2018 Davis Cup Betting Preview: France the Home Favorites
By Alex Kilpatrick in Tennis
Updated: March 29, 2020 at 4:05 pm EDTPublished:
- Davis Cup odds have France as a narrow favorite this weekend
- Will Croatia’s higher-ranked singles players be enough to produce an upset?
- Or will France’s home-court advantage prove decisive?
The Davis Cup Final starts this weekend in Lille, France. It features a fourth-seeded Croatian team that beat the USA, Kazakhstan, and Canada to reach the semifinals. They’ll square off against a French squad that beat Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands.
2018 Davis Cup Betting Odds
| Team | 2018 Davis Cup Odds (11/21/2018) |
|---|---|
| France | -135 |
| Croatia | +110 |
France the Home Favorite
France is hosting the final tie, as is their right as the #1 seed. The matches will be played on the indoor clay courts of the Stade Pierre Mauroy, in Lille.
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Who will lift the #DavisCup ??The 2018 #DavisCupFinal starts on Friday! pic.twitter.com/wV8luHMlFP
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 19, 2018
Croatia has all the ingredients you look for in a longshot. Their two top singles players, Marin Cilic and Borna Coric, are both higher ranked than anyone on the French team. Even on clay, Cilic would be strongly favored against Lucas Pouille. Tennis Elo gives Cilic a 60% win probability in that match, and win he did in their only previous meeting. Borna Coric has a similar win probability against Chardy, although the Frenchman has won two of their previous three matches.
Altogether Tennis Elo would give Croatia a 35% chance of entering the doubles match up 2-0, and just a 12% chance of getting there at 0-2. That doesn’t take into account home court advantage, which could be considerable.
The tie will come down to which is more important: a talent advantage or home court.
The tie will come down to which is more important: a talent advantage or home court. Croatia certainly has the former, with one of the best players of this generation and one of the promising players of the next, but it’s hard to gauge how the crowd in Lille will influence the outcome.
Golf, Tennis & College Football Writer; Jr. Editor
Alex studied political science in university but spent most of that time watching college football. He covered sports betting for SBD from 2017-2019. Avid tennis player, golf nut, and motorsports nerd.
