We’re on to the second round of the French Open and some big names are once again hitting the red clay. Rafael Nadal will be in action, along with Coco Gauff and the exciting young upstart Jannik Sinner, which should make for a very interesting fantasy slate. We take a look at options to consider for your fantasy tennis rosters on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy tennis lineups here: TEN $40K Line Painter [$10K to 1st] (French)
High-priced Options
Rafael Nadal ($11,100)
Somehow you can get the greatest clay player in history at a cheaper price than Novak Djokovic was yesterday and you’ve got to pounce. Mackenzie McDonald ($3,400) stands in Nadal’s way, a once-promising young American who’s still working very hard on a comeback from injury. McDonald’s first-round win was just his second main-draw win since last April and there’s no way he’s about to step on Nadal’s favorite court and come close to taking a set. Pulling for Makkie to make it back to the top 100 but this isn’t going to be his day.
Simona Halep ($10,600)
Go back and look at Halep’s matches (and, specifically her fantasy performances) since August. They’ve been spectacular. In fact, she hasn’t lost since the restart and has only lost twice all year, both against high-quality opponents — in the semifinal of the Australian Open to Garbine Muguruza and in the quarters of Adelaide to Aryna Sabalenka. She is absolutely rolling right now and is a perfect 7-0 over Irina Begu ($3,900) in her career. Only once has Begu ever taken a set off Halep, and that was four years ago. I’m very confident in saying she’ll hit the straight-set bonus.
Also Consider: Casper Ruud ($9,400)
Value FLEX Options
Alexander Bublik ($7,900)
You’re rarely going to find this great a price on the hottest player in tennis. Bublik has been ripping up the clay, running all the way to the semifinals of a stacked draw in Hamburg before handing Gael Monfils his first loss in the first round of the French Open since 2005. I’ve long thought Bublik’s game fits the clay quite well, with his perfection of shot-shaping and dropshots combined with a unique level of feel for the ball, and he’s finally beginning to prove it. Dating back to some exhibitions over the shutdown, Bublik has been playing on clay a lot and it is reflecting in his results. Lorenzo Sonego ($6,700) is going to be a tough out but I see a good chance of Bublik winning in four, which at this price is nice to get a safe bet at.
Benoit Paire ($7,600)
From one player traditionally hard to trust to another, Paire regained his form in an instant during Sunday’s first-round matchup against Soon-woo Kwon, winning in straight sets. This price, and his implied chances from Vegas, don’t properly reflect how good of a player he can be when he’s on his game. Playing in his home country of France, Paire is always looking to perform and grab headlines for his flashy play and I think we will see some more of that elite talent he has. This is certainly a big risk, so perhaps limit your exposure and don’t use him in cash games, but the upside here is massive.
Others to consider: Pedro Martinez ($8,000)
Set your DraftKings fantasy tennis lineups here: TEN $40K Line Painter [$10K to 1st] (French)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.