Masters of the Clay: Ranking the Top Five Picks for the Italian Open 2024

Masters of the Clay Ranking the Top Five Picks for the Italian Open 2024 image

📖 Published on: May 6th, 2024

✍️ Updated: May 8th, 2024

⏳ 9 mins read

Share:

Known as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the Italian Open is one of the prestigious events that you can look out for in May every year. This Masters 1000 event serves as the setup for the coming Roland-Garros Grand Slam later in the month with a promising battle on clay surface. So who are the big picks to win in this year’s edition of the tournament?

 

What to Expect in the Italian Open 2024?

 

The Italian Open will be held at the Foro Italico in Rome, which is one of the iconic tennis stadiums in the world that presents some of the best action in the game. As the last of the three ATP Masters 1000 events held in clay, it kicks up a little bit of intensity heading into the later tournaments of the month. This year’s edition has a prize of €7,877,020 to be divided among the top players in the tournament.

 

Italian Open crowd image

 

Rafael Nadal is the winningest player in the Italian Open with a record total of 10 titles in Rome. Daniil Medvedev is set to defend his title in the 81st edition of the tournament. It can be remembered that he defeated Holger Rune in straight sets in the final, with the latter beating 2022 defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The 2023 edition also served as a stepping stone for Carlos Alcaraz to reclaim the world no. 1 spot at the time.

 

So what should you expect in the 2024 edition of the Italian Open? A lot of intense matches, fiery showdowns, and possibly a clash at the top between some of the best contenders in the ATP Tour this season. So don’t miss this epic tournament that will bring you to the edge of your seat!

 

Picks to Gamble: Who Are the Favorites to Win?

 

There’s always a lot of players to look out for on the big stage in every tournament. For the Italian Open, however, the stakes are high, and you can expect the top players in the Tour to find ways and force their path to the big stage with the hopes of racking up promising points in the tournament and setting the tone to their run this season with a massive victory.

 

Here are the best picks to consider in betting on the Italian Open 2024:

 

Holger Rune

 

Holger Rune image

The runner-up of the 2023 Italian Open is coming off with a promising run this season. Holger Rune has reached the quarterfinal in two of his last three runs in the Masters 1000 events this season, showing how versatile he is when it comes to playing against some of the best players in bigger tournaments. It cannot be denied that Rune is showing off a promising stretch this season, but is yet to make a leap into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings. As of the time of writing, Rune sits at the 12th spot with 3,245 points, just 200 points behind Alex de Minaur in the 11th spot and 400 points behind Grigor Dimitrov for the 10th spot.

 

Daniil Medvedev

 

Daniil Medvedev has been on fire this season, reaching the final twice in his last six tournaments played. Although he hasn’t bagged any title so far, it cannot be denied that the Russian star is in dire need of a win in the Italian Open to ensure that he gets a promising pace en route to the Roland-Garros. Medvedev has been playing mad in his past few games, beating one contender after another, and his mastery of the volley has made him a special talent to look out for this season. Who knows, maybe this will be his first tournament win in a long while that will help him tune up his big game in the coming French Open.

Daniil Medvedev image

 

Jannik Sinner

 

Jannik Sinner image

Now the world no. 2 for a reason, there’s no doubt that Jannik Sinner is one of the best young stars on the rise in the ATP Tour this year. Since his victory in the Australian Open, Sinner has been riding in a strong pace this season, making deep runs in the Masters 1000 events, even winning the Miami Open at that. Sinner is playing inspired tennis right now, and he even noted that his improvement in the game is what drives him more than the chase for the no. 1 spot. The Italian should be a heavy favorite to win in front of his home crowd in the coming tournament as well.

 

Novak Djokovic

 

There’s been a lot of talk as to how Novak Djokovic has been on a decline in his games lately. So far, the Serbian star has played in just four tournaments with no titles to show for it. Everyone thinks he’s lightening his schedule load with a comfortable lead at the top of the ATP Rankings, but you can be sure that he is going to be ready as he aims to play in the Italian Open after skipping the Madrid Masters. The star has also made it a clear target that he’s going for the French Open in Roland-Garros, which just says a lot about his will to play more games and ensure that he will have a lasting legacy in the game.

Novak Djokovic image

 

Carlos Alcaraz

 

Carlos Alcaraz image

Carlos Alcaraz made his return to the big stage in the Madrid Open after missing out on the Monte-Carlo Masters due to an injury. We all know how well he plays on clay surface, and there’s no reason for him not to be a favorite in the Italian Open now more than ever. While he has not made big strides to retain the world no. 2, Alcaraz is going to be fun to watch on the big stage as he seeks to reestablish his dominance in the ATP Tour with a campaign in the Italian Open, especially after being stunned by Fabian Marozsan in the early rounds last year – with the latter being the world no. 135 at the time.

 

Special Mention: Alexander Zverev

 

World no. 5 Alexander Zverev remains on a stagnant rally this season so far with a couple of big runs in the Masters 1000 events. However, the German star is yet to come up with a title this year, which just shows the need for him to set up his big game in the Italian Open. So far, Zverev remains safe in the 5th spot, but a few more wins by Casper Ruud, who is actively on the rise with a +455 in the standings after winning the Barcelona Open, can shake up his status on the rankings. This is why Zverev will come in as a contender who seeks to up his spot on the chase for the Race to Turin as well.

Alexander Zverev image

 

Special Mention: Stefanos Tsitsipas

 

Stefanos Tsitsipas image

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been on a massive tear this season with a sudden breath of life in his games. Mostly focusing on the doubles, it does seem that the Greek star has what it takes to win big even against some of the best stars in the game. His promising victory in the Monte-Carlo Masters has set the tone for his pace so far, and he is entering the Italian Open coming off with a strong showing in the Madrid Open as well, which makes him an instant favorite to win in the tournament. It cannot be denied that he will be in contention against some of the best stars who will be contending for the Italian Open now more than ever.

 

Don’t Miss the Action-Packed Italian Open!

 

The Italian Open is slated to be one of the biggest tournaments that fans will look out for this season. It is almost a Grand Slam due to the high stakes and points up for grabs and the number of high-profile players coming into the mix. Make sure you don’t miss the chance to bet on the coming games now more than ever for a chance to win handsome rewards!

 

Lucky for you, GambleSpot is always updated on the latest happenings in the ATP Tour and the rest of the sports world! Make sure to see the news, blogs, tournament previews, betting guides, game analyses, player profiles, and many other sports-related content that you can use to make informed betting decisions for a promising shot at big wins in your wagers!

Similar articles

Are you sure?

This will delete all chat history, and I will not remember what we were talking about.

Todays Hot Deals