Rafael Nadal is favorite at French Open; Novak Djokovic makes big change
PARIS — Winning one Grand Slam title is considered an incredible feat, so being considered the favorite to win a 15th major is obviously monumental. When you add to that equation the fact that a French Open victory this year would also deliver an Open Era record for scoring 10 titles at the same Grand Slam, it’s simply mind-boggling.
That’s exactly the position 31-year-old Rafael Nadal, the universally acclaimed King of Clay, finds himself in just days before the start of the French Open.
A nine-time champion at Roland Garros, Nadal has come through a serious wrist injury the second half of last year to return to high-caliber tennis in 2017.
Besides reaching this year’s Australian Open final on hard court, where he was sniffing at the trophy before just losing out in a five-set final to Roger Federer, Nadal’s been the man to beat since the clay court season began.
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The Spaniard arrives in Paris having won the Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid titles before Austrian Dominic Thiem surprised him in the Rome quarterfinals. He’s 17-1 on clay this year, and holds the all-time Open Era record for clay titles at 52, surpassing Guillermo Vilas’ 49 with his Monte Carlo victory.
Nevertheless, being considered the favorite at the French Open, where he boasts an astonishing 72-2 record, doesn’t appear to resonate all that much with Nadal. The fact he could be the first player since Margaret Court to win 10 trophies at the same major — Court won 11 Australian Opens between 1960 and 1973 — is something he’s also not yet ready to contemplate.
“At the end of the day, for me, the only important thing is arrive here, play well,” said Nadal, who won his last French Open in 2014. “If I am playing well, doesn't matter if you believe or you don't believe that I am one of the candidates or not. The only way to have chances, real chances to play good event is play very well, be healthy, and then be with the right attitude in every practice and in every match, no?”
Nadal is located in the bottom half of the draw and will face tricky Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round. They’ve played twice before back in 2013, and Nadal won both of those clay court encounters in straight sets.
While Nadal might not be preening about having an advantage here, many of his colleagues aren’t hesitating about placing him on the potential champions’ pedestal.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic, who could face Nadal in the semifinals if they both journey that far in the draw, considers Nadal the front-runner.
“Rafa, next to Roger (Federer), has been the best player so far this year in terms of results,” Djokovic said. “I mean, their level of tennis that they have performed is quite fantastic. And Rafa, again, playing on his favorite surface, won three tournaments in a row, and playing confidently and much better than he was playing actually last year.
“So, you know, I definitely see him as, you know, probably No. 1 favorite for this title.”
The second-seeded Djokovic finally captured his first French Open title last year. Since that victory, which completed his Grand Slam collection, it’s been no secret that Djokovic hasn’t played to the stature he once commanded as the No. 1 in the world.
Djokovic’s hoping to have a new secret weapon to reinvigorate his career. Former great Andre Agassi’s signed on to coach Djokovic here at the French Open, and the duo worked together for the first time yesterday. The new player-coaching duo, which has an agreement just for this tournament, will have its first test when Djokovic plays Marcel Granollers of Spain in the first round.
“It feels like a new chapter,” Djokovic said. “Creating a new team, creating a new vibe, it feels exciting. It feels right at this moment because I was, in the last five, six months, struggling a little bit on the court and trying to redefine myself.
“He's (Agassi) someone that inspires me a lot,” he added. “That's one of the things I felt like I needed is new inspiration, someone that knows exactly what I'm going through, you know, on the court, off the court.”
Another player who is pitching Nadal as the guy to beat here is Thiem, the only guy to upset the Spaniard this clay court season. Nevertheless, even his 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Nadal in Rome hasn’t dissuaded Thiem from his thinking.
“One hundred percent he's the big favorite,” Thiem said of Nadal. “He's on the top to win here. Of course, I think he's back at his best this year, and then also he won (here) nine times. So he knows how it works to win here.
“I will think he will try everything to win Le Décima, I think it will be very unique in tennis to win a Grand Slam title 10 times. It's pretty crazy, I guess. So 100% he's the one to beat here and the big favorite.”
One player who isn’t concerned about whether Nadal is the head of the pack in Paris is Federer, who opted to sit out this French Open to concentrate on the upcoming grass court season.
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