Rafael Nadal is the defending champion over at the men’s side of things at Roland Garros, but he’ll face tough competition in his quest for a repeat win at the French Open. If not Nadal, or one of these recent picks, any of the three sleepers we’ve listed below could take home the crown. Read on for a succinct preview of each of those competitors.
Sleeper Picks and Predictions for the 2018 WTA French Open of Tennis Men’s Singles Division
*Find the complete list of the French Open Men’s Singles betting lineshere
Stanislas Wawrinka (+3300)
There are major doubts on Wawrinka’s ability to win games, let alone emerge victorious in a tournament, following a knee surgery he underwent last year, one that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2017 season right after getting ousted in the initial round of the Wimbledon. He returned to action in January at the Australian Open, where he only went as far as the round of 64. Overall this year, Wawrinka is just 3-5.
That said, who knows if Wawrinka suddenly finds his rhythm at the French Open, which he ruled in 2015 and was a runner-up to in 2017? As of this writing, Wawrinka is healthy enough to participate at the Geneva Open, where he will go up against Jared Donaldson in the round of 16. Prior to that, he lost in the round of 64 of the Rome Masters to Steve Johnson.
Juan Martin del Potro (+2200)
Del Potro is barely on anyone’s radar, but that’s essentially what a sleeper is. Last year, del Potro returned to action at the Roland Garros after missing the competition from 2013 to 2016, and reached the round of 32. It was a respectable finish, but not as impressive as his quarterfinals appearance there in 2012 and a semifinals spot way back in 2009. The point is, del Potro has shown flashes of competitiveness at the French Open, which might be random but could actually happen again this year. Del Potro is 2-2 on clay matches this year and has a pair of titles, albeit on hard courts. He even defeated Roger Federer in straight sets during the finals of the Indian Wells Masters last March.
Kei Nishikori (+5000)
Ranked No. 21 in the world, Nishikori enters the French Open looking for his first singles title since 2016. He’s shown his preparedness for Roland Garros with a quarterfinals appearance at the recently-finished Rome Masters in which he strung together three-straight wins before falling victim to Novak Djokovic. Still, Nishikori is 8-4 on clay court matches this year with five of those victories coming from a deep run in the Monte Carlo Masters in which he took down the likes of Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, and Tomas Berdych before losing to – who else – Rafael Nadal in the finals, 6-3, 6-2.
There you have them—the best sleeper predictions (Men’s) heading into the 2018 French Open. Register here to make your picks, and start cashing in on all of the upcoming action in this highly-anticipated major tournament.
