Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the French Open has resulted in a more open field without the presence of the most successful men's singles player in the history of the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz is likely to be the top seed at Roland-Garros, while two-time champion Novak Djokovic is aiming to be victorious for the first time since 2021.
The man Djokovic beat in the final that year, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and 2022 finalist Casper Ruud are also involved.
Daniil Medvedev, the world No.2 and winner of five titles already in 2023, is also likely to be a firm favourite in Paris.
The Sporting News analyses the odds and options for betting on the French Open.
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French Open 2023 men's singles title odds
Nadal was a very short favourite before pulling out, leaving 2022 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz as the clear number one with bookmakers.
Alcaraz has never been beyond the quarterfinals in Paris — losing to Alex Zverev at that stage last year — but is considered more likely to triumph than Djokovic, who is appearing at the major for a 19th consecutive year.
The odds then become much longer, with Norwegians Holger Rune and Casper Ruud, 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev and 21-year-old Jannik Sinner among those ranked alongside Tsitsipas.
French Open 2023 men's singles: Odds to win title
*Odds correct as of May 22, 2023
| Carlos Alcaraz | Novak Djokovic | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Holger Rune | Jannik Sinner | Daniil Medvedev | Casper Ruud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | +140 | +200 | +800 | +800 | +1100 | +1200 | +1400 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | 2.05 | 2.96 | 10.00 | 8.14 | 15.00 | 14.00 | 17.00 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 7/5 | 21/10 | 9/1 | 15/2 | 12/1 | 18/1 | 14/1 |
| Neds (Australia) | 2.40 | 3.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 | 12.00 | 13.00 | 15.00 |
| Dafabet (India) | 2.25 | 2.88 | 9.00 | 7.50 | 13.00 | 13.00 | 17.00 |
Who are the contenders to be French Open men's champion?
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
There had been talk of Alcaraz challenging in 2022 — only his second appearance in the main draw — and there is increased pressure on the 20-year-old following Nadal's withdrawal.
Alcaraz became the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990 when he won the tournament in 2020, making him the first teenager to top the rankings in the Open Era.
The sensation withdrew from the Australian Open with a leg injury but has been in strong form since, winning the Argentina Open, Indian Wells, Barcelona Open and in Madrid.
Knowing he would replace Djokovic at the top of the rankings after the event, Alcaraz made an inauspicious exit in Rome by losing to Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the last 32.
The defeat to the world No.115 was the earliest Alcaraz had been knocked out of a tournament since October and could temper expectations around his run at the French Open.
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Never discountable at a grand slam, the all-time great produced one of the most memorable performances of his career to recover from a set down and knock out Nadal in the semifinals on his way to glory in 2021.
The French Open is the major at which Djokovic has enjoyed least success, but few players can say they have reached the semifinals there five times and lost in the final on four occasions, with three of his defeats at each of those stages inflicted by Nadal.
Djokovic began the year by winning in Adelaide and Melbourne but has lost four of his 12 matches since then, most recently against world no.51 Dusan Lajovic at the Srpska Open and to Rune in Rome.
Medvedev's victory at that tournament means Djokovic enters the French Open ranked third in the world behind the Russian, making the draw more intriguing because Djokovic could be paired in the same section as top-ranked Alcaraz.
Still, the absence of Nadal will leave Djokovic feeling this is a huge opportunity to become the first men's player to win 23 grand slam singles titles.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
Tsitsipas is yet to win a grand slam tournament, coming closest when he spurned a two-set lead over Djokovic in the 2021 final — the second successive year in which he had lost in five sets to the Serbian, having gone out against him in the semifinals in 2020.
The 24-year-old has reached one final since losing in straight sets to Djokovic in Melbourne, succumbing in the final to Alcaraz in Barcelona before being beaten by world No.26 Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarterfinals in Madrid and Medvedev in the semifinals in Rome.
Even if he does not succeed at the French Open, his antics during that defeat to Medvedev suggested Tsitsipas will be worth watching.
The world No.5's mother left the player's box and moved to a seat in the stands at Tsitsipas' request during the match, reportedly because she was speaking in Russian during the sit-downs between games — something that left Tsitsipas furious given the nationality of his opponent.
