The French Open qualifiers get underway on Monday as players from across the globe begin to descend upon Paris to take part in the second Grand Slam of the year.
We saw the veteran King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, claim a record-extending 14th men’s singles title here last year, but the Spaniard will be missing the tournament for the first time since 2004 due to a hip problem. Poland’s Iga Swiatek returns as reigning champion in the women’s field hoping to secure a third major title on clay.
Here are the current favourites for the men’s and women’s titles in 2023.
Men
Novak Djokovic - 11/10 FAV
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was toppled by Nadal in the quarter-finals here one year ago. The Serbian star returns to the French capital having won the Australian Open back in January. Nadal completed the double in last year's first two major tournaments, could Djokovic be about to do the same?
Carlos Alcaraz - 5/1
He may have suffered a surprise exit in his second match at the Rome Masters earlier this month, but Carlos Alcaraz is expected to be a strong contender at Roland Garros. After claiming his first Grand Slam at the US Open last September, he arrives in Paris with the experience needed to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Nadal.
Matteo Berrettini - 10/1
After reaching the Wimbledon final back in 2021, Italian Matteo Berrettini has struggled to lay down a marker on the Grand Slam scene. To date, he has won three titles on clay but in 2023 he is yet to taste victory on any surface.
Jannik Sinner - 12/1
Another Italian chasing a first Grand Slam championship is Jannik Sinner, but unlike Berrettini, he is yet to reach a final in any of the four major tournaments. He has, however, won a title in 2023, claiming the title in Montpellier on the hard surface.
Alexander Zverev - 14/1
Germany’s Alexander Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career, coming in the US Open back in 2020. The 26-year-old has won 19 titles to date but his last one came in 2021. It will take some performances for him to land his first major at Roland Garros.
Stefanos Tsitsipas - 20/1
Stefanos Tsitsipas is likely feeling that he is very close to securing his first Grand Slam title. He contested in the French Open final back in 2021, losing in five sets to Djokovic. He also lost out to the Serbian in his second major final appearance at the Australian Open in January.
Women
Iga Swiatek - 10/3
Having won this tournament twice already, with her latest coming last year, Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite at Roland Garros. The World number one has collected two titles in 2023, with her latest coming on clay in the Stuttgart Open last month.
Elena Rybakina - 4/1
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina has enjoyed a meteoric rise since winning her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year, becoming the first Kazakh player to win a major. The young star has since contended in the Australian Open final, losing to Aryna Sabalenka in January, before winning at Indian Wells (dubbed the fifth Grand Slam) in March.
Aryna Sabalenka - 9/2
Belarus’ Sabalenka sealed her first Grand Slam title by beating Rybakina in the Australian Open in January. Finally getting the breakthrough she has long been waiting for, many are expecting her to become a greater threat on the big stage and she will be eager to claim victory in Paris.
Ons Jabeur - 9/1
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur made history as the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last summer, narrowly missing out to Rybakina. She was then able to reach the US Open final a few months later but was once again unsuccessful in claiming a major title.
Coco Gauff - 14/1
American teenage sensation Coco Gauff is still chasing her first Grand Slam crow. She has already competed in two major finals, the 2021 US Open and last year’s French Open. The youngster will be hoping that if she can reach successive finals in Paris that the third time will indeed be the charm.
Petra Kvitova - 14/1
Two-time Wimbledon champion Peta Kvitova is coming towards the end of her seasoned career, and at age 33, she is hoping to go out on a high. And what better way to do that than win a third Grand Slam title. She heads to Paris having recently won the Miami Open, defeating Rybakina, to claim her 30th career title. This pulled her back into the top 10 WTA ranking for the first time since 2021.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
