I have already given you my thoughts on the French Open in regards to the men but I haven’t spoken about the women yet. Some pundits consider women’s tennis boring compared to the men’s but I couldn’t disagree more. Women’s tennis is one of a handful of sports played just as hard and as professionally by the women as it is by the men. I do believe the girls should play best of five sets in Grand Slam events too but that’s unlikely to happen any time soon.
International women’s tennis is stronger at the top end than men’s. There are probably 10 genuine chances to win this year’s French Open and it’s quite possible that a lower ranked player will come from nowhere to snatch the title. That depth doesn’t exist in the men’s game.
The bookies like Serena Williams (3/1), Victoria Azarenka (3/1) and Maria Sharapova (4/1) as their three clear picks. It’s tough to split these three but I think Azarenka is probably the better bet. She is less likely to have a brain meltdown in the early rounds than the other two and if she gets to the semis and you’re not as confident in her form you can always hedge your bets against her as well.
Chinese sensation Li Na is on the next line of betting and at 10/1 offers great value given that she won this event in 2011. Australian Sam Stosur has the game to match it with the best on clay. She reached the final at Roland Garros in 2010 and won the US Open a year later so her 15/1 odds looks tasty. If you are looking for a good long shot, Sara Errani is an up and coming superstar and at 25/1 could definitely make some waves.
