Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev Predictions, Picks | French Open Final Preview
Franco Arland/Getty. Pictured: Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz vs Zverev Odds
Alcaraz Odds | -275 |
Zverev Odds | +220 |
Over/Under | 38.5 (-114 / -114) |
Time | How to Watch | Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET | NBC |
Odds via DraftKings. For tips on how to watch the French Open, click here. |
Carlos Alcaraz will look to pick up the third leg of his Grand Slam effort when he takes on Alexander Zverev in the final of the French Open.
For Alcaraz, a title on Sunday would represent three wins in his debut final at the US Open, Wimbledon and now Roland Garros. It would put him on pace to be the youngest male tennis player in the Open Era to complete the Grand Slam, as he'd have three chances to beat the current holder of that honor, Rafael Nadal.
For Zverev, the French Open final is the biggest match of his career and his second attempt at a Grand Slam final, with the first coming in 2020 at the US Open. He squandered a two sets to love lead and ultimately lost in a fifth set tiebreaker to Dominic Thiem.
This past Friday Zverev reached a settlement with his ex-girlfriend regarding allegations of domestic violence. He went on to beat Casper Ruud in the semifinals later that day.
For expert analysis and predictions ahead of the French Open final, read on and see how Action Network's experts are betting Alcaraz vs Zverev.
Alcaraz vs Zverev Predictions
Carmine Carcieri: Alcaraz to win and both players win a set (+132 via FanDuel)
Alexander Zverev is 2-1 against Carlos Alcaraz in Grand Slams, including a four-set victory against the Spaniard back in 2022 at Roland Garros.
In that match in Paris, Alcaraz was unable to successfully maneuver against Zverev’s big serve, standing so far behind the baseline that he wasn’t able attack in his typical fashion.
Adjustments were made at the US Open (when Carlos won in straight sets), but in Australia this season, the Spaniard continuously tried to hit through Zverev, resulting in a lot of easy backhand winners for the German.
I think major adjustments will be made from Alcaraz in this one that will result in a win. His level of play during the final two sets against Jannik Sinner was outstanding, and his mental toughness and fitness is up there with anyone in the tennis game, allowing him to successfully bounce back from a five-setter better than most.
But that doesn’t mean this will be a blowout. I still think Zverev gets a set — and potentially more. Remember, his draw to get to this point was no cake walk. He’s spent long hours on the court this week, but his serve and backhand are cooking, and his maturity level looks much improved for someone that used to have questions about his ability in big moments.
As long as Zverev keeps his head and Alcaraz makes the proper adjustments, we should have a high value winner here.
Kenny Ducey: Zverev +1.5 sets (+110 via DraftKings)
This head-to-head is utterly captivating, but it has to be say that Zverev has come out looking the stronger through the years. The German took out Alcaraz – the co-favorite to win the tournament – in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals to give him a third win in four meetings versus the Spaniard.
Just days later, he’d injure his ankle against Rafael Nadal in the semis and alter the course of his 2022 and 2023 seasons, and along the way he fell to Alcaraz twice including at the 2023 US Open.
The US Open match was much closer than the score would have indicated, however, with Zverev finding success on serve and by coming to the net a surprising amount. Had it not been for a late-night, five-set win over Jannik Sinner days before on what was an already-depleted gas tank given his rehab from injury, that result could have been different.
And, in January at the Australian Open, it was. Alcaraz played a loose match, spraying errors all over the court, and it closely mirrored the type of match we saw him play against Sinner in the semis here on Friday.
Alcaraz is just a little less than his best right now with far too many errors creeping into his game, and he seems to have lost his way a bit and isn’t utilizing his speed and feel quite as much. Zverev, meanwhile, is assuredly at the height of his powers and even recovered from a poor serving match to hit over 80% in the final two sets of his win over Ruud.
I think Zverev is the stronger player at the moment, and has proven enough in this head-to-head to warrant a better line. He’ll win two sets, at a minimum.
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