French Open 2017: Schedule, TV Info, Live Stream and Odds for Top Favourites
Rafael Nadal is the early favourite to dethrone champion Novak Djokovic at the 2017 French Open.
Nadal and Djokovic are fancied, with Dominic Thiem currently the third favourite, while world No. 1 Andy Murray is an outsider in fourth.
It's a similar story in the WTA event, where last year's winner Garbine Muguruza, who had an injury scare at the Italian Open, is second favourite behind Simona Halep. Meanwhile, newly crowned Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina is third in the betting.
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Rob Trites of OddsShark identified Nadal and Halep as favourites a week ago. For a full list of the latest odds for the men's event, go to Oddschecker.
The same source also has the full odds for the women's event. Odds are accurate as of Monday.
Before a preview, here are the schedule and viewing details:
Dates: May 28-June 11
TV Info: ITV 1 and 2 (UK), NBC (U.S.)
Live Stream: ITV Player, NBC Sports app, Tennis Channel
While the tournament proper begins on Sunday, qualifiers will be played from Monday through Friday. Friday will also be the date of the main draw, per Sebastian Kettley of the Daily Express.
Preview
Nadal won at the Madrid Open but came unstuck in Rome, where Thiem sent him packing at the quarter-final stage. The Austrian won in straight sets after frequently forcing the Spaniard behind the baseline, per BBC Sport.
In the process, Thiem dented Nadal's aura of invincibility on clay, according to Russell Fuller of BBC Tennis:
However, Nadal still has his supporters who believe he can win at Roland Garros. Among them, Juan Martin del Potro believes the world No. 4 is a worthy favourite, per Gatto Luigi of Tennis World.
Del Potro couldn't get past Djokovic in Rome, where the Serb was showing he's steadily recapturing his best form, according to Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:
However, Djokovic's confidence will have been dented by the way he was beaten by 20-year-old Alexander Zverev in the Italian Open final on Sunday, despite hiring Andre Agassi as his coach, per BBC Sport.
Elsewhere, there has been an element of controversy about some of those set to participate at Roland Garros. Maria Sharapova has already been denied a wild-card spot by the French Tennis Federation (FFT), per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.
Sharapova was also denied a spot in qualifying, due to the doping violation that saw her banned, per Clarey. However, the report also noted how FFT President Bernard Giudicelli did grant wild-card entry to Constant Lestienne, a Frenchman who was banned for betting on matches.
Without Sharapova, who has won this tournament twice previously, Muguruza and Halep should dominate the women's event.
Like Nadal, Halep is in fine form on clay courts, having bossed proceedings at the Madrid Open.
In fact, Halep had won 10 in a row on clay after beating Kiki Bertens in straight sets to reach the Italian Open final, per the Press Association (h/t MailOnline). She is the class of her event headed into this tournament, but her defeat to Svitolina in the final in Rome showed she can be vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Muguruza's status will be questioned after a neck injury forced her out of the Italian Open semi-final, per Alan Baldwin of Reuters (h/t MailOnline).
Competition will be fierce at Roland Garros, with both fields loaded with outstanding players. The odds favour two who have been dominant on clay recently, but it's easy to believe last year's champions—Djokovic and Muguruza—will have plenty to say about the final outcome.
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