French Open guide: How to watch, schedule, betting odds
Everything you need to know about the clay-court Grand Slam tennis tournament that starts Sunday at Roland Garros in Paris
PARIS — Get ready for the French Open with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the clay-court Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is and more:
The basics
The site in Paris is Roland Garros. The surface is red clay courts. Women play best-of-three-set matches; men play best-of-five-set matches. There are day and night sessions on most days.
Schedule
Sunday-Tuesday: First round (women and men)
Wednesday-Thursday: Second round (women and men)
May 31-June 1: Third round (women and men)
June 2-3: Fourth round (women and men)
June 4-5: Quarterfinals (women and men)
June 6: Women’s semifinals
June 7: Men’s semifinals
June 8: Women’s final
June 9: Men’s final
How to watch
Tennis Channel, NBC, Peacock.
Betting favorites
Women: Iga Swiatek is a heavy favorite to win the women’s title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, which lists her as a –155 money-line pick for what would be her fourth trophy at the French Open and third in a row. There is a big gap to the next player, two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who is at +500, followed by 2023 U.S. Open champ Coco Gauff and Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina at +1000 apiece. The only other woman listed below +4000 is Danielle Collins, at +1800.
Men: Carlos Alcaraz is narrowly the top choice for the men’s title, listed at +275, despite missing time recently because of problems with his right forearm. He is at -10000 against J.J. Wolf in the first round. Next up for the men’s trophy is Novak Djokovic at +350, with Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner at +450. Sinner missed the Italian Open with an injury this month, while Djokovic has not played much this season. Rafael Nadal, the 14-time French Open champion, is the seventh pick at +2000. That represents a significant change from the +900 he was listed at before Thursday’s draw put him up against No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in the first round. Zverev is a –375 money-line favorite against Nadal, who is listed at +275 for that match.
Who’s playing Sunday
Naomi Osaka will get things started in Court Philippe Chatrier against Lucia Bronzetti of Italy, scheduled to start at 12 p.m. local time (3 a.m. PDT). That will be followed in the main stadium by Alcaraz against Wolf of the U.S., who could start around 2 p.m. (5 a.m. PDT). The most eye-catching matchup might be Andy Murray, 37, vs. Stan Wawrinka, 39, in a showdown between a pair of three-time major champions. That is the night session match at Chatrier, scheduled to begin after 8:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. PDT).
Defending champions
Swiatek got past Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 for a third career championship at the French Open and fourth Grand Slam title overall. Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 for his 23rd major trophy; he has since raised that total to 24. It was Djokovic’s third title at Roland Garros, making him the first man with at least three from each of the four Slam sites.
Prize money
Total prize money for the 2024 French Open is rising to nearly 53.5 million euros, about $58 million – an increase of nearly 8% from last year. The two singles champions each will receive 2.4 million euros, about $2.6 million.
Stats to know
0 — The number of times Nadal has lost consecutive matches on clay courts in his career. He will face Zverev in the first round of the French Open; his previous outing was a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open on May 11.
5 — The most Grand Slam final appearances by any woman in the 2024 French Open field. That is Victoria Azarenka’s total; she is 2-3 in those finals. Swiatek (4-0), Osaka (4-0) and Angelique Kerber (3-1) all have been to four major title matches.