On October 5, 1918, Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros died. The pilot and French soldier during World War I was shot down the day before he was to turn 30, and a month before the war ended. And while he ended his life in the Ardennes, he is forever remembered in Paris. For in these two weeks his name is on everyone's lips, as the world's biggest clay court tournament, and the year's second Grand Slam, gets underway.
Roland Garros 2026
€56,352,000 will be awarded, with €2,550,000 going to the winners of the singles classes. And while Carlos Alcaraz took home the men's trophy last year, it was Coco Gauff who came out as the best woman. But who will win this year? The candidates are many, especially on the women's side, but with reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out due to injury and Djokovic on the rise, it's more exciting than ever on the men's side too. Or did this year's favorite just become an even bigger favorite?
Anyway; it's a long way to the final, and on the way there we will cover each day in detail. Our experts will take into account form, playing style, surfaces, head-to-head matches, statistics and gut feeling when we post our free betting tips and analysis.
But before we get to the questions that no one has the answers to, we need to take a look at the courts. Because whether you play on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Court Simonne-Mathieu or one of the smaller arenas, the clay will be just as iconic. And unlike the fast grass, or fast hard court courts, the clay kills a lot of the speed in the shots. And thus players with heavy serves do not have the same advantage. And aggressive players who rely on speed and short exchanges will experience that the ball comes back more often than on other surfaces. Here you have to expect to stand in the exchanges longer, and there are stricter requirements for stability. Tennis on clay is like a game of chess. Who can stand the distance?
How to place bets on tennis?
Odds are a capricious hobby, as tennis is perhaps one of the most difficult things to bet on. But at the same time, it is one of the most fun. Because momentum changes extremely quickly, and while a football match can be decided before the hour is played, a tennis match is not decided until the last ball is hit. A tennis match is not timed, and therefore taking the first set does not help. You also have to perform in the next. And in the Grand Slam, the men have to collect three sets before you can go home victorious. So unlike football, where you can choose to defend a lead until the referee blows the whistle, in tennis you have to produce points on your own to get the match over the finish line.
In addition, you are punished brutally for a bad day. In football, or other team sports, both the left back and the right wing can have a bad day, and the team can still win. But if the tennis player does not have the day, the match, and the odds coupon, is lost, even if the opponent is initially ranked lower. So how do we take that into account?
Of course, there is no cure for losing odds. But our experts follow tennis closely and will be more likely to predict a decline in form. And then you can either bet against the odds favorite, give your opponent a handicap or bet that the match will be more even than the bookmakers expect and thus choose to go for an overbet.
What should you consider when betting on tennis?
Very often the marking odds, especially on favourites, are too low to have any value. But unlike football, a draw is not a possibility, and thus you only have two possible outcomes. So we often choose pure markings where the odds are even, or the value is good.
But in Grand Slams we often run handicap bets in the first week. Then the level difference is usually large, and while a win gives 1.35, a win with -1.5 sets can give 1.75. And if the level difference is very large, -2.5 sets can also be considered. The absolute biggest favorites often win 3-0/3-1 in the first week. Anyone who has thought far ahead, and preferably towards the end of week two, will benefit from saving their energy. NB! But make sure that the players who have been through the qualifying rounds are "recorded". While those who go straight to the main draw often need the first set in the first round to get familiar with the surface. This means that the first set in the first round can easily go over 8.5/9.5 games, and the matches can go over 3.5 sets.
As we move into week two, the matches often become more even, and then there are more overbets. For example, it can be over 36.5 games, or over 3.5 sets. This is also a bet we use a lot in the first week, if we see that the matches may be more even than the bookmakers expect.
But this is of course not an absolute. We make individual assessments before each match, and we especially emphasize playing style against the surface before we land on a bet. Because even though players like Fritz, Shelton, Hurkacz and other world stars are expected to win easily against weaker opposition, their matches can still go over 32.5 games on clay. Because if you are big and serve heavily, you often don't have your strength in footwork and endurance, and then you may need both one and two tiebreaks to see the match safely through. But more on this when our analyses are ready for publication. Let's talk about this year's athletes instead;
A power vacuum to be filled
In 1792, in Paris, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine, and the years that followed were chaotic. Many fought for power, and a reign of terror was established. And although conditions are probably becoming much calmer on the ATP tour, there is still a throne that is vacant. Alcaraz has now won two years in a row, and it is natural to think that he is the one who will inherit the throne from Nadal, but Sinner looks strong, also on clay. And who can challenge the Italian now that Alcaraz will not participate? Who will be the king of Paris?
Jannik Sinner – The greatest favorite of all time?
The world has probably seen better clay court players than Sinner, but now that Alcaraz is injured we may never have seen a bigger favorite before a Grand Slam. He comes into this tournament in brilliant form, and he plays with such a large margin that he is simply virtually impossible to beat. At 1.36 in odds we steer clear, but there are not many others we dare to lift as real challengers. But of course; we remember what Dimitrov was about to do to Sinner at Wimbledon, before he got injured, so even the best can have bad days. And meeting the Italian on such a day, we know someone who is more than ready to lift his first Grand Slam trophy.
Alexander Zverev - the eternal runner-up?
Has the world seen a better tennis player who has never won a Grand Slam? Being so good at tennis, but competing at the same time as Sinner and Alcarz must be incredibly annoying. But he is noticeably weaker than the other two, and we saw that in the final in Madrid. 6-1, 6-2 in a final, between number 1 and 3 in the world, is absolutely insane. But should Sinner stumble, Zverev will be ready in the wings. And now that Alcaraz is out, there are few who can stop him, if the Italian should make a mistake. And maybe it's worth putting a few kroner on the German, as the odds are 9.00?
Is 2026 the year of surprises?
No, we don't think so. Because when was there actually a surprise winner of a Grand Slam? Alcaraz and Sinner have won 9 of the last 9, and before that it was Nadal and Djokovic who dominated. But if we go back five years (!) in time, Medvedev won the US Open. That's probably the closest we get to an outsider. And if we look at the French Open, Wawrinka won in 2015 and Gaston Gaudio in 2004. In every other year, it has been one of the big advance favorites.
But still, we have a bunch of good tennis players who show up to the start believing that it can happen. And when the Grand Slam approaches, we have an old circus horse who usually wakes up when he smells sawdust. But is Djokovic good enough? He was second best in everything against Prizmic in Rome, and if you lose to a young Croatian, you basically have no chance of winning the French Open.
Otherwise, Musetti is mentioned as an outsider, but personally I feel he was better prepared last year than he is this year. And what about our man? Ruud beat the aforementioned Musetti without major problems in Rome, but disappointed us terribly in Madrid. There he was supposed to defend the title, but failed to win against Blockx. And we remember what happened to Ruud when he met Sinner on clay last year? 6-0, 6-1.
So if you're going to bet on someone outside the top 3 first, you might as well go big. Fils has an enormous top level, and also won the tournament in Barcelona earlier this year. But he too came up short when he met Sinner in Madrid the following week. But what about the youngsters Jodar and Fonseca? Too early to take the step up? Or the clay specialist Cerundolo?
We can cling to any straw we can find, but the truth is that it will be Sinner or Zverev this year. Medevedev hates the clay, the American trio doesn't do too well on European clay, and De Minaur and Aliassime don't have the top level to threaten the best. Unfortunately.
Many about the leg in the women's class
Unlike the men's class, we believe it is more open than ever with the women. The two big ones are still the biggest, but the combination of them having shown weaknesses, while others have shown promising moves, makes us believe there is value in others than the presumed best. But of course; you can't avoid these;
The tiger from Belarus
We can't ignore Aryna Sabalenka, the world's best tennis player, when we talk about the favorites to win this year's French Open. It's that simple. She has brilliant numbers to show on clay in recent years, and she actually lacks both the French Open and Wimbledon from completing her Grand Slam streak. That's what motivates a winner like hers. She was in the final here last year, and is probably highly motivated to take it one step further this year. Especially considering that she led 1-0 in sets before it all unraveled. But this year's form is worrying. Losses to Baptiste in Madrid and Cirstea in Rome mean that we don't find any value in Sabalenka winning, even though you actually get 3.25 in odds.
The Ice Queen from Poland
Iga Swiatek was the big favorite last year, but that time it stopped in the semifinals, after a somewhat special match against Sabalenka. 6-0 in the third set is rarely seen at such a high level. But despite her young age, she has already won the French Open four times, and it is therefore difficult to avoid her when it comes to the favorites. Fortunately, the injury that stopped her in Madrid seems to be gone, and what she has shown so far in Rome has been of high quality. But if you are going to win this year's edition of the French Open, being good is not enough. You have to be exceptionally good, and although Swiatek at 4.00 in odds is nice, there is better value elsewhere.
Value in a challenger
Rarely have there been more people on the ball than among the group ready at the starting line. And although it would be wrong to use the word "outsider" about last year's winner, and the player ranked No. 4 in the world, you actually get 10 odds that Coco Gauff will copy last year. Her results have been a bit so-so, but what she showed against Jovic in Rome was so good that she should definitely be counted.
Otherwise, you have to start taking Mirra Andreeva seriously, because even though she has never won a Grand Slam, she is now so good that it is only a matter of time before she stands at the top of the podium. She was in the semi-finals here in 2024, and was in the final in Madrid earlier this year. And now that she has Conchita Martínez as her coach, who herself was in the final of the French Open in 2000, it is only a matter of time before she also gets a Grand Slam in her collection. Unfortunately, she comes in at 9.00 in odds, which is lower than Gauff. But it should definitely be considered.
You can't ignore Rybakina when talking about Grand Slams, and she famously took home the Australian Open earlier this year. But the French Open hasn't been a pleasant hunting ground in the past, and although she lifted the trophy on clay in Stuttgart earlier this year, she had to give up to Potapova in Madrid. And the same can be said for Anisimova. She was in the semifinals here all the way back in 2019, as a 17-year-old, but doesn't have the results to show on clay so far this year.
But this is what makes the WTA so much more exciting than the ATP during the day; anything can happen. And when anything can happen, you can also consider a few kroner on players a little further down the list. Maybe Marta Kostyuk at 26 in odds might tempt you?
Voices from the community
90minutefamily has a community that few others can match, and knowledgeable tipsters, writers and members will be sharing what they find in our Discord server. But we asked some of them what they thought about this year's tournament;
Vebjørn Karlsen – the value hunter
Jannik Sinner is the player I believe most to win the entire French Open. He has become extremely stable from the baseline, his rebounding level is perhaps the best on the tour right now, and he gives up very few weak periods in his matches. What used to hold him back a bit on clay was that he could get dragged into too many long duels and lose his rhythm, but he handles that much better now. He moves better defensively, his serve is more effective on clay than before, and he can physically withstand long matches better. At the same time, I think 1.36 is very low in a Grand Slam on clay. Roland Garros is the tournament where one difficult draw, one five-setter or one bad day can turn everything around. That's why he is the most likely winner, but not necessarily the best value.
Casper Ruud at 26.00, on the other hand, is a bet that I actually find exciting from a value perspective. People seem to have forgotten how good he is in Paris because he hasn't managed to win the title. But the French Open isn't just about raw top-level play. It's about surviving seven matches on clay over five sets. There, Ruud is still one of the best in the world. His heavy topspin works perfectly on this surface, he is extremely comfortable in long rallies, and he rarely loses to players he is actually supposed to beat on clay. He doesn't have to be the best player in the entire field to go far. If the draw opens up a bit, or one of the favorites fails early, he is suddenly in the semifinals or finals again. 26.00 therefore feels high for a player who has already shown several times that he can handle this particular tournament better than most.
Lorenzo Musetti is an outsider I find interesting. He is not as consistent as the biggest favorites, but on clay he has a game that can be extremely difficult to face in best of five sets. He constantly varies the pace, uses angles, slices and high topspin, and can pull big hitters out of their rhythm. It is precisely such players who are often dangerous in Paris, because Roland Garros rewards patience and variation more than many other tournaments. If Musetti gains confidence early in the tournament and avoids some long marathon matches in the first week, he actually has the level to beat almost anyone on clay.
Now the French Open 2026 starts?
We are only a week away from this year's big tennis event, and on Monday, May 18, the first ball will be hit on the iconic red clay in Paris. And we will follow every shot right up until the final on June 7. Qualification starts a couple of days before, and feel free to follow who impresses there. These players always have a slight advantage in the main draw, as they have settled in and do not have to spend time in the first match to adjust.
Discord
Every day, every shot, defeat and victory will be discussed in our tennis channel in Discord. In addition, we will be hands-on at breaks or momentum shifts to get the most out of potential live bets. Join us here.
