Paris opens the doors to the second Grand Slam of the season, at the most open Roland Garros in recent times. Doubts about the state of Rafa Nadal opens an uncertain panorama in the quintessential clay court event. The hegemony of the Balearic Islands is threatened by the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and the recovery of a Novak Djokovic who will seek to revalidate the title won last year.
Other names like Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev or Casper Ruud hope to give the ‘sorpasso’ definitive and write a new name in the Cup of the Musketeers. In the absence of the definitive draw for the draw, which will be this coming Thursday at 6:45 p.m., Paris is already preparing for the start of one of the most open Grand Slams of recent times.
Rafael Nadal
Although the Spaniard does not arrive in his best form after his performance in Rome, where he fell in the round of 16, clearly diminished by his foot injury, he should never be ruled out for the fight for the title, and even less if we talk of Roland Garros. His 13 titles in Paris are not the result of chance and if someone moves like a fish in water on these tracks it is him.
It is true that the physical state does not seem to be the most optimal to face an appointment of these characteristics. Two weeks of competition and a format to the best of five sets harden the conditions for a Nadal who, after putting aside doubts about his presence, it seems clear that he does not reach 100%. Besides, the Balearic will start as the fifth favorite in the drawwhich would complicate his way to the 14th crown earlier than he would have preferred.
Novak Djokovic
Surely the most fit tennis player of the moment. The Serbian arrives at the appointment after being crowned at the Foro Italico last week and doing so with a forcefulness that shows that all the controversy over vaccination against COVID-19 is far away. The number 1 in the world intends to revalidate the victory won last season, in which he hit the table by eliminating Rafa Nadal in the semifinalssomething that had not been achieved to date.
The hunger for titles and vindication that Djokovic has shown since his return, make him even more dangerous than normal and with the aim of equaling Nadal as the tennis player with the most Grand Slams in history, after the Australian Open, the Serbian will leave life to rise up in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz
The great candidate. The Murcian is the revelation and the phenomenon of the season and he will look for the big step to confirm him, if any more proof of it is needed. The tennis player from El Palmar arrives at the big clay court event with the Barcelona and Madrid titles under his arm and with a demonstration of power and superiority. Alcaraz already knows what it’s like to beat Djokovic, Nadal, Tsitsipas and Zverev this season on clay, which shows how completely he is the favourite.
The only doubts for the young Spaniard may appear as a result of the small injury that was made in the match against Nadal in La Caja Mágicathough after his bye week in Rome, that should be old news.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Although the Greek seems a step below, we must not lose sight of him as one of the great candidates for the title. Finalist in Rome, semi-finalist in Madrid and defeated in the quarterfinals in Barcelona with an authentic match against Alcaraz, his season on land is being remarkably high and he aims to be a tough bone in Paris. Furthermore, Tistsipas already showed what he is capable of last year, reached a final that he had to play, losing to a Djokovic who came back two sets.
alexander zverev
The German part a rung below the other big names that monopolized the attention in Paris. His season on clay has little to envy the others, but it is true that in direct confrontations against the great players he has shown himself to be one point less explosive to think that he can be crowned above all of them right now. What is clear is that Zverev will not let any kind of opportunity pass him by or forgive any mistakes that others may make.
Eternal wannabes
Although it seems difficult to think of another name to win the Musketeers Cup, several contenders will try to give the definitive ‘sorpasso’ of the Next Gen. Among them is even the number 2 in the world, Daniil Medvedev who reappears after his injury and although he has proven to be one of the best tennis players in the worldIt is true that he is still allergic to clay and it would be more than rare to see him compete with great aspirations.
The one who could have a more prominent role and who could leave more than one surprise is the Norwegian Casper Ruud. Semifinalist in Rome has made it more than clear that his ideal surface is clay and he competes like few others on it. Besides, he has already shown that he is capable of defeating the big favorites, that they had better not give gifts to a Ruud who will not miss any opportunity.
Rublev and Felix Auger complete the list of candidates. The Russian is always a tough nut to crack, even if he is not going through his best streak of results, although it is true that clay is not his favorite surface. For the Canadian, yes, he is, but he has not yet managed to find enough regularity in any great to achieve a result that is up to the standard of being a true contender, although it will be better if nobody gives him up for dead before starting if he doesn’t want to be surprised.