Tennis best bets for the French Open – Sunday, June 11th.
The French Open is the second major of the tennis season, and it’s the only one that is played on clay. This year’s tournament feels a bit different without 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, but the action has been tremendous from both the men and the women. There’s nothing quite like clay-court tennis, and we’ll be here with daily best bets the rest of the way. That includes a pick for the massive Roland Garros matchup between Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud. With that said, keep reading for our pick for this final showdown.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have
Novak Djokovic vs. Casper Ruud (Scheduled: 9:00 a.m. ET)
Djokovic was on the brink of a classic in his semi-final matchup with Carlos Alcaraz, but the Spaniard suffered a significant cramp at the beginning of the third set. So, after Alcaraz evened things up by winning the second set, Djokovic won the final two sets in dominant fashion. All in all, the Serbian earned a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over Alcaraz, and he now takes on a red-hot Ruud in the final.
The oddsmakers don’t seem to think Ruud has any shot of winning this match, with Djokovic being listed as a -475 moneyline favorite. But I think Ruud has a legitimate chance of giving Djokovic some trouble. After all, the Norwegian was a finalist at Roland Garros last year, where he lost in straight sets against his idol, Rafael Nadal. Now, Ruud is back in the final after having earned a four-set win over Holger Rune in the quarters and a straight-set win over Alexander Zverev in the semis. Those are two very difficult opponents, so I’m struggling to see why Ruud isn’t getting any respect heading into the final.
It obviously isn’t ideal that Ruud got dominated by Nadal in last year’s Roland Garros final, but the Norwegian spent his entire life looking up to Rafa. In fact, Ruud trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, and he looked visibly shaken when he was in the tunnel with Nadal before last year’s final (a clip that went viral in Netflix’s Break Point). Of course, Djokovic is arguably the best player in the history of tennis, so he’s a legend in his own right. But Ruud will likely be a little more ready for a matchup with Djokovic than he was with somebody he looked up to so much. The Norwegian has also played in yet another Grand Slam final since then, as he lost to Alcaraz in the US Open final. With that said, he knows what it takes to perform at this level. And I expect a much better effort from him in Paris.
I’m not going to go out and back Ruud to win this match outright, even if I do believe there’s a possibility he does — and I did give out Ruud as a +1800 play to win this thing before the tournament. But I love the odds for Ruud to win a single set at -155 odds. His heavy topspin forehand should give him the opportunity to make Djokovic a little uncomfortable. Ruud has also been insanely sturdy with his serve throughout this tournament, so I expect him to keep Djokovic at bay with the ball on his racquet.
It should also be noted that Djokovic could be in for something of a letdown after that match against Alcaraz. Everybody on the planet was amped up for that one, but we didn’t really see it play out. That must have some sort of lasting mental effect on the Serbian, too. And Djokovic admitted that he was gassed after the second set in his match against the Spaniard, so he’s not exactly untouchable heading into this final. With that, Ruud will look to keep as many points alive as possible, and he has the defensive ability to do it. That might make Djokovic run out of steam later in this match, which will give Ruud an opportunity to steal this title.
Bet: Ruud To Win A Set (-155)
