2010 French Open Betting – When Healthy, Nadal Still King Of Clay
The 2010 French Open is upon and it is going to be a very interesting event in Paris. Just when it looked like Roger Federer has climaxed in his career and passed his prime, Rafael Nadal succumbed to injured at the 2009 French Open and opened the door for Federer to earn his first French Open title. Now that Nadal is back and healthy, he should reclaim his title in Paris.
- What: Men’s Tennis Betting
- When: May 23rd – June 6th
- Where: Roland Garros – Paris, France
- Who: ATP
The Favorites – Nadal (-270), Federer (+400)
When healthy, Nadal is virtually unstoppable on clay. He didn’t lose at Roland Garros for nearly five years prior to last year and as a matter of fact, that was his first loss ever at the French Open. Online betting fans know that the odds of him losing two years in a row aren’t very good unless he’s hurt.
And that’s the main question and it will be throughout the entire tournament. If he’s healthy, he will not lose to anyone. If he’s 90%, then Roger Federer will have a shot at him and if he’s less – as he was in the Australian Open, he won’t be returning to his normal status of champion.
Meanwhile, Federer is steady. Clay is not his best surface by far but he’s still one heck of a player on it. As a matter of fact, without Nadal around, Federer would have been the most dominant clay court player of this generation.
It really depends on Nadal’s knee and right now, it looks strong.
The Second Tier – Novak Djokovic (+1200), Fernando Verdasco (+2800), Robin Soderling (+3500), Andy Murray (+4000)
The second tier has the usually contestants and as per usual, all of them should finish third and beyond.
Soderling was the surprise last year as he took out Nadal and pushed Federer a little bit in the final, but realistically, he is not on their level. Both would have to be out of his way to win.
Meanwhile, Djokovic has the talent to be a grand slam champion but the only thing consistent about him is that he underachieves. Verdasco is an interesting thought but one that also seems to fall short perpetually and Murray, while he does less moping nowadays, does not fit the clay surface whatsoever.
The gentlemen in this group are all stellar players but realistically, none have a shot unless Nadal and Federer are both knocked off.
The Longshots – David Ferrer (+4000), Jo Wilfred Tsonga (+6600), Nikolay Davydenko (+5000), Gael Monfiels (+7000), David Nalbandian (+8000)
You would never want to use the word ‘impossible’ in a sports betting context, but all of these players would need some sort of a small miracle to win.
Not only do these players get worked over whenever they have to face Nadal or Federer, they are also prime for upsets in the earlier rounds when they battle each other.
These guys simply aren’t ready for the prime time and they aren’t good enough to win at Roland Garros – or pretty much any grand slam.
The main two bets in the sportsbook should be either Nadal or Federer.
Outlook & Pick
Nadal is going to be fired up to win another clay court title. Federer can dominate everyone on the tour except for Nadal and with him back, that will be an insurmountable hurdle as the two meet in the final once again with the typical result.
