Rafael Nadal emerges as 4th favorite for French Open 2024 amid Madrid Open heroics | Roland Garros early odds

Rafael Nadal is the fourth favorite to win this year's French Open according to bookmakers. Nadal's young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite to clinch the title at Roland Garros, followed by Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

Nadal, who has won a record 14 French Open titles, missed the clay court Major last year after failing to recover from the hip injury he sustained at the 2023 Australian Open. The Spaniard's last Roland Garros triumph came in 2022, following his one-sided win over Casper Ruud.

Recently, prominent tennis journalist Simon Cambers wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"OK, now I know the bookies are wary when it comes to these things, but Rafael Nadal is currently fourth favourite for Roland Garros, as short as 4-1!! Some have him at 9-1 but he's still 4th favourite!"

Check the early odds for the French Open men's singles title below:

Player	Odds
Carlos Alcaraz	15/8
Novak Djokovic	3/1
Jannik Sinner	7/2
Rafael Nadal	9/1

Apart from Nadal, only Djokovic among the top four early favorites has seen success at the French Open before. The Serb won the clay court Grand Slam for the first time in 2016 and then repeated the feat in 2021 and 2023.

2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon champion Alcaraz's best finish at the French Open came last year when he reached the semifinals before falling to eventual winner Djokovic. 2024 Australian Open champion Sinner's best finish in Roland Garros was a run to the quarterfinals of the 2020 French Open.

Rafael Nadal is in red-hot form at the ongoing Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal in action against Alex de Minaur at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open

Nadal is currently competing at the Madrid Open, where he has made a stellar start. The former ATP World No. 1 brushed aside 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in the first round 6-1, 6-0. However, a much sterner test came his way in the second round as he faced off against tenth seed Alex de Minaur.

De Minaur cut short Nadal's run at the Spaniard's last outing at the Barcelona Open recently with a straight-sets victory. However, he was no match for Nadal's ferocious shotmaking in Madrid. The Spaniard won the match 7-6(6), 6-3, and will face Pedro Cachin in the fourth round on Monday, April 29.

After the match's conclusion, de Minaur told the press that during the encounter against Nadal, he felt he was facing a younger version of the Spaniard.

"Today I saw him close to his level in the past. For me, today he was at a very high level, at a very high intensity, from the first point to the end," de Minaur said.