Rafael Nadal must approach the 2011 French Open with more trepidation than he ever has done at Roland Garros. The five-time winner won in Paris at the first attempt and has since generally had things all his own way, but as amazing as it seems, the world number one, who won three of last year’s majors, must be suffering a crisis of confidence.
Novak Djokovic’s form before the recent clay season would have chipped away at some of the Spaniard’s notorious self-belief, but the Serb’s victories over Nadal in the finals of the Madrid and Rome Masters has put Nadal on the back foot, something he is not used to both literally and figuratively on clay. The French Open betting still makes him favourite, but he’s set to face his toughest clash yet.
Even in winning the Monte Carlo Masters – Djokovic’s absence – Nadal was not at his best. He lost a set to Andy Murray in the semi finals and had a first serve percentage of 40% in the final against David Ferrer, who carved out six break points in a tight first set.
Nadal does not have a divine right to win every match on clay easily, but as a perfectionist he recognised the need for improvement. Top players in good form would make him pay for such sloppiness and Djokovic is currently playing as well as is imaginable and the online tennis betting reflects this.
The world number two duly did capitalise in Madrid and Rome, although Nadal was more like his old self in Italy, playing with aggression and passion that seemed strangely lacking at his home event. It takes a brave man to bet against Nadal at Roland Garros, but Djokovic is certainly helping punters find the necessary courage.
