Steve Starr
- Novak Djokovic (+250) is the favorite at Monte-Carlo despite playing in only his second tournament this season
- Carlos Alcaraz (+275) won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami and grew up on clay courts
- The event takes place from April 11 to April 17, 2022 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France on the border of Monaco
Novak Djokovic will return to action on Tuesday at the Monte-Carlo Masters after missing the Australian Open and other big ATP events due to his continued refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The 20-time grand slam champion looks to win his third Monte-Carlo title as he prepares for the 2022 French Open (betting tips here), but will have his hands full with a draw that includes 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
Let’s check the latest odds for the men’s clay-court event. Here’s also where you can find the top tennis betting sites in 2022.
ATP Miami Open
 |
|
| Novak Djokovic | +250 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | +275 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +600 |
| Alexander Zverev | +800 |
| Casper Rudd | +900 |
| Andrey Rublev | +1600 |
| Jannik Sinner | +2000 |
| Diego Schwartzman | +2500 |
| Aslan Karatsev | +5000 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | +5000 |
Novak is back
Set to compete in only his second event of the year, Novak Djokovic (+250) opens his clay-court campaign as the clear favorite, with rival Rafael Nadal still recovering from a rib injury.
The 34-year-old is 35-12 all-time at the Monaco event with titles in 2013 and 2015. While the 34-year-old Serbian was bounced from Dubai in the quarterfinals, he sounds motivated to extend his streak (365 weeks and counting) atop the ATP rankings and has enjoyed much success on clay throughout his career with two French Open championships.
Novak Djokovic vows to use "challenging few months" as "fuel" as world No 1 returns in Monte-Carlohttps://t.co/HbdMGMk3kR pic.twitter.com/Fr2CoGcg2X
— Mirror Sport (@MirrorSport) April 11, 2022
Can Alcaraz continue momentum?
Carlos Alcarez (+275) opened the season on fire, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami after an impressive semi-finals showing at Indian Wells. The 18-year-old Spaniard grew up on clay courts and has two clay titles on his resume, but faces an incredibly tough draw. Seeded eighth, he could face Indian Wells champ Taylor Fritz in the third round and then Djokovic in the semifinals.
‘Other Top Contenders
Reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (+600) claimed last year’s trophy without dropping even a set. While the 23-year-old’s had a mediocre start to the tennis season, he was incredible on clay in 2021, winning in Lyon before reaching his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros.
Alexander Zverev (+800) reached the semi-finals at Monte-Carlo in 2018, but the five-time ATP Masters 1000 champion was bounced from the tournament early the past two years. The Russian was thrown out of the Mexican Open last week after violently attacking an umpire’s chair with his racquet.
👑 HIS TIME IS NOW 👑
18-year-old @alcarazcarlos03 wins a FIRST MASTERS 1000 TITLE, defeating Ruud 7-5 6-4 to become the youngest male champion in #MiamiOpen HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/GfXf39XGOc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 3, 2022
Casper Rudd (+900) has won six of his seven ATP tour titles on clay, reached the semi-finals at this event last year and is coming off a surprise finals appearance in Miami.
Having captured wins in Marseille and Dubai before advancing to the Indian Wells semi-finals, Andrey Rublev (+1600) was one of the hottest players on tour before getting crushed by Nick Kyrgios in Miami.
Best Bet
Given that Djokovic is coming in rusty and hasn’t performed well in Monaco since 2015, we’ll go with the longshot Rublev at +1600. However, it might not be the worst idea to hedge him with the young Spaniard Alcarez (+275), who could easily continue his hot streak.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
