5 Underdogs Who Could Win the French Open in 2019

Ah, but the conundrum of the dubious futures favorite!

Whenever there’s a mispriced favorite headed into an iconic event in golf or tennis – say Tiger Woods at (+1000) heading into a PGA Championship course he has no business tackling in his 40s – the question is, in a manner of speaking, “where’s Waldo?”

Waldo – the strong futures pick with the overly-long, big-payoff, small-risk line – has to be somewhere. If the favorite or favorites for a tournament ought to be longer wagers, rarely are the resulting %s dispersed exactly evenly across every other price on the betting board.

The 2019 French Open appears littered with “false” favorites across the top of the Men’s and Women’s Singles markets at Bovada Sportsbook and elsewhere. Simona Halep is a consensus 4/1 or 5/1 pick to win Roland Garros at sportsbooks across Las Vegas and London, and you almost wouldn’t even know that she’s lost in finals on clay and surfed through a series of coaches in ’19.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is a (-110) pick to win the Men’s final in Paris, at least according to our pals at MyBookie. The Spaniard is the undisputed King of Clay, and he’s been on fire when healthy. I don’t overreact when star players tweak a muscle and pull out of Anywhere Open against whoever, but Nadal pulled out of a recent match with Roger Federer with a knee injury.

Regardless of how the draw pans out, a (-110) wager is an awfully-steep price for a nicked-up tennis player. One of these days the small hurts are going to add up to a big hurt for El Nino.

As for Federer, tabloid headlines are trying to imply that he’s not interested in the French Open or doesn’t think the courts of Paris are inspiring enough.

That’s hardly his actual quote – he’s just bothered by injuries and not ready to sacrifice life and limb for an event he usually loses to Nadal.

That leaves the door even more open to a spoiler on the Men’s Singles side.

Here’s a quick glance at 5 longer bets that could pay off with a Men’s or Women’s winner.

Stan Wawrinka +3300

The 34-year-old Swiss veteran aims to recapture his previous magic at Roland-Garros. Wawrinka won the 2015 French Open title with a final match victory over Novak Djokovic, and made an appearance in the 2017 finals, losing to Rafael Nadal.

Clay is Wawrinka’s best surface, so why isn’t he faring better in the spring season? The seasoned Grand Slam competitor is working his way back from a 2018 full of injuries.

But his lighter playing and training schedule through winter could be a boon against players who have been worn down by endless Tour semifinals and finals.

Wawrinka’s odds are so long – far underestimating his chances to make a real comeback and surprise the favorites – that he has to be considered at 33-to-1.

Petra Kvitová (+1200)

2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová just missed out on capturing her 3^rd Grand Slam at the 2019 Australian Open, falling to Naomi Osaka. The 29-year-old Czech lefty has a 23-10 record at the French Open and her best finish was a semifinal appearance in 2012.

Petra has a 69 career winning percentage on clay courts.

She has been in tip-top form in 2019 with 4 finals appearances and championships at the Sydney International and the clay-surfaced Stuttgart Open.

Karolína Plíšková (+1400)

I’m feeling this pick a little more in what could be a free-for-all tournament if Halep falters.

Plíšková has had an inconsistent career at Roland-Garros with an all-time record of 9-7. Her best run in the tournament came in 2017 when she lost in the semis.

But she is also coming off a remarkable Italian Open win in which she defeated Johanna Konta in the final.

That’s got to improve a player’s confidence level on clay.

Karolina also captured a championship at Brisbane International and made a run to the finals at the Miami Open.

Madison Keys (+2200)

The youngster from Rock Island, Illinois is coming off her best performance at the French Open in 2018 and is my favorite “sleeper” pick this season.

Keys made her only Grand Slam finals appearance at the 2017 U.S. Open when she lost to fellow up-and-comer Sloane Stephens. But in a recent a tune up for the French Open, she defeated Caroline Wozniacki for the title at the Charleston Open in April.

She is 1-2 for her career in WTA Finals on clay surfaces.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1600)

Considered a star in the making, this 20-year-old upstart from Greece is the world’s 6^th-ranked player and is coming off 3 consecutive stellar performances during the 2019 clay season.

Tsitsipas won the final of the Estoril Open in Portugal, lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Madrid Open, and lost in the semifinal of the Italian Open to Rafael Nadal. My colleague Nikola also captured the aftermath of one of the Grecian’s surprise wins over another superstar.

Tsitsipas has a career clay record of 23-12 (66%), but his string of consistent finishes in 2019 could be a sign of rapid development…and a potential break-through Grand Slam win in Paris.