Another intriguing finish could be in store for us in this year’s second Grand Slam tournament—the French Open. It’s set to commence in just a couple of days from now—on May 22 to be exact—and all the attention’s bound to be on the pair of Novak Djokovic (-130) and Rafael Nadal (+275). Both are deemed to be the top two favorites to take home the trophy in Paris.
Well, no matter how fitting and exciting it will be to see those two tennis superstars go head-to-head in the final round, you can never tell how things are going to unfold. In fact, some of the other competitors could end up seizing the glory instead. And that being said, take a quick look below at some of the key sleepers in this major tournament.
If you still want to get a better glimpse of the competition at Roland Garros, check out our complete preview or our best long shots piece later.
There’s no doubt that this guy—Kei Nishikori—has a very solid chance to pull off a shocker at the 2016 French Open. The Japanese will head to Paris with some serious momentum, as he’s managed to make it to at least the quarterfinals in his previous five tournaments. The latest one happened at the Rome Masters, where Nishikori fell short to Novak Djokovic in an entertaining semifinals-matchup.
Moreover, Nishikori’s ever-growing confidence and consistency on clay makes him such a lethal threat to anyone. He won 25 of his 30 games on that particular surface last year. And throughout this season thus far, Nishikori has lost just three of his first 13 games. He should be able to sustain his fine form on the red clay at Roland Garros.
Dominic Thiem was eliminated in the 2016 Rome Masters on Friday, falling to Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals. Thiem’s probably feeling disappointed about this result, but there’s no question that this 22-year-old tennis star is oozing with potential. A proof of that was when he defeated Roger Federer—in straight sets—prior to his loss to Nishikori.
Thiem, who is currently ranked 15th in the world, might still be too young and inexperienced to win his first ever Grand Slam trophy. Still though, he’ll prove to be a dangerous opponent to anyone at Roland Garros. Thiem is off to his best start this season with a 30-10 win-loss record. He’s also played pretty well on clay thus far, winning 16 out of 21 matches.
Unlike Kei Nishikori and Dominic Thiem, clay isn’t really Milos Raonic’s best surface. But even so, no opponent would feel happy about matching up with this guy. Raonic has played efficiently this year, winning 24 of his first 30 games. That stretch includes a pair of finals-appearances at Brisbane and the Indian Wells Masters.
It’s worth noting, however, that Raonic uncharacteristically bowed down to Nick Kyrgios in just the second round of the Rome Masters, 7-6(5), 6-3. Raonic didn’t seem like he was injured at all, but this unexpected blip should still give his fans a reason to be a little concerned about his overall health and form.
There you have them—the best sleepers heading into the 2016 French Open. Create a betting account now, and start cashing in on all of the upcoming action in this prestigious tournament.
