Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: French Open long shots and best bet

WATCH: Zach Cohen has a sleeper he likes for next month’s French Open….

The 2023 French Open is still a few months away, but it’s definitely time to start thinking about it. This week, we saw Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz pulling out of the Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo, while also witnessing some inspired clay-court tennis from Dominic Thiem. Those three players that are very relevant when talking about the title picture in Paris. And we’ll also see Novak Djokovic return to action next week, and he’ll do so as the overwhelming favorite.

If Djokovic can show the world that his clay-court level is as high as his hard-court level was Melbourne, he’ll likely enter June as the favorite to win back-to-back Grand Slams. However, Alcaraz and Nadal are both looming, and there are a few other names we’d suggest keeping an eye on.

With that said, here’s a quick lookahead for the action in Roland Garros.

2023 French Open Long Shots

Alexander Zverev (+1700): Zverev hasn’t had any incredibly impressive results to start the 2023 season, but the most important thing with him is that he’s moving very well. Zverev’s ankle injury in 2022 could have lingered for a while, but he hasn’t looked compromised in that regard. Instead, it’s been shaky play from the baseline and a lack of confidence that has prevented him from playing his best tennis. But if he can stay on the court, rapid improvement will come. And Zverev is a player that can be quite dangerous on clay, so we’re not ruling him out—especially at these odds. Remember how well he was playing against Rafa in the semis before his ankle injury.

Dominic Thiem (+1900): Thiem is a tough player to make a case for right now, but he says he started to feel better during the Sunshine Double. The results obviously weren’t there, with the Austrian losing in the first round of both tournaments. However, he has looked like a completely different player in Estoril, and his 6-2, 6-2 win over Ben Shelton was impressive. The reality is that Thiem is a Top 5 player in the world when it comes to clay, and his confidence and conditioning are the only things holding him back right now. But we have a nice bit of time until we arrive in Roland Garros, so he should be able to work through some of those hurdles.

2023 French Open Best Bet

Rafael Nadal (+240): Nadal hasn’t played since injuring himself at the Australian Open, but he has been training on clay for weeks now. And if Nadal is even remotely healthy, getting him at these odds is generous. Right now, Djokovic and Alcaraz are both listed above him as far as outright winners go, but this is the King of Clay we're talking about here. If Nadal comes back and turns in a respectable performance in any of the tune-up clay events before the French Open, his odds will immediately get worse—so you might as well get ahead of it and back him now. If it loses, you can live with that. Betting Nadal at the French Open is never a bad idea.