Paris getting ready for French Open 2025
Grand Slam tennis action continues as Roland Garros in gets ready to welcome tennis players and fans alike for the French Open in 2025. The tournament is played over two weeks with the start falling on the 25th of May.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam played on a clay court, and many consider it the most difficult because men’s matches are played as best of five sets. The ball also slows down but bounces higher on clay. Centre Court Philippe-Chatrier hosts the final matches of the tournament and has a capacity of 15000 spectators.
Trophies at the Roland-Garros
The tournament engraves the men’s singles winner’s name next to those of previous champions on the Musketeers’ Cup. The trophy takes its name from a period in tennis history when four French players, nicknamed the Four Musketeers, dominated the sport. The four racked up an impressive amount of tournament wins during their reign from 1927 to 1933. The tournament engraves the women’s singles winner’s name on the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, named after the famous French tennis champion from the 1920s.
Brief look at the history of the French Open
The French Open commonly referred to as Roland-Garros is drenched in tennis history and founded in 1891. The Paris tennis club (Stade Francias) was initially exclusive to French players up until 1925. It is well worth mentioning that the first player to win was ironically a British player H. Briggs who resided in Paris. However, we do not regard this as the first official win of the tournament as we know it today, since it only opened to amateur players other than the French in 1925. The competition became part of the Grand Slams in 1968, when organizers invited professional players to participate. We can view the French Open’s timeline as consisting of three distinct eras. The French Championship (French players only, 1891 to 1924), amateur era (1925 to 1967) and Open era from 1968 to the present, including the French Open 2025.
Tournament Legends
The conditions of tennis at the French Open do not suit every player well. Many players that do well on grass or on a hard surface court struggles to find form on clay. The same can be said of many players that have won at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Rafael Nadal stands out as one of the greatest clay players of not only our era but that of Roland-Garros. The Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has by a long distance the most wins at the French Open with 14 in total. Rafael has consecutively won the title more than anyone else with five titles. He also holds the record for the most overall having won the French Open 14 times.
American Chris Evert is synonymous with the Roland-Garros. She dominated the female singles in the seventies and eighties, winning the title 7 times. Another name worth mentioning is German Steffi Graf who was a force of power during the late eighties and early nineties. She won the title five times and finished second three times.
Top contenders to win the 2025 Roland-Garros
There has been lots of court side banter about who will take the title in 2025. Last year’s title holder Carlos Alcaraz will be in Paris to defend his trophy. The banter from the bookies is that the Spaniard is the one to beat with odds of 5/4 to lift the trophy again. Not if Italian player Jannik Sinner has anything to say about it. Jannik has had a great start to the year winning the Australian Open earlier this year and coming into the tournament as the number one ranked in the world. His odds are 2/1 to win the championship. Alexander Zverev came second last year and his experience might prove valuable, the German has odds of 7/1 to possibly claim victory at the French Open 2025.
Iga Swiatek is the firm favourite to take home the trophy for a fifth time. The Polish player is a force on the clay court and currently ranked second in the world. Iga’s odds are 6/5 coming into the event. World number one Aryna Sabalenka finished second in the Australian Open; her odds of winning are 3/1.
Game, set and match
The road the final of the Roland-Garros is full of twist and turns. The tournament often have surprising results. Will 18 year old Mirra Andreeva make her mark in the competition? Have a look at the different odds offered by our bookies below. For other major sport events in May have a look at our May Sports Preview article.
Top Tennis Betting Sites
There are many sites to choose from for your tennis betting needs however it is always worth shopping around a bit. Have a look at the promotions running, odds and markets offered so you can get more bang for your buck. We recommend trying these exceptional bookies we have reviewed below:
- Great, competitive odds
- Generous, regular promotions
- Live In-Play, BetGames, Lucky Numbers
- Great Welcome Bonus
- Extensive sports markets
- Slots, Aviator and Live Games
- Choice of welcome bonus
- Great promotional line-up
- Seamless gameplay
- Welcome Bonus Bundle
- Modern Vegas Casino look
- Slots, Live Games & Betgames
- Good bonuses with fair wagering requirements
- Slots, Aviator and Live Casino Games
- 24/7 support
Hollywoodbets also has a great promo running during the French open 2025, between 20 May and 8 June bettors can win a share of R40 000 in cash or betting vouchers. Simply bet R40 or more on any fixture during the tournament.
Mzansibet are offering a R40 extra bet on the Roland Garros. Bet R40 on the Men’s Single outright winner, only pre-match bets qualify. Competition runs between 19 May and 25 May.
