The main attraction in the world of tennis this week is undoubtedly the Paris Olympics. Some of the top players in the world, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, are competing for gold medals at Roland Garros. I’m going to be providing daily tennis best bets for the remainder of the tournament. However, I’m not going to ignore the Mubadala Citi DC Open. It’s a 500-level event for both the men and the women, and it’s usually the tournament that feels like the unofficial start of the “US Open Series.” That said, keep reading for my Paris Olympics and Mubadala City DC Open best bets, predictions and picks for Thursday, August 1st.
I’m going to quickly hit on some of my favorites below, but I usually have more tennis picks on the Pro Picks page. I also occasionally add some plays throughout the day, as I like to see how odds are moving. That said, keep checking that page every couple of hours if you want more of my picks. That’s usually where I put my Challenger-level plays.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts are betting!
2024 Record: 577-572 (+39.77 units)
Paris Olympics Tennis Predictions and Best Bets
Felix Auger Aliassime vs. Casper Ruud
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Novak Djokovic
I’m going with another two-leg parlay for Thursday. I’m starting with Ruud to beat Auger Aliassime. The Canadian defeated Ruud when the two met in Madrid this year, and that’s another clay-court event. However, that’s one that is played at altitude and strongly favors big servers. Moving to Roland Garros should swing things back in Ruud’s favor. Ruud is a two-time French Open runner-up and is undoubtedly a top-five player in the world on this surface. He knows where to put serves to give himself an edge when trying to hold, he’s a rock-solid returner and he’s a ferocious baseliner. Ruud’s heavy topspin is a dangerous weapon on clay, and his elite footwork doesn’t hurt either. Auger Aliassime will definitely have a few quick service games, as he’s just tremendous with the ball on his racquet. But Ruud should give himself a few chances to break, and that’s all he needs. He will be a far superior player from the baseline in this match.
For the second leg, I’m taking Tsitsipas to cover an alternate spread of +4.5 games. Tsitsipas has had some ups and downs this season, but he has been tremendous on clay throughout. The Greek star won a big title in Monte Carlo to kick the clay-court season off, and he followed that up with a runner-up finish in Barcelona. Tsitsipas’ big serve translates nicely to clay, and the slow courts also happen to hide his disastrous backhand. That weakness isn’t as glaring on a slower, high-bouncing court. He has time to set his feet and load up. All of that should allow him to hang around against Djokovic. I haven’t been that impressed with the Serbian’s play in Paris thus far. He looked great in the first set of his win over Rafael Nadal, but the second set was the return of the inconsistent Djokovic that we have seen for most of 2024. All in all, that up-and-down level makes it hard to trust him against one of the game’s best clay-court players. I honestly believe Tsitsipas is live to win this match. But I’d rather play it safe and get some games in a plus-money parlay.
PARLAY: Ruud ML + Tsitsipas +4.5 Games (+133 – 1.5 units)
Washington DC (Mubadala Citi DC Open) Tennis Predictions and Best Bets
Robin Montgomery vs. Ons Jabeur
Montgomery earned an impressive 7-5, 6-3 win over Shelby Rogers in her first match here. She’ll now look to try and compete with Jabeur. Montgomery was unsuccessful in doing so at Wimbledon, losing 6-1, 7-5 in just over an hour. However, Jabeur is at her best on grass. Playing on hard courts should level the playing field, especially with Jabeur having not competed on this surface in months. The Tunisian also hasn’t played a match since Wimbledon, so she should be a little rusty out there. That could allow Montgomery to make an early mark.
Montgomery brings a lot of power to the table, but she also has some really tolerance. So, she’ll ask a lot of questions of Jabeur here. Montgomery is also from D.C., so the fans should get loud and give her a nice adrenaline boost.
This is probably a match that Jabeur will find a way to win, but I just don’t see it being easy. Having the games feels like the right call in a match that could be tight.
Bet: Montgomery +4.5 Games (-138)
Added Plays
I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page. These plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success this season. Make sure you check them out. I’ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day if you’re looking for action.
