French Open men's winner predictions, odds and tennis betting tips

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for the French Open men's singles, which starts at Roland Garros, Paris on Sunday.

Where to watch

ITV4 & Eurosport, from 10am, Sunday

Best bets

Rafael Nadal to win title
3pts 10-11 Betfred

Stefanos Tsitsipas to win fourth quarter
1pt EvsBetfair, Paddy Power

Tournament preview

Humphries' best bet
Rafael Nadal to win title 10-11

Rafael Nadal's magnificence in the French Open has already long since gone down in history, but there's no sign of the Spaniard's dominance in the tournament ending just yet.

His triumph in last autumn's coronavirus-delayed event at Roland Garros was one of his finest yet – he totally bossed Novak Djokovic in the October final – and considering the 34-year-old Majorcan has already nailed clay crowns in Barcelona and Rome this season, he is well on course for another Paris masterclass.

Nadal often arrives in Paris with tweaks to be done for the big one and that is likely to be the case this season too. However, his practice sessions in recent days suggest he is not far from his peak and it's difficult to see who can stop him over the best of five sets.

The title favourite faces a potentially difficult opener against impressive Australian youngster Alexei Popyrin and it would not be a surprise to see the outsider pinch a set in that one.

But that outing alone could bring Nadal to the boil and that could be bad news for possible opponents Jannik Sinner, who performed so well against the Pearl of Manacor in Paris last year, and Aslan Karatsev, a dangerous floater who the selection has sensibly been practising with in the French capital.

This is the first Slam in which Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer have been drawn in the same half of the draw. But while second-favourite Djokovic will give is all in pursuit of a second clay Slam triumph, Federer is competing principally to try to get fit for Wimbledon.

Dominic Thiem has a big opportunity to come through the bottom half of the draw and reach a third Roland Garros final. But the Austrian, who has been struggling with his game in recent months, will need a huge effort to rediscover his best form in Paris and that could afford Alexander Zverev a chance to reach the final.

Next best bet
Stefanos Tsitsipas to win fourth quarter Evs

There was good support for Stefanos Tsitsipas to take the title when he avoided Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in the draw. But while the fifth seed still has plenty of work to do if he is to ditch his Grand Slam maiden tag, he has an excellent chance to come through the fourth quarter and reach the semi-finals at least.

Second seed Daniil Medvedev is no lover of clay so there are opportunities for Pablo Carreno Busta, Cristian Garin, John Isner, Sebastian Korda and Guido Pella to fare better than expected and progress to the last four. Korda could be a genuine danger to Tsitsipas in the bottom quarter, but while the talented American is a blinding prospect, the fact he had a busy week in Parma on the eve of the Slam is unlikely to aid his chances in Paris.

Carreno Busta and Isner can be considered, but it's highly likely that Tsitsipas, who is still improving himself, can nail a semi-final berth after reaching clay finals in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and winning in Lyon recently.

Others to note

Fabio Fognini
The Italian, a master on clay when he's in the mood, can be considered at 200-1 to reach the final. But the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters hero has generally struggled to master the demands of Paris. He's good enough to prosper but stamina may be an issue.

Diego Schwartzman
The diminutive Argentinian can threaten the best on his day, Nadal included. But he has not looked to be in peak form on clay this season so supporters will need him to step up.

Taylor Fritz
The American slow-burner has been showing signs that he may not be far from posting a first victory over Novak Djokovic, so there is hope for Fritz in this tournament. Beating Nadal on clay, however, is likely to be another matter.

Aslan Karatsev
The Russian came from nowhere to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in January and he has carried over his hard-court form well on clay. He's a definite dark horse but is still likely to bow to Nadal and Djokovic.

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