Monte Carlo Masters best bet for Tsitsipas vs. Ruud on Sunday, April 14
There’s nothing quite like the heart of clay-court season, which truly begins with the Monte Carlo Masters. This is a tournament that ranks just below the four Grand Slams in terms of importance. So, we wanted to provide you with tennis best bets on a daily basis for this one. And that ends with our preview for Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday, April 14th.
Make sure you keep reading for my tennis best bets the rest of the season. I’ll try to have articles on the website as often as possible, but I also add picks to the Pro Picks page regularly. So, if you’re interested in a match and want to see what I have on it, come back before first ball and see if I added something on it!
2024 Results: 207-233 (+4.35 units)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Casper Ruud – 9:00 am ET
Tsitsipas was a little fortunate to get by Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. The Italian seemingly secured a double-break lead in the final set, going up 4-1 on a double fault by Tsitsipas. However, the umpire thought it was in and Tsitsipas went on to win the game to make it 3-2. From there, Sinner just collapsed both physically and mentally. And Tsitsipas was able to move on to the final, where he’s now looking to win this event for the third time. But Ruud’s semi-final result was a little more impressive, with the Norwegian earning a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Novak Djokovic. Of course, the 24-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t at his best in that match. But an argument can be made that Djokovic played his best match of the tournament in that one, and it still wasn’t enough to get by Ruud. And Ruud will now be eager to win his first 1000-level title — and first title above the 250 level.
There’s no denying that Tsitsipas plays his best tennis in Monte Carlo, and returning to this venue has gotten the Greek star out of a recent funk. But I do think it’s hard to pass up on Ruud at plus-money odds here. These two just met on a slow hard court in Los Cabos in February, when Ruud earned a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Tsitsipas. So, the Norwegian won the most recent meeting between these two, and he also won the last time they played on clay. That was back in 2021, when Ruud beat Tsitsipas 7-6 (4), 6-4 in Madrid. Of course, both matches were extremely close, so you can realistically say this one can go either way. But with it being something of a coin toss, how can you not back the player with the more favorable odds?
The motivation is also going to be there for Ruud. This is his best surface by a wide margin and he’s staring down a final without Djokovic, Sinner or Rafael Nadal on the other side of the net. This will be Ruud’s best chance to win his first Masters 1000 title, and he should show up with some real determination because of that. And Ruud also has the ability to really frustrate Tsitsipas on clay. There aren’t many players in the Top 25 that hit with as much topspin as Ruud. So, the Norwegian is going to pound the ball deep and try to push Tsitsipas back when they’re battling along the baseline. And if Ruud is really hitting his spots from back there, he can exploit Tsitsipas’ weak one-handed backhand. That shot has held up throughout the week for Tsitsipas, but he doesn’t like when the ball is hit high on that side. Ruud is going to test that.
Bet: Ruud ML (+122)
Added Plays
Nicolas Mejia vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Over 23.5 Games (+110 – 1.5 units) [Morelos Challenger]
Thanasi Kokkinakis ML (+100 – 2 units) vs. Zizou Bergs [Sarasota Challenger]
