All eyes will be on Rafael Nadal as the 114th edition of the French Open kicks off in Paris.
The Spanish maestro is the defending champion and observers doubt whether he is fit enough to take another trip to the final in what will be the 10th time.
This year, 14-grand slam winner Nadal has been dismissed as the favourite to win the Paris crown owing to his sliding ranking. He has been down by a series of injuries after winning his ninth Open last year.
Nadal only won one title this year – in Buenos Aires on clay – and suffered successive clay court losses to Andy Murray in Madrid final, Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo semi-finals, to Fabio Fognini in Barcelona and to Stan Wawrinka in the Rome quarter-finals.
Now, in the 2015 French Open, the Mallorca native has been seeded sixth, below Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic and Kei Nishikori of Japan, his lowest in Paris. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are the top two favourites to win.
And the road to winning another crown at the world’s biggest clay tournament appears to be a daunting task for Nadal, who fell to seventh in the latest ATP Ranking, as he faces his toughest draw at the Roland Garros.
He is set for a collision course with world number one Djokovic in the quarter-final. While Nadal defeated the Serbian in the 2012 and 2014 finals, the latter has been the overwhelming bet to cop the crown this year.
A win over Djokovic will push Nadal to face another hurdle in the semifinal where he could meet Federer, the world’s number two. At 13-2, the Spaniard leads in their rivalry on clay but given the Swiss’ good showing going into the second Grand Slam of the year having won few titles this season, it would be an interesting match.
But Nadal, who has received the ‘Grand Vermeil’, Paris’ most prestigious honour, vowed to be a serious contender, saying he has the experience playing at the French Open. He believed that being widely written off will work in his favour.
“I don’t need to lie to create better expectation or to let you or the people know that I am in one way or I am in the other way. I am being honest. When I say I don’t know what’s going to happen, I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” he was quoted as saying by the Agence France Presse.
“I am going to try to put my game in a position that’s going to give me the chance. If I am able to do it, I have enough experience here.”
Given his mastery on clay, it’s really hard to write off Nadal. He is still a serious contender if we are to base his record achievements at the French Open.
Winning another French Open title would not be only a historic one but would also push Nadal closer to equaling, if not surpassing, Federer’s record of the most Grand Slam singles titles.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Rafael Nadal has hailed the brilliance of Alex de Minaur, calling him "a great player" after the Australian forced the Spanish legend to say…
The clay season promises to be one of high level and tight margins. With the Monte Carlo open just around the corner, it will…
In incredible scenes, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells was halted abruptly due to a "bee invasion." Less…
Marathon man Jordan Thompson has finally clinched his first ATP Tour title, with the Australian upsetting Norwegian Casper Ruud to lift the trophy in…
Alex de Minaur has earned the perfect 25th birthday present, booking a place in the final of the Rotterdam Open with an emphatic revenge…
While watching the recent Australian Tennis Open I became obsessively fixated on the same thought. Why has no one done a television biopic or…
