Roland Garros 2026 gets under way in late May, and the clay-court tournament once again offers excellent betting opportunities. In this forward-looking analysis we run through the key favourites and the betting strategies to take into the tournament.
Men's tennis – The clay-court rulers
Clay is tennis's most demanding surface – the rallies last longer, the shots slow down and the tactical side of the game comes to the fore. Today's clay-court specialists dominate the early stages of the tournament almost without exception. Outside the top 5 there are often good value picks, particularly for the quarter-finals.
Long-legged baseline players do best on clay – follow the players' results closely at the warm-up tournaments in Madrid and Rome in May. They are the best barometer of Roland Garros performance.
Women's tennis – An open field for the clay-court crown
In women's tennis the outcome is often more surprising than in the men's game, which makes RG 2026 a particularly interesting betting proposition. Outside the top 10 there are often good value picks, especially among the clay-court specialists.
Iga Świątek has been the clay-court queen of recent years, but the tournament has become more open. The clay-court skills of Spanish and south-eastern European players often catch out the American and Russian players, particularly in the early rounds.
The basics of tennis betting for Roland Garros
- Follow the players' fitness news and injuries before the tournament – tennis is an individual sport where a minor injury affects everything
- The importance of the surface is exceptionally high in tennis – clay favours certain players, hard courts others
- Set-handicap markets often offer better value than the match result
- Live betting is especially effective in tennis – a single break of serve changes the situation completely
- Avoid backing newcomers in best-of-5s: five-set matches at Grand Slams are physically gruelling, and players often collapse
- The weather affects the speed of the clay – dry, warm clay is faster, damp clay is slower
The most popular tennis betting markets
Match winner: the simplest bet. The favourites' odds are often 1.20–1.40, so the value tends to be found in the underdog instead.
Set handicap: for example, "favourite -1.5 sets" means the favourite must win by at least 2 sets. Offers higher odds than a pure win bet.
Over/Under games: the total number of games in the match – on clay usually higher than on grass. The over 21.5 bet is worth considering in two-server matches.
Accumulators: in tennis, high-odds cards (e.g. "winner + exact score 3-1") offer good value if the favourite is overwhelming.
Summary
Roland Garros 2026 is one of the finest betting events of the tennis year. The clay-court specialists – men and women – spring surprises regularly, so don't focus solely on the top-10 favourites. Set handicaps and live bets offer the best value, and a long wager-free rakeback (EpicBet) helps with betting volume across the two-week tournament run.