Nadal Now -180 Odds to Win 2019 French Open Men’s Singles Ahead of Semifinals

• Rafael Nadal is now a -180 favorite to win the French Open
• Nadal has dropped just one set in the entire tournament
• Nadal has the easier semifinal as he won’t have to face both Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic; just the winner of their match

There were some questions about Rafael Nadal’s performance in the early part of the clay-court season.

However, as we approach the end of the 2019 French Open, he’s been in peak form. He now owns -180 French Open odds and is even as high as -200 at some betting sites. Is he the best bet or can anyone else stop him?

2019 French Open Men’s Singles Odds

Odds taken June 6, 2019.

Nadal Has Mowed Down the Competition

There was concern about Nadal heading into the French Open as he had struggled in the early part of the clay-court season. We’re talking about a guy who won multiple clay-court tournaments every year since 2005 and didn’t even make the final before the Italian Open – the event before the French Open.

However, he’s been back to his best at Roland-Garros. As we move into the semifinals, he has dropped just one set so far in the entire tournament, which was to No. 27 seed David Goffin, who plays well on clay. Other than that, only one other opponent has even won four games off of him in a set. He’s playing really well right now and the odds reflect that.

Top Four Seeds Survive

While the women’s draw has proven to be a graveyard of all of the top seeds, the men’s side has gone by the books. The top four seeds remain as Nadal, No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 4 Dominic Thiem are all still alive.

Nadal is in the easier side of the draw as he should have no problems with Federer, who is playing well, but is coming off a grueling four-set match with Stan Wawrinka. Thiem and Djokovic are the two tougher opponents and Nadal benefits from not having to play both.

Faith in Thiem is Fading

I had high hopes for Thiem heading into the 2019 French Open and while he’s done well to get to the semis, I don’t have faith in him slaying two dragons, let alone one. He needed four sets to get past his opening round match against a wild card, also needing four in his second and third-round matches against unseeded players.

He has looked his best in his last two matches, sweeping No. 14 Gael Monfils and No. 10 Karen Khachanov in straight sets, so there is that. The challenge is his opponent, Djokovic, has looked flawless so far.

Djokovic just mopped the floor with No. 5 Alex Zverev in the quarters but Zverev shouldn’t feel too bad. Djokovic has dusted everyone he’s faced. Prior to Zverev, Djokovic had lost a total of 30 games this entire tournament. That means his opponents are winning an average of 2.5 games per set. That’s impressive.

Nadal is Best Bet for Now

I would personally wait to see what happens in the semis before betting the final. Nadal should clean out Federer in three sets but depending on what happens in the other match will sway my bet. If Thiem or Djokovic can win quickly (and impressively), I would consider betting them to upset Nadal.

If what we see is a long, five-set match between the two, that’s going to give Nadal a huge edge in the finals. In almost any case, I see Nadal holding the championship trophy at the end but if Thiem or Djokovic can win their semifinal quickly, that might change my mind. For now, Nadal is the bet.