Eric Uribe
Look, a lot can change from now and May 22 when the second tennis major the year, the French Open, gets underway. Regardless, it’s not too early to make 2022 French Open betting predictions — and that’s exactly what we’re doing in this article. Our picks below are subject to change, but here’s our early-bird forecasts:
Men’s 2022 French Open Betting Pick
When Rafael Nadal won his record-setting 21st major at the 2022 Australian Open (breaking a three-way tie with Novak Djokovic Roger Federer, who each have 20 titles), his odds for the upcoming French Open shortened slightly from +150 or so to the current +130. That remains unchanged today, months before event time. Before we get to our French Open betting pick, let’s see how top online sportsbooks have the betting field:
| Player |  |  |
| Rafael Nadal | +130 | +130 |
| Novak Djokovic | +225 | +225 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +500 | +500 |
| Dominic Thiem | +700 | +700 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +1400 | +1400 |
| Alexander Zverev | +1600 | +1600 |
Will Djokovic Play At The 2022 French Open?
Every bettor needs to have the question above top of mind. That’s because there’s a real possibility that the reigning French Open champion, Djokovic, is once again held out of a major. Akin to the Australian Open, it’s because of his unvaccinated status.
You see, the country of France has a “vaccine pass” mandate as of this writing. Proof of vaccination is required to enter stadiums “for all spectators, practitioners, French or foreign professionals.” Obviously, Djokovic falls into the “foreign professionals” category, which puts his French Open playing status in serious doubt.
But… there is a few workarounds. France’s vaccine pass also applies to those who’ve recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months. And Djokovic claimed to have caught COVID in mid-December, which if true, would put him under that six-month period. And there’s also the possibility that France scraps the entire vaccine pass program — which might be in line with other nations easing virus restrictions as of late.
At this stage, we’d strongly urge you to resist betting on Djokovic. There’s simply too much uncertainty to know whether he’ll be allowed at Roland Garros. Save your money and don’t bet on the defending champion.
Nadal Is A No-Brainer Bet At 2022 French Open
With or without Djokovic at the 2022 French Open, your priority betting pick almost has to be Nadal — the unquestioned G.O.A.T. of Roland Garros, or clay courts in general. On the red clay of Paris, Nadal has won the French Open a whopping 13 times. No player in the history of the sport has dominated any major tennis tournament quite like Nadal has at the French Open.
The only player that’s beaten Nadal more than once at Roland Garros is Djokovic, who has two wins (including a thriller in 2021). With that said, here’s exactly how we’d approach the 2022 French Open: Nadal is earning a bet from us no matter what, but the size of the wager will vary based on Djokovic’s playing status. If the Serbian is allowed in, we’ll “temper” the size of our bet. But if Djokovic is a no-go, we’re hammering Nadal to win — and we mean hammering it with money!
Women’s 2022 French Open Betting Pick
Whereas the men’s tournament is largely a two-horse race, the women’s bracket is much more wide-open, per the best betting sites for tennis. Realistically, there’s four-to-five players we could argue for being our French Open betting pick. Have a look at the current odds to win for yourself:
| Player | | |
| Iga Swiatek | +400 | +130 |
| Ashleigh Barty | +400 | +225 |
| Simona Halep | +800 | +500 |
| Naomi Osaka | +1000 | +700 |
| Garbine Muguruza | +1200 | +1400 |
| Barbora Krekcikova | +1200 | +1600 |
| Serena Williams | +1600 | +1600 |
We’re going to “ride the hot hand” and wager alongside Ashleigh Barty. She played as perfect as you possibly can at the recent Australian Open. Before winning her third career major there (in front of her home country audience, no less), Barty did not drop a single set. Not one! Her serving ability was especially on-point at the event. Barty’s serve was only broken three times during the entire tourney. Whether she serving up razor-sharp slices or high topspins, no one was able to hang with the No. 1 player in the world (a moniker Barty has held sine June 2019 now).
Plus, Paris is where Barty won her first-ever major, back in 2019. That two-week stretch was when Barty cemented herself as the best female player going today. At one point ranked No. 325 in the world, she became No. 1 shortly after the championship victory. So not only is Barty playing red-hot right now (and for the last two-plus years really), but she’s proven her mettle at Roland Garros before. That’s a perfect recipe for a 2022 win, which is why we’re betting on her!
How To Bet On 2022 French Open?
As we alluded to earlier, we’re still a ways away from the French Open, which runs from May 22 to June 5. But once the date nears, you can bet on the 2022 French Open at one of the betting sites listed underneath. Any one of the sites has everything you need to cash in big on the event — a large tennis betting menu, bettor-friendly prices, and of course, lucrative sign-up bonuses worth hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play. To get started, click one of the links in the table below!
