French Open predictions - Men's singles: Medvedev the man to watch

- Daniil Medvedev has won 39 of his 44 matches on the ATP Tour this year
- Novak Djokovic heads to Paris without a clay-court tournament win in 2023
- Recommended bet: Daniil Medvedev to win the French Open

With Rafael Nadal set to miss the French Open for the first time since 2004, the men's singles has a more open feel to it than normal, with a handful of players capable of making their mark on the Parisian clay.

Carlos Alcaraz, who recently turned 20, is the top seed at the season's second Grand Slam but is expected to face fierce competition from, among others, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alcaraz leads a strong field in Paris

Long considered the heir to 'King of Clay' Nadal, youngster Alcaraz will have all eyes on him at this year's French Open.

The Murcia-born ace won his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open but many would have expected his maiden Major victory to have instead come on his favoured clay courts in Paris.

Last year, though, he crashed out against Alexander Zverev at the quarter-final stage and he will return with a point to prove this time around.

After missing the Australian Open at the start of the year, he has since had a fine season, putting up a 20-2 record on clay.

In the build-up to the French Open, Alcaraz defended both his Madrid Open and Barcelona Open titles and the tournament's top seed is 6/4 with LiveScore Bet to win the title.

Rune and Tsitsipas among those looking to pull off a shock

While a strong case can be made for Alcaraz, the absence of Nadal means this could be one of the tournament's less predictable runnings in recent years, especially as Djokovic may not be up to task.

The Serbian has been struggling with injury this season and heads into the French Open without having won a warm-up event for the first time since 2018.

Of course, if any player can overcome that kind of psychological barrier, it is Djokovic but the field looks seriously competitive.

Andrey Rublev, for example, will feel he has a shot after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Monte Carlo Masters, while Medvedev won his first clay-court title at the Rome Masters.

Meanwhile, Holger Rune was runner-up at both of those tournaments, while there are also claims to be made for consistent force Tsitsipas and last year's French Open runner-up Casper Ruud.

Prediction

With a pretty open tournament on the cards, it makes sense to steer clear of the market leader, despite the fact he has a strong case, and at a much bigger price, Medvedev appeals to win this year's French Open.

The Russian was relentless in the early stages of the season, hoovering up titles at the Rotterdam Open, Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships and Miami Open.

He has a 39-5 record on the ATP Tour this year and showed he can translate his good form to the clay courts earlier this month when he won the Rome Masters.

On his way to the title, Medvedev took down the likes of Rune, Tsitsipas and Zverev and as the second seed, is in the opposite half of the draw to Alcaraz.

Back Medvedev to win the French Open at 11/1 with LiveScore Bet.