2019 French Open Props: Odds Favor at Least One #1 or #2 Seed Reaching the Finals

• Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are the two top seeds among the men
• Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova are the two top seeds among the women
• The French Open is widely considered the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world

The 2019 French Open is nearly here and there are some intriguing props involving the no. 1 and 2 seeds on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Odds At Least One #1 Seed Reaches the Finals

*All odds taken 05/24/19

The two no. 1 seeds are Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka. Although Osaka has  yet to win a clay event, she is going for her third straight major, something no one other than Serena Williams has done in the last 25 years.

World No.1 @Naomi_Osaka_ lighting up Lenglen this morning…. #RG19 pic.twitter.com/tkEeGy47Kp

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 24, 2019

Novak Djokovic will be seeking his fourth straight Grand Slam title for the second time in his career. The 2016 champion is not in the same half of the draw as Nadal and Federer, which means we could very well see Nadal and Djokovic face off for the 55th time.

I think taking “yes” on this prop is still the way to go.

Pick: Yes (-150)

Odds At Least One #2 Seed Reaches the Finals

Out of the three props, this one is the one that is most likely to happen. With Rafael Nadal and Karolina Pliskova coming in at the no. 2 seed for the men and women respectively, it’s likely we’ll be seeing one if not both of them in their finals.

👑 KING.OF.CLAY

🇪🇸 Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the #ATPRome Final!

🇫🇷 Next up, The French Open… pic.twitter.com/DC8EXntryF

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 19, 2019

Rafa is the reigning champion of the tournament and dubbed the King of Clay. The no. 2 seed beat Djokovic in three sets to win the Italian Open this past weekend, setting himself up well for Roland Garros.

Karolina Pliskova, meanwhile, is coming off the biggest clay title of her career at the Italian Open.

Karolina Pliskova gets the biggest clay court title of her career, winning the Italian Open final 6-3, 6-4 over Jo Konta.

Her clay pedigree keeps improving, and with Conchita Martinez in her corner, watch out, Paris.

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 19, 2019

This prop is the easiest “yes” to be made. Both players are coming off massive wins individually on clay, and have proven themselves to go far in the past.

Pick: Yes (-350)

Odds Both #1 Seeds Reach the Finals

With the no. 1 seeds for the men and women being Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic, neither of which are absolutely dominate on clay, this prop is far less likely than the other two.

The quest to hold all four slams at once starts with Hubert Hurkacz for @DjokerNole.#RG19 pic.twitter.com/EYJhf2gu0c

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 23, 2019

Djokovic’s road to the final is not going to be an easy task, with the possibility of facing Borna Coric, a projected fourth-round opponent, Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, and then Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals.

Djokovic’s road to the final is not going to be an easy task, with the possibility of facing Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem.

Osaka, on the other hand, hasn’t won anything on clay this season, let alone reach a final. Her section for Roland Garros is tough. In the second round she could possibly play former major champions in Jelena Ostapenko or Victoria Azarenka. Further down the line, she could be facing Madison Keys, the player who beat her at this very tournament in the semi-finals last year. If she gets past all of that, it still isn’t smooth sailing as she could face Serena Williams in the quarters.

The “yes” in this prop is definitely the higher risk bet, but anything is possible. Betting “no” is far safer given who the no. 1 seeds will have to face.

Pick: No (-1500)