Olympic Games tennis tips: Alexander Zverev to light up Paris in search for second gold

For the first time since London 2012, a Grand Slam venue is hosting the Olympic tennis tournament and with plenty of the world’s best players having made the trip Paris, all eyes are on Roland Garros this week.

We get a blockbuster clash on Monday too in the men’s singles as Rafael Nadal set up a tantalising second-round contest with old rival Novak Djokovic after coming through his opener against Marton Fucsovics.

Nadal was once considered unbeatable round these parts, having come through more battles than Napoleon on the hallowed Parisian red clay. However Rafa’s best days seem to be behind him (no ATP title since 2022) and he is a 9/2 outsider with Planet Sport Bet just to beat Djokovic in Paris.

Tennis romantics might fancy getting on at that price, and will point to the fact that in 59 career meetings, Nadal's four-set victory against ‘Nole’ at the 2022 French Open trimmed Djokovic's lead in their legendary rivalry to 30-29.

However while both men are in the winter of their Hall-of-Fame careers, it is Djokovic who seems to have more left in the tank.

Indeed the Serb is 7/2 second favourite to win Olympic gold, with Carols Alcaraz now odds-on across the board after Jannik Sinner withdrew last week with tonsillitis.

Alcaraz grew up on the clay, is the defending French Open champion, and has won 37 matches out of 43 on the red stuff in a run stretching back to the start of 2023. Stats-wise, he is not quite as dominant on this surface as a peak Nadal, but in truth he should be good enough to claim gold given the injury issues with his arm that clearly hampered him earlier this season seem to have gone.

Alcaraz is in red-hot form and won at Roland Garros just a few short weeks ago. He ticks virtually every box, yet the only thing putting me off steaming in (even at odds-on) is the fact that betting favourites have a wretched record in the Olympics men’s singles. For example Djokovic was an even hotter betting jolly than Alacaraz is here to win Tokyo 2020, but lost in the semis.

Ergo, if you are looking for a bigger price alternative, you could do worse than row in with Alexander Zverev at 13/2. He has a plum draw in the second quarter and should have a fairly serene path to the semis.

In terms course and distance, his credentials at Roland Garros are rock solid too given his record here in the last four years read – Final/Semi/Semi/Semi. The big German’s stamina has been questioned when crucial matches have gone long at the business end of majors, so the fact they are playing best-of-three tie-break sets here also probably works in his favour.

Zverev is known for his aggressive style of play, particularly his booming serve and forehand. However, he is an under-rated returner too, and will surely be motivated to defend the Olympic crown he won in Tokyo a few years back.

He kicked off his Olympic title defence with an authoritative 6-2 6-2 win over Spanish clay-specialist Jaume Munar, and there is a feeling there is much more to come.

Sascha can still be backed at 13/2 generally to win in Paris, and if Alcaraz is to slip then Zverev could be the man to cash in.

 

Suggested bet

Tip: Alexander Zverev to win the Olympic Men’s Singles at 13/2 (General)