Can Novak Djokovic (-130) finally notch his first French Open title? That is the question that is on everyone’s mind as we get set for this year’s second Grand Slam tournament. But this article below won’t be about Djokovic or any other highly-touted favorites. The spotlight will be on the sleepers or the so-called “dark horses” that could surprise us at Roland Garros.
Read on further as we check out which players the experts believe can pull off some major shockers. You can also check out our detailed preview of the 2016 French Open along with our sleeper picks.
Experts’ Sleeper Picks for the 2016 ATP French Open Men’s Singles
*Find the complete list of the French Open Men’s Singles betting lineshere
USA Today
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Nick McCarvel
Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils
Seeing as how well Milos Raonic and Gael Monfils have been playing throughout the year, it’s hard not to see them raise some eyebrows in Paris.
Nick McCarvel of USA Today certainly agrees. He’s confident that both players have what it takes to make a pretty deep run in the tournament. Both are arguably at their best form right now, and some bettors could probably earn a few bucks on them as well.
Raonic’s gone 24-6 this season, including a pair of finals appearances at Brisbane and the Indian Wells Masters. He’s pretty comfortable in playing on clay, as he’s won seven of his last 10 matches on that surface. Raonic also went far in the Australian Open, finishing as one of the semifinalists.
Monfils, meanwhile, is one of the most dynamic players in the competition. He’s more than capable of putting up a good fight against any opponent. Rafael Nadal, in particular, was a witness to the Frenchman’s prowess in the finals at Monte Carlo. Monfils defeated the Spaniard in thrilling fashion in that event.
The Roar
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Hugh Clarke
Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios
Hugh Clarke of The Roar thinks otherwise. He believes that the duo of Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios could make things more interesting at Roland Garros.
Thiem, despite his young age (22), can compete well against anyone, according to Clarke. The Austrian is off to his best start ever, winning 30 of 40 games this year. That stretch includes a win over Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Buenos Aires. Thiem ended up taking home the trophy for that event as well.
The same could be said for Kyrgios. He’s Australia’s lone representative in Paris and can prove to be a nightmare matchup especially when he gets it going. Kyrgios, however, seems to still lack the mental toughness and experience to win his first career Grand Slam.
Live Tennis
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Hannah Wilks
Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem
Hannah Wilks of Live Tennis, meanwhile, has strong hopes for Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem as well. But she also expresses her confidence in Kei Nishikori, who is priced at +1,800to win the title at Roland Garros.
The Japanese star has had solid year thus far, winning 28 of his first 36 games. More impressively, he’s reached at least the quarterfinals in his previous five tournaments, including back-to-back finals appearances in the Madrid and Rome Masters. Nishikori lost to Novak Djokovic in both, though.
