Rafael Nadal is the greatest clay court player ever to walk the Earth. Nadal has been virtually unbeatable on clay throughout his career, and he has won the French Open more times than any other player has won any other major.
- Date & Time
- May 26th, 2019
- Location
- Stade Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal is the greatest clay court player ever to walk the Earth. Nadal has been virtually unbeatable on clay throughout his career, and he has won the French Open more times than any other player has won any other major. His 11 French Open titles are the most in history by far, and even though he is in his mid-30’s, he has shown no signs of slowing down. After winning the last two French Open titles, he is looking to make it three in a row, and the oddsmakers have him as a toss-up against the rest of the field.
2019 Men’s French Open Odds
Rafael Nadal -112
Novak Djokovic +260
Dominic Thiem +700
Field +850
Stefanos Tsitsipas +1700
Alexander Zverev +3400
Roger Federer +3400
Juan Martin Del Potro +5000
Borna Coric +10000
Fabio Fognini +10000
Stan Wawrinka +11000
Daniil Medvedev +11000
Kei Nishikori +15000
Gael Monfils +15000
Marin Cilic +30000
Karen Kachanov +30000
Marco Cecchinato +30000
Roberto Bautista Agut +33000
Nick Kyrgios +35000
Grigor Dimitrov +40000
Milos Raonic +40000
Alex de Minaur +40000
Lucas Pouille +70000
Denis Shapovalov +70000
Kevin Anderson +70000
Andy Murray +100000
Nadal is essentially a superhero on clay. Since first entering the French Open in 2005, he has only been defeated twice. The first came in 2009 when Robin Soderling stunned him in the fourth round of the event, allowing Roger Federer to win his first and only French Open, and the second came in 2015 when Novak Djokovic beat him in the quarterfinals. Aside from that, he has run rampant over his opponents at Roland Garros.
He will turn 33 at this tournament, but Nadal is still at the top of his game on clay. Nadal won in straight sets over Dominic Thiem at the 2018 French Open, yet if you’re looking for some hope that he could stumble, there is some. Nadal fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals of the Madrid Open two weeks ago, and Novak Djokovic has defeated Nadal seven times on clay in his career.
Djokovic is the favorite to win if Nadal happens to stumble or gets injured and has to withdraw during the tournament. Djokovic was the last player to win the French Open other than Nadal, and he won the tune-up for this event, the Madrid Open, over Tsitsipas two weeks ago. He has been the No. 1 player in the world since November of last year, and his powerful serve is even more devastating on clay.
Thiem is one of the burgeoning stars in tennis that has been unable to break through because of the old guard of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. He has yet to win a major, though he came close last year, and he is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. Thiem is at his best on clay, and he made the semifinals of the French Open in 2016 and 2017 before making the finals last year. There’s no doubt he will eventually break through, but the question is whether or not he can do it while Nadal is still playing at a high level.
The field can be an intriguing option with a clay court event, but aside from Soderling, we have not had a surprise at this event over the last 15 years. That’s why the best bet is to stay with the favorites and hope one of them can pull it out.
If you’re looking for a real longshot, Gael Monfils is worth a flyer at 150-1. Monfils has the creativity and energy to thrive at the French Open, and we have seen him make the semifinals of this event before. He nearly beat Roger Federer at the Madrid Open, and Monfils won the Rotterdam Open earlier this year.
