in the history of the sport opens against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and could then meet another home hopeful in Valentin Royer before the draw becomes considerably tougher. Rising Brazilian star Joao Fonseca may await in round three, while two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud is a potential fourth-round opponent.

Alexander Zverev occupies the same half of the draw as Djokovic and, according to the oddsmakers on tennis betting sites, poses the biggest threat to Sinner. That is hardly encouraging for anyone looking to get against the Italian, given the German managed to take just eight games off him across two clay-court meetings this spring.

Before moving on to the women’s singles, which appears a far more compelling betting heat, tennis tipster Ben Smith has one selection for the men’s draw in a market that removes the seemingly untouchable Sinner from the equation.

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Men’s Singles: Jiri Lehecka to win Q4 (9/1)

The fourth quarter of the men’s draw is an intriguing section, with significant question marks surrounding several of the leading contenders.

Zverev withdrew from Hamburg last week, citing back problems that have apparently troubled him throughout the entire clay-court season.

Arthur Fils has also been dealing with physical issues. The Frenchman retired from his Italian Open clash with Andrea Pellegrino due to a hip problem and, as of Friday, just two days before the tournament begins, had yet to practise at Roland Garros.

Rafael Jodar may appear the obvious candidate to come through this section, but rather than side with the teenager on his Roland Garros debut, I’ll take a chance on Jiri Lehecka at a far bigger price. He is not a player typically associated with clay-court pedigree, but the forecast in Paris points towards extremely hot conditions, which should quicken the surface and play firmly into the Czech’s hands.

Women’s Singles: Iga Swiatek to win the French Open (9/4)

Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is no longer viewed as the inevitable winner she once appeared to be at the French Open.

She has not lifted a title on clay since her 2024 victory in Paris, although the recent signs have been encouraging. Things had been heading in the wrong direction since last October, but her performance at the Italian Open, her third event with her new coach, suggested she may finally be turning a corner.

A semi-final run at a clay-court WTA 1000 event may not, on paper, seem particularly noteworthy for Swiatek, but the manner of her victories over Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula, surrendering just three games in each match, certainly caught the eye.

Her defeat to eventual champion Elina Svitolina came in a match that finished very late at night, and those slower evening conditions tend to negate many of the qualities that make Swiatek so formidable on clay.

Women’s Singles: Anastasia Potapova to win Q2 (9/1)

Anastasia Potapova has been one of the stories of the clay-court season. The 25-year-old, who switched allegiance from Russia to Austria in 2025, reached the final in Linz before making her first WTA 1000 semi-final as a lucky loser in Madrid.

With a quick turnaround before qualifying in Rome, she went on to win five matches in the Italian capital before eventually succumbing to Pegula.

Defending champion Coco Gauff is the favourite to emerge from this section, but a potential third-round meeting with Potapova would represent a seriously difficult assignment. Potapova has won the last two meetings between the pair, including their most recent clash on clay.

Women’s Singles: Karolina Muchova to win Q4 (7/1)

Q4 is stacked with talent, with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva, who many believe is a future world number one, heading the market.

Unlike those two, though, Karolina Muchova has already reached a French Open final. With her outstanding variety, she is a threat on every surface, and it is her injury troubles more than anything else that have prevented her from collecting a greater haul of trophies.

She has started this season impressively, winning her first WTA 1000 title in Qatar before making another final in Stuttgart on clay.

A fully fit and healthy Muchova is capable of contending anywhere, and she looks overpriced to do so here.

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