Rafael Nadal hasn’t dropped a set in reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, but he has lost the mantle of being the betting favorite at Roland Garros.
Nadal began the event as the +110 moneyline favorite by DraftKings and +100 by FanDuel. The second seed has cruised to four consecutive straight sets victories to reach the quarterfinals. However, Nadal is also yet to face a seeded opponent and won’t see one until the semifinals, provided he can get by Italy’s Jannik Sinner in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic is also yet to drop a set, losing a combined 25 games in reaching the quarters. That includes a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over 15th-seeded Karen Khachanov on Monday.
Djokovic is now the +130 favorite by DraftKings while Nadal’s odds have lengthened to +145. FanDuel is offering Djokovic at +135 and Nadal at +155.
Djokovic’s path to the finals was made easier with No. 4 Alexander Zverev getting knocked out before a potential semifinal showdown. Should Djokovic get past No. 17 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, he will face either No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or No. 13 seed Andrey Rublev in the semis.
Meanwhile, Nadal is facing a potential semifinal showdown against U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem. The third seed will face No. 12 seed Diego Schwartzman on Tuesday.
Nadal, 34, skipped the U.S. Open out of concern about traveling to the United States during the coronavirus pandemic. He entered the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and was eliminated in his third match in straight sets by Schwartzman, so both potential semifinal opponents present significant challenges. Nadal is the three-time reigning French Open champion. Djokovic has only one triumph at Roland Garros, in 2016, but is also coming off his record-breaking 36th Masters 1000 title in Rome leading up to the French Open.
Thiem is being offered at +650 by DraftKings and +450 by FanDuel. The remaining five players each have long odds, including Tsitsipas at +2000 by DraftKings and +2300 by FanDuel.
–Field Level Media ()