The 2022 French Open is rapidly approaching, and as we get closer to the second Grand Slam of the year, more and more news comes up that seriously impacts how the next Grand Slam tennis tournament will play out.
Likewise, we have seen many shifts in the betting markets, so it’s time to check what has changed and who are the new favorites to win the 202 French Open!
Here is our update for the 2022 French Open, with the best French Open Betting Odds and a few players you should watch out for.
Early French Open Odds: What to Expect in 2022
Barty’s Retirement Sees the Rise Of New Title Candidates
Iga Swiatek took over as the main favorite to win the 2022 French Open following the shocking retirement of Ash Barty last week. Barty won the Australian Open and was by far the most likely women’s tennis player to win in France, which isn’t that shocking since she was the no.1 on the WTA ladder.
But as disappointing, it is to see the current no.1 retire at only 25-years of age, Barty’s departure has also left a huge gap in the women’s game and plenty of candidates to fill it.
And the first name on that list was Iga Swiatek, who is now a +300 favorite to take home the French Open title. And not only did Barty’s retirement shake up the field at the top, but there were also some serious movements in the middle of the field.
Maria Sakkari is now a +1400 favorite to win the French Open and could be looked at as a solid longshot bet. Due to Barty’s retirement, Sakkari has now moved to the no.2 in the WTA rankings, and she has done well here before.
Sakkari made the semis at the French Open in 2021 and added another semi-finals appearance at the U.S. Open at the end of the season. You should keep in mind that Sakkari, while a very talented player, needs to have a solid start to the tournament to do well, so she might be a hit-or-miss player to bet on.
Rafael Nadal’s Injury
We did not see any shock retirements on the men’s side, albeit there was a shakeup in the ATP French Open odds market after Rafael Nadal suffered an injury.
The no.3 unveiled that he might not be competing in the French Open and will remain out for at least six weeks due to a rib injury, meaning that the King of Clay might not be ready in time to compete at his favorite tournament.
But interestingly, Nadal is still priced as the main favorite to claim the crown, at +110, ahead of Novak Djokovic (+225) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (+550). This means that the bookies have faith that Nadal will attend the French Open and that he will do well despite his injury.
But even though Nadal is still the top favorite to win, his odds have shortened slightly. Interestingly, the same happened with Djokovic’s odds, who was at +200 not too long ago and is now at +225.
The biggest winner is Carlos Alcaraz, who was priced as high as +1600, but is not priced at only +870! Considering he has made semis at Indian Wells, where he lost to Nadal, the shorer odds make sense.
We must also note that while Nadal is injured, his injury might not be as serious as it seems. He had issues during his Indian Wells match against Taylor Fritz when he complained about pain in the chest. And yet he came back to play, although he ended up losing 3-6, 6-7.
We don’t know how serious his injury is, and it could prove to be a problem in the long run. But for now, it indeed seems like a minor injury that likely won’t stop Nadal from competing in his favorite tournament.