This year’s edition of the French Open is getting closer and closer, so a list of experts have already punched in their predictions. Most went to the expected route and picked the headliners, but there are some that placed their trust on a couple of worthy dark horses. If you are in for some encouraging on putting some cash on the second-tier guys, this piece is just what you need.
Read on below and see who those racket-smashing sleepers are!
Experts’ Sleeper Picks for the 2017 French Open Men’s Singles
Sports Chat Place
EXPERT
SLEEPER PICK(S)
Randy Chambers
Dominic Thiem, Tomas Berdych
The no. 7-ranked Thiem seems to be the easiest sleeper pick for the tournament. He’s under-the-radar because of the names we mentioned in the intro, but he’s continuing to show his prowess on the clay – six of his 11 titles were played on such a surface and he’s 17-4 on that court this year, one of which was a huge 6-3, 6-4 upset over heavy favorite Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters.
Chambers noted the smooth rhythm that Thiem is building as of late, and added that the Austrian can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the sport whenever he’s on.
For Berdych, meanwhile, Chambers believes the Czech possesses certain keys to make a title title run. Among them are competitiveness, powerful serve, and experience (reached the FO quarterfinals in two of his last three appearances).
Johnny Allen Tennis
EXPERT
SLEEPER PICK(S)
Johnny Allen
Dominic Thiem, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Allen is straight to the point. He believes Tsonga is France’s best chance on having a French guy win the tournament. It may sound harsh, but the veteran is playing well lately and has added a pair of titles under his belt this year (ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament and Open 13 Marseille).
Telegraph
EXPERT
SLEEPER PICK(S)
Boris Becker
Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Zverev
Tennis all-timer Becker likes Kyrgios’s edge in experience among all youngsters, saying that the controversial Australian has the overall built – physically and mentally – to become a marquee player soon.
The same goes with Zverev, who has a pair of titles on a clay surface this year. Becker believes that the 20-year-old will cause upsets in the tournament, and that he has the tools to become a future top-ranked player, along with Kyrgios.
