Spoiler alert - this French Open preview ends with Novak Djokovic capturing his maiden and elusive title at Roland Garros. That's right, our shocker of a preview delivers what pretty much every tennis "expert" and fan alike is already expecting to happen in two week's time. So how can we claim that this is somehow a surprise? Here's why...
With a record in Paris of 66-1, any prediction that strongly supports the notion that Rafael Nadal is not going to win the French Open must fall into the category of a shock. This man has won Roland Garros 9 of the past 10 years and I don't care one bit about the struggles he has been experiencing since he won here a year ago, he is still the man when it comes to this tournament. That being said, his reign is about to come to an end due to his recent lapses in confidence along with a world number one who is playing like a man among boys. If you're looking to bet on the French Open, Djokovic is your safest pick (and ours too!)
Here is our full-on French Open preview for you to enjoy and/or dismiss!
First Quarter
Djokovic opens against veteran Jarkko Nieminen. As a former Andre Agassi fan when I was younger I always relish seeing Nieminen lose at the French Open after the way he beat an injured Agassi in his final match at Roland Garros back in 2005. I expect a pretty quick exit for Nieminen in this match and I won't be complaining if that is the case. Djokovic should have a good first few matches with no real clay court threats in his path. Richard Gasquet is seeded 20th and could face Novak in the 4th round but Gasquet has not beaten Djokovic since 2007 so let's be honest here. Then it gets serious for Djokovic. That's because his quarter-final opponent could very well be Rafael Nadal. The match that nearly everyone would want to see in the finals is scheduled to happen two rounds sooner due to Rafa's ranking slide of late. However with the way Nadal has struggled this year, even on clay, there is no guarantee he will even be still standing by the time the quarters roll around. He has potential foes of Dolgopolov or Almagro in round two and Robredo or Dimitrov in the fourth round. Still, Nadal is 15-4 on clay this year which almost anybody else would be happy with. A meeting with Djokovic in the quarters is likely with the winner being the clear favorite moving forward.
Pick: Djokovic
Second Quarter
Andy Murray has had the best clay court season of his career and is 10-0 on red dirt so far this year. Murray was forced to withdraw in Rome due to exhaustion but has certainly overcome that and will be ready to improve on his semi-final result at Roland Garros a year ago. Murray will likely face a tough clay-court player in Joao Sousa in the second round and perhaps rising Australian star Nick Kyrgios in the third. Beyond that, American John Isner would be the highest seed to confront Murray in the fourth round and in the quarters the biggest potential threat for Murray would be the tough-as-nails David Ferrer. Ferrer already has titles on both clay and hard courts this year and while he is a step behind his usual self, he remains a player that nobody wants to face. Murray has never beaten Ferrer on clay in four previous attempts including a 2012 loss here at the French Open. This year however I would give the edge to Murray based on his streak coming in.
Pick: Murray
Third Quarter
Kei Nishikori is the 5th seed and could have a fun match in the third round against Fernando Verdasco. Feliciano Lopez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fabio Fognini and the always consistent Tomas Berdych are also in this quarter of the draw. With two wins over Nadal in 2015, Fognini must be feeling pretty confident. Too bad he's such a head case or he might actually have a shot at going deep here this year. Of course now that I write that he will almost certainly prove me wrong and advance to the semi-finals! Nishikori defended his Barcelona clay court title earlier this year but has never done much at Roland Garros where he has yet to advance past the fourth round. Two unseeded players who have a realistic shot of making the quarter-finals are Federico Delbonis and Juan Monaco who can both play real well on this surface. The two play one another in the first round which has 5 sets written all over it. Berdych warrants the best shot of advancing to the semi-finals here but don't expect much more from him. His last four losses this season have come to Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray - aka the "Big Four."
Pick: Berdych
Fourth Quarter
For Roger Federer fans, the excitement of having Djokovic, Murray and Nadal in the other half of the draw must seem almost too good to be true. Roger himself must be pretty pumped-up at the prospect of advancing to the finals here for the first time since 2011. Unfortunately I feel like this draw IS too good to be true especially when I notice that Fed could play Gael Monfils in the fourth round. Neither Federer nor Monfils should be stopped prior to that stage - although with Monfils I suppose you never know. Still, the Frenchman has Roger's number of late in winning three of their last five matches including the past two in-a-row on clay. Stan Wawrinka is also in this quarter as the 8th seed but Stan has been a mess since February this year and I just don't see him putting it together at the moment.
Pick: Monfils
In two weeks time I'm expecting a Djokovic vs. Insert unpredictable (perhaps shocking) opponent in the finals. Novak will join Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as current players who have won all four Slams and the discussion will rev-up about whether or not the Serb can catch the two more accomplished players in the race for the all-time Grand Slam count.
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