The Rio Open 2023 is one of the most exciting ATP tour events on the tennis calendar. It’s an ATP 500 clay court tournament that starts on February 20, and last year’s champion and current world number one Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed he will be taking part this year.
He’s not the only tennis superstar who’ll be touching down in Rio de Janeiro: British number one Cameron Norrie and Italian maestro Lorenzo Musetti will also be bidding to lift the trophy, as will past champions Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the hottest player predictions for the Rio Open 2023. Our tennis betting experts will also be looking at the latest odds and the best sportsbooks where you can place your bets, with Bovada sitting at the top of our list.
Best Rio Open Betting Sites
- Bovada: Best overall
- BetOnline: Best bonuses
- MyBookie: Best for in-play Rio Open betting odds
- MyStake: Best for tennis prop bets
- SportsBetting: Best market coverage
- Everygame: Most reputable tennis betting site
- BetUS: Cool betting guides
Rio Open Event Info
When Does the Rio Open Start?
The action begins in Rio de Janeiro on 13 February and ends on 19 February.
Where is the Rio Open Held?
The Rio Open, presented by Claro, is held in Rio de Janeiro at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
What Type of Tournament is the Rio Open?
The Rio Open is an ATP 500 tour event held on outdoor clay courts.
What’s the Prize Money?
The prize money in Rio de Janeiro stands at $2,013,940.
Who is the Defending Rio Open Champion?
Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in Rio de Janeiro in 2022.
Who are Some Past Rio Open Winners?
Notable past winners in Rio de Janeiro include Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Dominic Thiem, and Cristian Garin.
How Can I Watch the Rio Open Tournament?
You can watch the action at the Jockey Club Brasileiro unfold on The Tennis Channel.
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Brief Recap of the 2022 Rio Open
The Rio Open takes place across 8 outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasileiro. It’s been part of the ATP tour since 2014, with past winners including Rafael Nadal and a host of clay experts like David Ferrer, Pablo Cuevas, Laslo Djere, and Cristian Garin.
The Rio Open 2022 took place in mid-February and was won by Carlos Alcaraz, who overcame third seed and 2018 champion Diego Schwartzman in the final in straight sets (6-4, 6-2).
The tournament was notable for kick-starting Alcaraz’s scintillating year on the ATP tour, which culminated with a US Open victory. By winning the tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Alcaraz also broke a new record for being the youngest-ever ATP 500 champion.
En route to the final in Brazil, Alcaraz – who came into the tournament as the seventh seed – beat compatriot Jaume Munar in the first round and Federico Delbonis in the second round.
He then came up against the top seed and heavy favorite Matteo Berrettini. The Italian struggled with injury, with Alcaraz eventually defeating him 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. Matteo Berrettini would have been confident that he could win the Rio Open before his abductor injury flared up. The Spaniard then took out Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals.
Second seed Casper Ruud was hotly fancied by many sports bettors pre-tournament, but the Norwegian world number 2 had to withdraw and fly out of Rio de Janeiro before the event started. Brazil danger man Thiago Monteiro was the wildcard entrant.
Rio Open Betting Guide
The Rio Open doesn’t typically spring up too many surprises. You can almost always count on a clay expert to win while betting on a Latin-American tennis player is never a bad idea either.
This was certainly true in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 when a clay specialist won in Rio de Janeiro each time. Dominic Thiem broke the domination of the clay courters in 2017, but the year before that clay courter Pablo Cuevas clinched the title.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that we highly anticipate a clay expert will triumph once again at the Rio Open 2023.
Carlos Alcaraz will be among your options if he recovers from his injury in time. If this is the case, it’s almost certain that he’ll be installed as the top seed and favorite for the tournament.
However, owing to the fact that he hasn’t played competitively since December 2022 (and neither has he won a match since November 2022), we’d avoid betting on him as the outright winner. He’ll be as determined as Alcaraz always is, but he’ll be rusty in the face of some excellent competition.
This includes British lefty Cameron Norrie who, despite winning all 4 of his ATP titles on hard courts, is surprisingly competent on clay. He recorded an impressive 11/5 record on clay in 2022, but his biggest problem is that he doesn’t play on clay enough.
World number 19 Lorenzo Musetti will likely be the third seed and third favorite in Rio – but we really like his chances to win the tournament. He’s got 2 ATP titles to his name at the moment, and they were both won on clay courts. Clay is without a doubt his favorite surface, on which he has a 63.8% win record.
Other top players who have confirmed their participation include Argentinian number one and 2018 Rio Open champion Diego Schwartzman and 2017 Rio Open champion Dominic Thiem.
With Schwartzman badly out of form, Thiem a shadow of what he was in 2017, and Alcaraz lacking playing time, the field is wide open for Musetti to take the title in Rio de Janeiro. As an alternative, it might be worth taking a look at the rest of the field for another clay court expert once the rest of the entry list is officially confirmed.
35-year-old World number Thomaz Bellucci 904, who once ranked as high as 21 and who has 4 ATP titles to his name, has been given a wildcard and will retire after the tournament. Casper Ruud will not be appearing at Rio this year.
>> BetUS also has awesome expert betting guides
Rio Open Odds & Predictions
Carlos Alcaraz
Already described by some tennis pundits as a player who has the potential to be the best ever, Carlos Alcaraz had his breakout year in 2022. He collected 5 ATP titles, including a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles and the US Open. By the end of a thrilling season, Alcaraz was the new world number one – and he’s still only 19 years old.
All in all, Alcaraz has 6 ATP titles to his name, with three of them coming on clay courts. These are Umag, the Rio Open, which he won in 2022, and the Madrid ATP 1000 Masters. It’s therefore no surprise that he will be the top seed and huge favorite to win the Rio Open 2023.
That all said, while Alcaraz is undoubtedly talented on clay and has a 77.6% win record on the red dirt, and while he’ll be the Rio Open odds on favorite, we’d guard against betting on him as the outright winner in Rio de Janeiro yet.
This is because Alcaraz hasn’t yet played a competitive match in 2023. He missed the ATP Finals in November due to an abdominal injury and also missed the Australian Open in January. The Rio Open, for which he has apparently confirmed his participation, will be his first test of the season.
Will there be rust? Undoubtedly. Can Alcaraz still win matches at this tournament? Yes. But as the tournament reaches the latter stages, and if Alcaraz is still there, we’d wager on him to lose if the price is good enough.
Bet on Carlos Alcaraz to win in Rio de Janeiro!
Cameron Norrie
The Rio Open’s official Twitter account confirmed back in December that lefty Briton Cameron Norrie will be appearing in Brazil.
Cam Norrie seemingly came from nowhere in 2021 to explode into the top 20. A super fit all-courter, Norrie has a spin-riddled forehand that works well on clay. What’s more, Norrie loves to grind out results and doesn’t mind leaving everything out there. A 5-hour epic? No problem.
Norrie has started 2023 well. He reached the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, before losing to Richard Gasquet, despite taking the first set. He was then felled in the third round at the Australian Open by surprise package Jiri Lehecka (2-3).
Norrie will be disappointed that he didn’t go further in Melbourne, but that won’t alter his course in Rio de Janeiro. He’s never played this tournament before, and this will be his first clay court event of the year.
That won’t alter his course either, since it will likely be the first clay court event of the year for everyone. And with a 60.3% win record, clay is actually Norrie’s best surface.
Norrie is no stranger to winning ATP titles these days. This time last year he won the Delray Beach Open, and we strongly expect him to challenge in Rio. Can he go all the way? He’s certainly one of our top picks.
Bet on Cameron Norrie to win in Rio de Janeiro!
Lorenzo Musetti
As the world number 19, it’s possible that Italian number two Lorenzo Musetti will start the Rio Open 2023 as the second seed and second favorite. This means his Rio Open odds might be fairly short – but we see him as a major contender this time around.
Musetti is just 20 years old but had a remarkably early rise in the tennis world and came to the attention of everyone when he took two sets off Novak Djokovic at the 2020 French Open.
His career nosedived after that match, but after hitting the Challenger tour, his star rose again in 2022, a year in which he landed his first two ATP tour titles – the Naples Open and the Hamburg Open, the latter being a clay court tournament.
Clinching the Hamburg title was a special moment for Musetti because he beat the Rio Open top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the final. That was the only time these two players have met, and we’d strongly fancy Musetti to beat Alcaraz if the two were to meet again in Rio.
That all said, Musetti will have been devastated to have lost in the first round of the Australian Open. However, we see his 2-3 defeat to a resurgent Lloyd Harris, who served 17 aces, as a bit of a blip that should be ignored. For our money, Musetti is our standout pick to win the Rio Open.
Bet on Lorenzo Musetti in Rio de Janeiro!
Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem will be looking forward to returning to the Rio Open, a tournament that’s close to his heart. He won it in 2017 and was back there at the 2022 edition as he sought to get his career back on track after a wrist injury.
It’s been a long road back for Thiem. He achieved a career-high ranking of number 3 in 2020, the same year he won the US Open – his only Grand Slam title to date.
Thiem then spent a year on the sidelines following a bad wrist injury and struggled to recover his old form throughout 2022.
In the second half of the season, Thiem started to show signs of promise. He reached the Rennes Challenger final before being ousted 3-6, 0-6 by Ugo Humbert. He then went deep in Gijon and at the European Open, where he reached the semi-finals at both events.
In 2023, he was thrashed in the Adelaide qualifiers by eventual champion Soon-woo Kwon before a tough first-round draw against Russian Andrey Rublev saw him exit the Australian Open in the first round.
Coming into the Rio Open, Thiem has yet to pick up a set in 2023. There’s no chance he’ll be using the tournament as a stepping stone on his road to recovery, however, because Thiem has been back on the ATP tour for a year now. Therefore, he’ll be here to win.
His 71.6% win record on clay is certainly impressive, and he’s won 10 ATP titles on this surface. If this was the old, pre-injury Dominic Thiem, we’d say he was a shoo-in for the title. But the truth is, Thiem hasn’t been the same since his spell on the sidelines. We’d therefore avoid backing him as the outright winner and instead bet on him to lose his opening match.
Bet on Dominic Thiem to win in Rio de Janeiro!
Diego Schwartzman
Argentinian number one and 2018 Rio Open champion Diego Schwartzman will arrive in Rio as one of the top seeds – but unless a miracle happens, we can’t see any way through for the man who’s currently cannon fodder for most players.
Schwartzman has no doubt been one of the best players on the ATP tour for the last 2-3 years. He peaked as the world number 8 in October 2020 but his form in the second half of 2022 has been nothing short of abysmal.
He continued his poor form into the start of 2023, retiring after the first set in his opening match against Jenson Brooksby at the ASB Classic before losing in the second round of the Australian Open to JJ Wolf.
Admittedly, clay is his favorite surface, and he has a 59.1% win record on the red dirt. We don’t think that will be enough to save him in Rio, however, but it’s interesting that he’ll be playing at the Cordoba Open a week before Rio. Therefore, we think it’s a smart idea to watch how he fares in that tournament and make your decision thereafter.
If Schwartzman has a decent run in Cordoba, he might have a chance in Rio. If, on the other hand, his poor form continues, we see a 0-2 reverse in his opening match as the obvious bet.
Bet on Diego Schwartzman to win in Rio de Janeiro!
What Types of Bets Can I Place on the Rio Open 2023?
Outright Winner
Before the tournament gets underway at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, and once the odds have been released, you can bet on who you think will win the Rio Open 2023.
This is a simple bet that typically comes with decent odds for most players with the exception of the first and second favorites (who we expect to be Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti).
What’s more, if your player gets to the final, you can cash out for your bet for a smaller profit (or let the bet run its course).
Betting on the outright winner is a great way of extending your fun during the Rio Open because you can watch your man progress through each round. The more players he beats, the more the excitement builds.
Even better, you can often catch the bookies out by spotting an overpriced underdog who you’re convinced can win the Rio Open. This was the case at the 2022 edition, where the seventh seed Carlos Alcaraz took home the trophy.
Moneyline Bets
A moneyline bet is the simplest bet you can place on individual matches at the Rio Open.
Essentially, you’re betting on a player to win their match. It doesn’t matter whether they drop a set or not – all that matters is they win.
Because the favorites in a tennis match are often available at short odds, moneyline betting isn’t all that profitable in tennis. A smart idea might be to either bet on an underdog who you think has a good chance of winning their match, or to add a few moneyline bets to a parlay.
Game Handicap
In tennis, you can bet on a player to win by X number of games.
For example, circling back to the 2022 Rio Open final at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, Carlos Alcaraz beat Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2. This means he won the match by 6 clear games. If you’d bet on Alcaraz (-2.5), you’d have won more than if you’d simply bet on the moneyline.
At ATP 500 events, online sportsbooks typically set the game handicap at (-2.5) pre-match. This can result in short odds – but it all depends on how short or long the favorite is priced.
Moreover, you can also bet on the game handicap in play, when the betting lines will change.
Set Betting
Another bet you can place on individual matches at the Rio Open is the correct set score.
Otherwise known as set betting, this is as easy as betting on the favorite to win 2-0 or 2-1 or the underdog to win 2-0 or 2-1.
Set betting isn’t always easy to get right, but it can be a great way of boosting your profits. It always comes with better odds than the moneyline bet, and it generally comes with less risk than the game handicap.
Set betting especially works well when you’re convinced a match will be one-sided or when you think the underdog is probably going to lose – but not without claiming a set first.
Get a Bonus for Betting on the Rio Open 2023 at Bovada
Bovada gets you started with a $750 sports welcome bonus. This is a 75% matched first deposit offer that you’ll be eligible for when you create an account and make an initial $20+ deposit.
For example, if you deposit $100 straight off the bat and opt-in to the bonus, Bovada will bump your account up with an extra $75 on the house. You can then use these bonus funds on the Rio Open, as well as any other tennis or sporting event.
Bovada is one of the most established and trustworthy tennis betting sites in the states. It was launched in 2011 and it consistently offers generous betting odds on ATP tour events like the Rio Open, as well as a great variety of in-play tennis betting markets.
You can also take your pick from a raft of tennis props like whether or not a set will go to a tie break, or whether or not a game will go to deuce. Bovada accepts a range of cryptocurrencies, as well as a handful of traditional payment methods.
If you want to join Bovada for the Rio Open, here’s how to sign-up in a few simple steps:
Click “JOIN”
Click here, and you’ll find the “JOIN” button in the top right-hand corner of Bovada’s homepage.
Fill in the Form
A 7-field form then pops up. You’ll need to enter some basic information about yourself, such as your first and last name, as well as create a password.
Agree to the T&Cs
Lastly, tick the box at the bottom of the form to confirm that you agree to Bovada’s terms and conditions. Then, click “Register.”
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Where to Bet on the Rio Open 2023
Here’s why Bovada is our top choice for betting on the Rio Open:
Great tennis odds: Bovada is known for offering consistently amazing tennis odds on all tournaments. This includes futures markets, pre-match markets, as well as in play tennis markets.
Wide range of tennis markets: Bovada allows you to get creative with your bets, thanks to its wide range of tennis markets. Whatever aspect of tennis you love and know the most, you’ll be able to exploit your knowledge at this sportsbook.
Frequent bonuses and rewards points: Whenever you bet on the Rio Open at Bovada, you’ll be rewarded with loyalty points that you can later redeem for bonus funds. Bovada also treats you to a top-notch welcome bonus, as well as a $200 referral bonus whenever you refer a buddy to the site.
Why Bet on the Rio Open Online?
It’s safe to do: Betting on tennis events online like the Rio Open has never been safer. All the best sportsbooks have a range of security features in place, such as SSL encryption, to make sure your personal information and banking details are safe.
Find the best odds: When you bet on the Rio Open online, you can compare the odds on offer at all the best sportsbooks. This only takes a minute or two, and it guarantees you’ll always be getting the best available price.
Take advantage of special offers: From cashback bonuses on your tennis losses to weekly reload bonuses, tennis betting sites give you many ways to boost your bankroll every week. All you have to do is opt-in whenever you feel like it and meet the T&Cs.
Previously: Australian Open betting
Guide to Betting on the Rio Open 2023
Is it Safe to Bet on the Rio Open?
It’s completely safe to bet on a tennis event like the Rio Open as long as you sign-up to a legit sportsbook like Bovada. This will ensure your details are kept safe and secure, which gives you peace of mind when placing your bets.
How Do I Find the Best Rio Open Odds?
To find the best Rio Open odds, it’s well worth registering with a few top-rated sportsbooks like Bovada and BetOnline. This way, you get to compare their Rio Open odds for different markets, which means you’ll always be able to place your bets at the best prices.
What Types of Bets Can I Place on the Rio Open?
You can bet on the Rio Open pre-match and in-play. You can place moneyline bets, game handicap bets, totals bets, and bet on the correct score, and you can do these before a match and once a match has started.
You can also try your luck on prop bets, which include a game to go to deuce or a set to go to a tie-break. Other props include the number of aces served by a player in a match and the number of double faults.
Can I Win Money Betting on the Rio Open?
Yes, you can win money by betting on this tennis tournament, as well as other tennis events. All you have to do is create an account at a betting site and place your bets. If the bet wins, you will win money.
What Else Can I Bet on Besides Rio Open?
The best online sportsbooks we listed here allow you to bet on a variety of sports, including football betting, horse racing betting, and eSports bets. You can also bet on individual events like the Champions League.
Where Does the Rio Open Take Place?
The Rio Open takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s played on 8 clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, and it’s an outdoor ATP tournament.
Will Rafael Nadal Be Playing in Rio de Janeiro?
Rafael Nadal is the king of clay courts, but he hasn’t confirmed that he will take part in Rio de Janeiro. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll be at this tournament, due in part to an early exit at the Australian Open that wasn’t helped by injury issues.
Can I Get Tickets for the Rio Open?
If you fancy flying down to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there’s still plenty of time to get tickets to this ATP 500 event.
Betting on the Rio Open: Final Thoughts
The Rio Open takes place in mid-February and is the first ATP 500 tournament of the year. Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Brazil as the reigning champion, and he’ll be the top seed and heavy favorite to triumph once again.
You can bet on Carlos Alcaraz along with our top pick Lorenzo Musetti at Bovada. New players can get started with a $750 welcome bonus, and you can rack up rewards points each time you bet.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure to stay in control and always gamble responsibly.
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