2023 French Open
‘With the King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal out of this year’s French Open, the door is open for Novak Djokovic to claim the outright record for grand slam victories. Tied on 22 wins apiece, Djokovic and Nadal currently share the record for slam victories. While the Serb is the favourite heading into this year’s second slam, success is not guaranteed.
The 2023 French Open will hold many surprises we are sure and starts on 28 May 2023. Wonderkid Carlos Alcaraz and a handful of young talent hope to stamp their own authority on the clay courts of Paris. Furthermore in the ladies’ event, it is again Iga Swiatek who enters the event as favourite. The current world number 1 and defending champion will however have her work cut out for her. The strongest challenge most likely coming from 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 2023 edition of the French Open could possibly crown new champions in both the men’s and women’s draw. This could well be the dawning of a new era of clay court tennis.
Recent Years
It would not be amiss to rename the French Open after Rafa Nadal. Such has been his dominance in this event. A 14-time winner, Nadal’s record in Paris could well be one of THE best ever sporting records across the sporting world. Having never lost a final here, Rafa epitomises excellence in this arena. Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are the only other two winners of the event in the past 10 years. With Wawrinka no longer at his prime, the only realistic past champion in for a shout this year is Djokovic. Twice a French Open winner, Novak will be difficult to beat, especially with the overall Slam record on the cards.
In the ladies’ event, Iga Swiatek is the reigning champion. The 3-time grand slam winner has twice won in Paris. With no other previous winners in the top 10 rankings, it is easy to see why Swiatek has the upper hand. She will however be pushed by in-form Aryna Sabalenka. The 2023 Australian Open champion is having a stellar year. Adding a French Open title to her list of achievements is a strong possibility.
Who to watch Men
Novak Djokovic is sitting in the pound seat. Without arch-rival Rafa Nadal, Novak heads into Roland Garros with one less obstacle. The ultimate competitor and champion, Djokovic can realistically add to his slam tally of 2023. Not having won yet on clay in 2023 may be the only sign that the Serb is not at his ruthless best on this surface this year.
New kid on the block, and the number 1 ranked player in the world Carlos Alcaraz is arguably Djokovic’s biggest rival. The 20-year-old has a similar style to that of a younger Rafa Nadal. By winning his maiden slam title at the US Open last year, Alcaraz knows what it takes to win a big one. Many believe he is better suited to the slower clay surface so he will be a good bet when the tournament kicks off. With four titles to his name this year already. Alcaraz can prove he is no flash in the pan by winning the year’s second slam.
Daniil Medvedev enters the 2023 French Open with some decent form. With five titles in the bag already this year, Medvedev has not had a bad start to the year. The one that stands out is his winning of the Rome Masters. Widely considered one of the eminent warm up events before the French Open, Medvedev heads into Paris on a high.
The ‘long’ list of contenders includes Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner. They are all searching for their maiden Grand Slam title. Both Tsitsipas and Ruud have been losing finalists at Roland Garros. They are desperate for the title that has so far eluded them. With the high level of competition present for this year’s tournament, this will be no easy task.
Who to watch Women
It is difficult to look past Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s draw. The top two seeds are favourites for the 2023 event. Swiatek is aiming for her third title in 4 years at the French Open. It will take a brave person to bet against her achieving this. Sabalenka, while not having the best of past results at Roland Garros, can still consider herself in with a chance. She enters the tournament with solid form. Whether this can be transferred to the clay of Paris remains to be seen.
Other contenders in the women’s competition are American teenager (and last year’s losing finalist) Coco Gauff, 2023 Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina, and Ons Jabeur. Gauff, while the youngest of this lot is perhaps the one with the best pedigree on clay. On her day, she will back herself against any opponent. Rybakina knows what it takes to win a slam (after her successful Wimbledon campaign in 2022), whether she can do it on clay remains to be seen. Jabeur is twice a losing finalist in slams. She has however not managed to progress far at Roland Garros in the past. So she will be hoping to change this in 2023. So this event is a nice edition to this years “Here For Her” campaign.
Tennis Promotions
The 2023 French Open is sure to be an epic tournament as usual for tennis fans alike. Some betting sites have Tennis specific promotions and here we mention some of them for you:
PalaceBet
Grand Slam Live In-Play Promo: Take a pre-match multiple of minimum 3 selections and a minimum stake of R25. Then you get a Free Bet equal to half your stake back, to use on any live in-play tennis match. Game, set, match!
So to start playing with Palacebet you need a new player account. Registration is free and easy and within minutes you have access to the wide variety of sports betting, casino games and plenty of promotions.
Sportingbet
Tennis Multi Special: You will receive Cash Back if one leg lets you down. Get your money back as a FreeBet if you place a 5-fold (or more) tennis “Match Winner”accumulator. Odds of 1.25 or more only.
In order bet with Sportingbet you need an account, so go to sportingbet.co.za, click on “register” and sign up your new player account and start betting!
Bet.co.za
Tennis Live In-Play Promo: Make 7 live in-play tennis bets and you will be credited your average wager back as a free bet up to R500 which you then can use on other tennis.
So for you to start betting you will need a new player account or login into your existing account. To register a new account go to the betcoza registration page.
Final Words
The stage is set for another thrilling grand slam in Paris. Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek from adding to their titles here? Or will we see a new winner come the finals on the 10th and 11th of June respectively? So the tennis world is ready to see the action begin!
Therefore some of the Best Betting sites to keep an eye on are Gbets, Betway, Hollywoodbets, bet.co.za, Supabets and PlayaBets. With many other licenced sites however these would be our top picks with great promotions.
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