French Open future bets
Pamela Maldonado gives you an early look at which future bet you should be placing on the men's French Open.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
PAMELA MALDONADO: Welcome to the Yahoo Sportsbook Daily. It is the start of a new month. Happy March 1. I am your betting guide, Pam Maldonado, here to talk the ATP futures market.
[VARIOUS TENNIS NOISES]
[CROWD GROANING]
[APPLAUSE]
Is it too early to buy a Grand Slam record leader Rafael Nadal to win the French Open title in May ticket? It's definitely not too early to at least start thinking about it.
We have a new rankings out in the men's tennis side, with a new world number one up at the top, Russia's Daniil Medvedev. 20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic has been world number one for 361 weeks. But a loss over the weekend in Dubai dropped him one spot, pushing Medvedev forward as the first ATP player outside of the Big Four to become number one in 18 years.
Now, that may be the current storyline, but what about Nadal? Rafael is back in the top four of the ATP rankings for the first time since August of last year. Nadal is off to a hot start in 2022, undefeated in the year, after winning 16 straight matches for three straight titles. Winning ATP Melbourne, the Australian Open, and, just over the weekend, ATP Acapulco.
The French Open isn't until May, but the odds to win are out. As of today, odds to win Roland-Garros have Nadal as the +110 favorite, followed by the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem, who we still haven't seen back from injury yet, and Carlos Alcaraz, the 18-year-old Spaniard who is absolutely on fire, as well, rounding out the top four.
Now, Rafael owns Roland-Garros. And when I say own, I mean he dominates. He destroys. He crushes his competition on this clay court surface. In the French Open, Nadal holds a 105-3 win-loss record and an incredible 13 titles. Just three losses since 2005.
What makes Rafael so good on the surface, his heavy topspin game makes it extremely difficult to redirect. Plus, his left-handed play that adds another element of difficulty for opponents. On clay, you need to be able to withstand some long rallies. And Nadal, he is one of the best at doing just that. When it comes to stamina and fitness, no one does it better.
Combine these things with his iron-clad mindset. He is a bull. He is determined. He has no quit in him whatsoever. It is no surprise that Nadal is, once again, the French Open favorite.
So is it too early to buy? That is the big question. If Nadal continues to win, then we are going to see these plus money odds change over to a favorite, to minus. Potentially, by the time the tournament comes around, we may be even seeing anything between -120 to -130 range.
And with Novak Djokovic possibly unable to play in events due to his vaccination status, and knowing that the new world number one, Medvedev, is not successful on this surface-- in fact, he holds a 15-21 win-loss record on clay-- then buying at the current +110 price is a logical option.
Personally, I do like to wait and see the draw. I want to consider if perhaps a moneyline rollover is a better option than an outright futures buy. But if you are wanting to make sure that you lock in a plus money price, then +110 is absolutely the best number you are going to get. Because Nadal to win the French Open at +110, that is the plan.
He's back in the top five. And, more importantly, Nadal is finally healthy. If he can stay healthy from now until then, then a Calendar Slam could be in the cards. I wouldn't put it past him.
[COINS FALLING]
Just to recap, if you are looking for some early French Open action, Nadal to win his 22nd Grand Slam title at +110 is worth a buy. Indian Wells does start next week in California, so make sure to follow me on Twitter over at @PamelaM35. And do follow all of our content over at the Yahoo Sportsbook.
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I will be back tomorrow with some golf action on the Yahoo Sportsbook Daily. But, until then, goodbye, and good luck with your bets.
- [CHUCKLES] I got a Mike parlay going tonight.
- Huh?
- I bet on every team with a player named Mike. [LAUGHS]
- That's dumb.
- It's Mike Night.
- Bet however you want. Yahoo Sportsbook is your ticket to BetMGM.