We’re just a couple of days away from the start of the 2015 French Open and excitement is slowly building for the tennis world’s premier clay court tournament. All eyes will be on the men’s singles tournament as Rafael Nadal attempts to win his 10th French Open title. His long reign at Roland Garros is under severe threat, however, as this will be the first time since 2005 that he will arrive in Paris without having won a trophy at a European clay court event.
With Nadal more vulnerable than ever on clay, the path is open for the other competitors to stamp their class in the French Open. Read on below as we list down three high-value sleepers who we think can produce a major shock at Roland Garros this year. While you’re at it, you can check out our previews of the men’s and women’s singles divisions as the French Open draws ever closer.
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2015 French Open Men’s Singles Sleeper Picks
David Ferrer
[sc:Other240banner ]If there’s one player who’s bound to end his Grand Slam drought at Roland Garros this week, it’s got to be David Ferrer. The Spaniard has been in excellent form this year, already winning three titles this campaign. Ferrer who owns an impressive 32-7 record this year, grabbed tournament wins in Acapulco, Rio and Doha.
What makes Ferrer such a threat in the French Open is his vast experience in this tournament. He’s about to play in his 13th French Open with the Spaniard reaching the final once before, losing in straight sets to the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal back in 2013. Surprisingly, that is Ferrer’s only Grand Slam final appearance in his career. With the form that he is in right now, though, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see Ferrer win his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros this year. He is pegged at +2,000 to do just that.
Grigor Dimitrov is another player oozing with confidence heading into Roland Garros this week. The 24-year-old has been in sublime form on the red dirt this year, having won nine of his 13 matches on clay this season. Even though he failed to record a tournament win on clay this year, Dimitrov will take heart in the fact that he earned quarterfinal berths in Monte Carlo and Madrid as well as booked a semifinal spot at Istanbul earlier this month.
Dimitrov will be making his fifth appearance at Roland Garros this week and he will be looking for a much better outcome this time around compared to his four previous starts there. He hasn’t reached the fourth round in this event before, bowing out in the opening round twice. The Dimitrov we are seeing right now, however, is a totally different player and he is one sleeper pick bettors should pounce on. His odds of winning the French Open are set at +3,000.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Thirty-two years ago, Yannick Noah captured the imagination of sports fans everywhere with his dazzling victory in the 1983 French Open. Interestingly enough, that was also the last time a Frenchman has won the French Open crown. Home fans will be looking for that drought to end this year and they will once again pin their hopes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to bring back the title this season.
This will be Tsonga’s eighth appearance at Roland Garros with his best finish coming in 2013 when he lost in straight sets in the semifinals to David Ferrer. Tsonga has struggled thus far this season, posting just a 6-5 overall win-loss record. With that being said, you can’t discount Tsonga from making a deep run in this tournament this year.
He has reached the fourth round in five of his last six appearances at Roland Garros and with the support of a partisan home crowd, who knows? Tsonga might pull off a titanic surprise. He’s pegged at +4,000 to grab a famous home victory.
