Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Previewing the men's action in Montreal 

On Tuesday, August 6, the National Bank Open kicks off from Montreal. This is the first ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament since Miami, and plenty of players will be hoping to pick up a big win on the road to the US Open. Outside of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who are taking time off after having finished first and second at the Olympic Games, pretty much everybody will be competing in Canada. The field features Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and plenty of big names.

We should see high-level tennis this week. That should also bring some great betting opportunities. With that in mind, keep reading for some thoughts on the tournament, plus players to watch on the futures market.

National Bank Open Past Champions

• 2018: Rafael Nadal
• 2019: Rafael Nadal
• 2020: Not held
• 2021: Daniil Medvedev
• 2022: Pablo Carreno Busta
• 2023: Jannik Sinner

National Bank Open Odds

• Jannik Sinner (+150)
• Alexander Zverev (+500)
• Daniil Medvedev (+600)
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1800)
• Taylor Fritz (+2500)
• Tommy Paul (+2600)
• Andrey Rublev (+3100)
• Ben Shelton (+3100)
• Grigor Dimitrov (+3100)
• Felix Auger Aliassime (+3100)

For the rest of the ATP Montreal odds, head to FanDuel

National Bank Open Conditions

This tournament alternates between Toronto and Montreal. The court conditions in Montreal should be quick. Outside of Cincinnati, this might be the fastest tournament we’ll watch in the United States. The bounces simply aren’t going to be very favorable for players. It also sounds like they’re playing with lighter balls, so this tournament will help out power players quite a bit. If the balls are flying through the air and bouncing pretty low, big servers and bold baseliners will be a little harder to beat. That’s something to keep in mind when looking at totals and spreads. There will definitely be some breaks, but matches should skew longer, with aces potentially being up.

National Bank Open Players To Watch

• Daniil Medvedev (+600): Medvedev lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon, but he had to get right back on the dirt for the Olympics, and it didn’t go well. The 28-year-old should be ecstatic about heading back to hard courts for the remainder of the season. Medvedev has always been one of the top hard-court performers in the world, and he won his only Grand Slam title on this surface. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he can re-establish himself, as it feels like other players are emerging and stealing some spotlight. Medvedev’s draw here is favorable up until a fourth-round meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas. I think he’ll win that match, but he’ll likely face Sinner after that. That’s probably where his run ends. Either way, I’m monitoring his level because I’m interested in backing him in Cincinnati, and potentially the US Open.
• Taylor Fritz (+2500): Fritz has a real path to making a deep run. The American will likely have a tough match against fellow countryman Sebastian Korda in the second round, but I like Fritz’s chances on a faster hard court. He’s a more reliable server, and he has the rally tolerance required to force Korda into some mistakes. I also think that matches against Casper Ruud and Zverev in the following rounds are winnable, and it’s not like Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov are the most inspiring players as the top seeds in the top of this half. Overall, there isn’t much that separates Fritz from some of the second-tier players in the men’s game right now—especially after the American’s deep run at Wimbledon. He has also had success at the 1000-level before, as he won Indian Wells in 2022.

National Bank Open Pick To Win

Jannik Sinner (+150): Sinner had to skip the Olympics because of tonsillitis. The Italian also experienced some health issues at recent events. Heading into Roland Garros, the world No. 1 was dealing with a minor hip issue. Then, at that tournament, Sinner cramped up in his match against Alcaraz. He also lost a five-set match to Medvedev at Wimbledon, where his body failed him once again. I’m undoubtedly a little nervous about how the Italian will hold up in Canada, especially after having not played a real match in about a month.

But I still believe that Sinner is the player to beat on a faster surface, and this draw doesn’t include rivals Alcaraz and Djokovic. To get him at plus-money odds is rather generous. Sinner is an elite server and returner, and nobody packs as much punch from him from the baseline.