OK, so the second grand slam of the season is less than a week away as the French Open starts this Sunday coming and in this post I will look at my pick of the top contenders for the title this year.
So without much further ado let's get a move on and take a closer look at who might just be potentially lifting the La Coupe des Mousquetaires (or the Musketeers trophy in English).
1. Novak Djokovic
Right so naturally at the top of the list is three time finalist, Novak Djokovic, who has come so agonisingly close to winning this title in the past only to come up short twice against Rafa in 2012 and 2014 and once against Stan Wawrinka last year. But with every passing year you think surely this will be Novak's turn to win the title, particularly now that Rafa even though he is on the comeback trail, still hasn't beaten Nole in their seven previous meetings and the first of those losses was indeed at the French last year where Novak snapped a five year winning streak for Rafa. So surely Novak's moment of destiny is yet to come and having already won the Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian open, he will again look to complete his career slam and hold all four slams at once.
However for Novak this has proven to be the single most difficult thing to do in the sport as he has come so close only to be thwarted three times as I've already specified. And the one thing that could stop Novak from winning this title is the sheer pressure of expectation that he will be under in order to achieve his main goal in completing the career slam and winning that elusive missing major. Novak has already won 11 slams and this will put him not only up to 12 but elevate him to one of the greatest players to have ever played the game and if he carries on with that form he will become the greatest player of all time. But its whether or not if Novak can cope with that expectation and its something he has struggled to deal with so far in his career.
So will Novak win the French this year??? Hmmm, I think its a safe bet to say that he very probably can win it but whether or not he actually will is a whole other matter altogether. Last year it looked to be an absolute dead cert once Novak defeated Rafa in straight sets and battled past Andy Murray, Stan the man, even though he had troubled Nole in the past in the slams didn't look to be the man that could upset the apple cart, yet he did.
But to conclude I think it is more than safe to say that Novak will reach the final and still remains the odds favourite to win. And if he doesn't win it well there is always next year but for now to say he will be in the last two is very safe bet, win or lose. Prediction: finalist or champion.
2. Andy Murray
So at No.2 is Andy Murray who I have decided to put in the second place for a couple of reasons, one is that he has made some great improvements in his clay court game over the last year or so alone having bagged his first two clay court titles last year and only losing one match to Novak Djokovic in the semis of the French. And the second reason is because Andy has also beaten both Rafa and Novak this year having taken down Rafa in Madrid and defeated Novak just there in the final of the Italian open in Rome. And given that Andy has been able to defeat two such formidable foes on the red dirt makes him a serious contender for the title this year.
However Andy is yet to reach the final of the French open in his career but this year it might just be his first as he is now sure to be seeded 2nd for the event and that he was able to regain his World No.2 ranking this week after winning the title in Rome aswell is real bonus. So this would mean Andy would definitely avoid meeting Novak before the final although he might be stopped in his tracks by Rafa if he were to have the Spaniard in his half of the draw instead but that remains to be seen.
But if Andy was to reach and if he did face Novak then I would actually have to give him a slight edge especially as Nole has never won the title so both of them will be playing for something they haven't won before and it should be a pretty even fight. Not only that, Novak would be the one going into the match with all the pressure and expectation on his shoulders whereas Andy would be the clear underdog and given that he has already beaten Nole on the red dirt, that is more than good enough a reason for Andy to have a real shot at winning the title.
So while I think Novak is still the favourite, Andy is definitely the second odds favourite for me and if he get's in that final with the Serb, I think he has a good shot. Prediction: finalist or champion.
3. Rafael Nadal
At No.3 is the King of Clay himself, Rafa Nadal, who's imperious record at Roland Garros needs no introduction, a 9 time champion, his record speaks for itself. However all has not been right in the Rafa camp over the last two years or so with Rafa struggling with injuries and then his confidence last year, having suffered a string of bad results and this year he lost out early in the first round of the Aussie open. So for Rafa to win the French open he will really need to pull out all the stops and produce his very best form.
However... there have been some very promising signs from Rafa over the clay court season this year and he has already won two titles on the red dirt so far, winning the title again in Monte Carlo for a record 9th time and also the title in Barcelona. And Rafa despite losing to Andy Murray in the semis of Madrid, he went to put in a valiant performance against Novak in Rome last week where even though he lost the match, he really showed his is starting to come back to form and can challenge the world's best player. And on the basis of that performance alone, Rafa will surely look to step it up even further in Paris over the next couple of weeks.
So can Rafa win the title??? Well from where his game is at just now, yes he just about can and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did go on to win it again as his experience and ability to move his opponents around Court Philippe Chatrier speak for themselves. Rafa can also take alot of confidence and encouragement from his performances on the red dirt this year so far and if he builds on that in Paris then he will surely get that title once more.
But given that Rafa is making progress, there is still enough room for doubt if it will be enough at this stage for him to outright win the title, but I still wouldn't dimiss his chances and I'm think maybe the last four or final two or even the champ is not out of the question for the Spaniard. Prediction: semis, finalist or champion.
4. Kei Nishikori
At No.4 is the Japanese No.1, Kei Nishikori, who so far this year has had a very impressive season as he has consistently reached the latter stages of alot of the big tournaments and even reached another Masters final in Miami where he lost to Novak. Not only that Kei was the man who pushed Novak to the absolute limit last week in Rome where they both met in a thrilling semi final match where Novak just pipped Kei to the post in the final set tiebreak. Kei also pushed Andy Murray to the brink at the Davis cup earlier this year aswell before he fell to the Scot in five sets in just under five hours.
The problem however for Kei is that he has been just coming up short against the very best players out there ahead of him in the rankings and he would need to somehow find a way past them in order to get his hands on the biggest trophies in the game. And in general, Kei's biggest problem against the elite guys is that he lacks the big weapons to really threaten them which makes it difficult for him to make that breakthrough.
So for me I think that while Kei can definitely do well at Roland Garros, I would have to say that I don't see him as the eventual champion but I do think he can go pretty deep and the last eight or four is a good bet for the Japenese No.1. Prediction: quarter finals or semis.
5. Stan Wawrinka
At No.5 is the defending champion, Stan "the man" Wawrinka who stunned everyone last year by beating Novak in the final when just about everyone, and myself included, though Novak had this own sewed up. But this year, Stan's results have been less than stellar for most of the season and he even struggled at the Australian open where he lost in the 4th round to Milos Raonic when just two years before he won the title. So going into this event, Stan does not look very much like the man.
But...if there is one thing we do know about Stan is that he can just find that spark of fine form out of nowhere and when he's on a hot streak, he is very hard to beat as he proved last year in Paris and that in itself still makes him a contender this year. The problem is though with Stan you just don't quite know what you are going to get, he could either defend the title this year or go out in the first round and it remains to be seen how he will do.
So for me I'm think that Stan will not defend the title this year but I still think if he can find good form that he can make it into the last eight or four before he bows out. Prediction: quarter finals or semis.
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
At No.6 is big Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who made the semi finals of the French last year and he seemed to go into that match with the belief that he could win it before he lost out to Stan in four sets. But Jo really has proven that he has got the game and the raw firepower to take on the very best there is in the game and he has also previously reached a slam final at the Australian open, albeit 8 years ago where he lost to Novak.
The big problem for Jo however is his consistency and also he has proven to be mentally a bit flaky when it comes to the big pressure moments he hasn't quite been able to deliver. And this was very notable during Jo's match against Djokovic in the 2012 French Open quarter final where Jo had match points against Novak in the fourth set but he was unable to take any of them and he ultimately lost the set and then the match in the decider. The match was there for the taking but Jo was unable to take his chances and that is where he often comes up short. Jo also managed to make the semis not only last year but also in 2013 where he played David Ferrer but he was thoroughly outplayed by the dogged Spaniard and lost in straight sets and again its a case of Jo struggling to deal with the pressure.
So for me I don't see Jo as the champ this year either but I do think he does have the game to make a real impact and go fairly deep and I think the last eight would be a good bet for the Frenchman. Prediction: quarter finals.
7. Milos Raonic
In the 7th spot is Milos Raonic, who has had a bit of an up and down season so far but he has still managed to post some very good results, particularly when he reached the last four at the Australian open before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Andy Murray in five sets. Raonic also managed to make the finals at Indian Wells but unfortunately due to his adductor injury he was unable to compete well against Novak in the final and he went down in straigh sets.
But there is no doubt that Milos is improving as a player and he has added a few extra things to his game in that he is now a decent mover, volleyer and returner as well as having that massive serve, which he usually has at his beckon call. And when Milos's serve is really firing, he is hard to live with as it really is one of the best serves the game has ever seen.
The only problem however for Milos is that his fitness still isn't quite the best next to the very top players and when it comes to speed and agility he can be outdone, especially if his first serve is off he maybe forced into doing some running. And this year alone, Milos has struggled with injury with his adductor muscle in his leg, which caused him trouble in a few tournaments, most notably at the Australian open. And if Milos is to beat the very best then he needs to be at full fitness and serve to the best that he can.
So I have to say that I don't see Milos as the eventual champion either this year at RG but I still think he has a decent shout at reaching the last 16 or 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
8. Richard Gasquet
At 8th place is another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet who has put some good results together in recent years in the slams but he has never progressed past the last 16 in Paris yet he has come agonisingly close over the years. But Gasquet has all the attributes in his game to threaten most of the guys at the top if not all of them and in a way its a surprise he hasn't done that bit better at RG over the years.
However the problem is that Gasquet also lacks that mental edge to make the big breakthrough into the final stages of the big events and that has often seen him come up short against the game's elite. Gasquet also despite having a wonderful game and one of the best single handed backhands out there, he also lacks the raw firepower needed to hit through his tougher and bigger opponents.
Despite that though I still think Gasquet could make a breakthrough this year at the French and reach the last eight, which he has so desparately tried to do over the years but I don't quite see him go beyond that. Prediction: 4th round or the quarter finals.
9. Nick Kyrgios
And last of all we have Nick Kyrgios who has been tipped as a potential future World No.1 over the last year or so but Nick has also courted alot of controversy with his outspoken personality but I will say more on that in a bit.
Nick however does have a game that can really threaten anyone as he has a powerful big serve and also a ferocious forehand aswell as the ability to move his opponents around the court, even if he isn't quite the best athlete as yet. And Nick has already taken some big scalps along the way most notably Rafa and Roger having beaten them both over the last two years, most notably Rafa at Wimbledon where he beat Rafa in four sets to reach his maiden quarter final in a slam.
The problem for Nick however comes down to his attitude and personality as he has often clashed with umpires and even with players on court and made a number of controversial comments that has gotten him into hot bother. And its Nick's immaturity that right now stops him from being able to make a serious impact in the game because if he really knuckled down then we would really be seeing a formidable player in action right now all the time rather than just some of the time.
So for me while I don't see Nick as the champ in Paris, I do think he can make the 2nd week and just maybe he could reach the last 16 or 8 before bowing out. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
As for a few floating outsiders its also worth mentioning David Goffin who has been make real strides over the last year or so and particularly this year he has done very well in reaching the latter stages of the Masters events in both Indian Wells and Miami, having reached the last four at both tournaments. Dominic Thiem has also been threatening too having made a real impression in the last year or so and he also put out Roger Federer in Rome last week, proving that he is a player well worth watching out for. And last of all is Gael Monfils who once made the semis at the French twice in both 2008 and 2014 and he too could prove to be very dangerous and could make a bit of an impact at his home slam.
Oh and I've left Roger Federer out of the main list because it remains to be seen if he is able to compete at RG given that he has been struggling with a back injury this season and was out earlier this season having undergone knee surgery. So Roger's involvement at the French open is still in doubt even though there has been no sign of him pulling out for now, its difficult to say how he will do until we know more about if he will participate or withdraw.
So that's it for now and I will be back on here with some coverage with the French Open get's underway.
Till then its au revoir for now!
