The story is the same and so are the characters. While another chapter to the French Open book will be added at the end of the month, the ending might read the same as the previous four chapters. The 22-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal has won four straight French Open Championships and as we approach around round at Roland Garros, the French Open odds indicate that Nadal will be heavily favored to do so again.
Nadal is a -400 favorite for the event and considering Roger Federer – one of the best tennis players ever – is also in the tournament, that goes to show how just how dominant Nadal is on clay.
While Federer had been the best player in the world for a long time prior to Nadal and while Federer is still significantly better than anyone else on the Tour, he’s still a 13-to-1 underdog on the French Open odds.
If those numbers still don’t give you a taste of how overbearing Nadal has been on the clay in Paris, take a look at his performance last season.
Again a favorite on the French Open odds in 2008, Nadal ran through the entire tournament without losing a single set. He became just the fifth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title without losing a single set.
Nadal even met the World No.1 Roger Federer, in the final and that didn’t even slow him down. As a matter of fact, Nadal handed Federer one of his worst beatings over the previous five years, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
As this year’s French Open approaches, there is no one else to even considering betting in the sportsbook.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are the only other players in the field – along with Federer – that are inside of 40-to-1 to win.
Nadal is just 22-years-old and will turn 23 on June 3rd. He hasn’t even hit the prime of his career but is already unbeatable on clay. Federer might be his best competition and Federer himself should breeze all the way through the finals (Federer lost a total of three sets en route the finals last year) but even so, he has no chance against Nadal if he’s healthy.
Bjorn Borg and Nadal are currently tied as the only players to win the French Open four consecutive years but considering Nadal only lost 41 games in the entire tournament in 2008, you can expect another win as he separates himself from the all-time great.
