Roland Garros 2025: Dates, Odds, Players, and Early Predictions
The chips are down for the only clay-court Grand Slam of the year. The Roland Garros 2025 draw wasn't too kind to the favourites, giving them plenty to think about even before blockbuster showdowns in the quarter-finals and beyond.
Several main storylines are pervading the French Open 2025. Will the world's top two players finally meet in a Slam final? Or can the 38-year-old, three-time champ Novak Djokovic tap into his 36-year-old self and pull another stunt?
On the women's side of the Roland Garros schedule, Iga Swiatek has won three in a row but hasn't reached a major final since (!). Ladies like Aryna Sabalenka or Jelena Ostapenko have the best chance in years to dethrone the Pole. Will they seize it?
Where and When is Roland Garros 2025?
The 2025 French Open marks the pinnacle of the clay court season and is played between May 25th and June 8th. The draw took place on May 22nd.
Unlike the Wimbledon and US Open, the French Grand Slam is played in the urbane heart of Paris at Stade Roland Garros, home to the legendary Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen courts.
Who Won French Open 2024?
Last year's champions were Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek. Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in five sets after going 2:1 down to clinch the French Slam for the first time. On the other hand, Swiatek beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-1 to win her third Roland Garros in a row and fourth in the last five years.
Players to Watch
While bookies describe this year's tour as a two-horse race in both gender categories, the truth is that many players stake their claim to the French throne, or at least a bid to come within shouting distance. Let's look at some of the participants more closely, give odds, and assess their chances for a deep run.
Bear in mind that odds are usually all over the place when it comes to tennis, sometimes even differing by 25%. I did my mightiest to find the best odds for each pick mentioned.
Carlos Alcaraz
The young Spaniard is the favourite for this year's French Open (2.35 at BC.GAME). Not only is he the defending champ—having beaten Sasha Zverev in five—but he also seems to have returned to his old ways after a recent injury and came top in Monte Carlo.
Ousmane Dembele, however, who helped carry out the draw, gave Carlos a headache right from the start by pulling world No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the first round. His projected opponents on the road to finals include Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, and Lorenzo Musetti.
Jannik Sinner
Sinner is the second actor in the designated two-horse race that is the 2025 French Open and the 2.85 favorite at Jackbit. The Italian stalwart is No. 1 in the PIF ATP rankings and the top seed in Paris but has yet to win either Wimbledon or the French Open. His best run on the tour was last year, when he reached his maiden semis but lost in five to champ Alcaraz.
This year, however, Sinner seems to be on the semis crash course against Novak Djokovic before possibly meeting Alcaraz at the Chatrier. Other than that, this should be an easy ride for Jannik.
Novak Djokovic
The world's most successful tennis player is on a mission to win his 100th main tour and 25th slam title. Novak has won four major titles at Philippe-Chatrier (three slams), most recently 12 months ago in a cracking Olympics finals against Alcaraz.
The road to the finals won't be easy for the 38-year-old Serb if he pulls through what is largely a pedestrian couple of rounds; the last 16 and beyond can see Novak pitted against Medvedev, Zverev, and Sinner before meeting Alcaraz in the finals. The odds certainly reflect that. Novak is 13.0 at Stake to win the whole thing.
Iga Swiatek
The Polish 23-year-old sensation and world's No.5 is on course to win her fourth consecutive French Open. She made Roland Garros her own tour, but the recent run of form suggests vulnerability rarely seen in the champ. That 6-1 6-1 loss to Coco Gauff in Madrid was particularly painful.
However, Swiatek couldn't have asked for a better bounce-back tournament, where she's 35-2 and on a 21-match winning streak. Her road to the finals is hurdled by Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Jasmine Paolini, and Aryna Sabalenka. BC.GAME is giving her the benefit of the doubt with 4.40 outright odds.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka would have been a much clearer favourite if this was played on a hard court.
Only three of her twenty titles have come on clay, all three at the Mutua Madrid Open. But the world No.1 has already beaten her major opponents on the orange turf (Swiatek, most notably) and will be a menace in Paris.
Sabalenka is Jackbit’s favorite at 3.50. The Belarusian's most challenging hurdle can come as early as the quarter-finals, with Swiatek in the same quarter of the draw.
Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko is having an unbelievable clay court season. Not only did the world No.18 beat world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart, but she also handed the sixth consecutive defeat to the 5th seed and reigning Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek.
The hard-hitting Latvian already has a French Slam on her belt, albeit from nearly ten years ago and coming from a set and 0-3 behind in the second. Indeed, Ostapenko is the most unpredictable player on the tour, men or women, and her “don't underestimate me” message ahead of the tour speaks volumes about Jelena's motivation. Luckily for use, BC.GAME did just that when it slapped 25.00 on Ostapenko to win.
Ruud, Zverev, Gauff, Elina Svitolina
Other players could sneak in and spoil the party for favourites. On the WTA side, Coco Gauff is always a threat, and she recently handed Swiatek a tough defeat. The Ukrainian Elina Svitolina also has an unbelievable clay court campaign, winning the Rouen Open and reaching the semis in Madrid. She's on four consecutive Rolan Garros quarter-finals and looks ready to take the next step.
As for men, Zverev always overperforms in Paris. Sasha lost a heartbreaking finals last year and will be looking to seal the deal come June. Casper Ruud is another name that shouldn't be spoken lightly. The Norwegian finally won his first Masters in Madrid and could follow it up with a slam.
Roland Garros 2025 Early Predictions
I'm never too comfortable giving predictions for the French Open this early in the tour. Best-of-5 sets on clay are very different from the hard court and require a level of physical strain that takes a toll the longer it goes on. And that usually picks up after the fourth round.
That said, Carlos Alcaraz is a lock for the finals and, for me, will be the favourite either against Sinner or Djokovic. I'm giving a slight nod to Novak to reach the finals simply because you can't discount the legend, who clearly recalibrated his priorities to slams and slams alone.
As for the ladies, it's time for Swiatek to remind the world what she's made of. Yes, she's lost a few, but the losses were never tight games where Iga buckled under pressure. No other WTA can measure up if Iga brings it to the tour.
Whatever happens, we're in for 15 days of God-tier tennis.
Milos Antic
Sports Betting Expert
Milos is a sports betting professional whose special skill involves sitting through countless hours of football fixtures. He entered the sports betting arena in 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He is that guy who gets stopped and asked for a handy betting tip or two. As an in-house betting expert for CryptoGamba, Milos takes much pride when results go the way he called them while always finding a fitting excuse when they don't.
