https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/3576478599/
“Andy Murray – 3ème tour de Roland Garro” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by y.caradec
The French Open is getting closer and the clay court season is gathering pace after the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters was won yet again by Rafael Nadal.
Nadal’s latest comeback is one of the biggest sporting stories of the year so far, but to lift his 10th French Open he will likely have to beat the world number one, Novak Djokovic, as well as potentially getting past the defending champion, Stan Wawrinka.
Andy Murray and Roger Federer are among the other contenders to keep an eye on, so let’s take a look at four of the major players to watch at this year’s French Open.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic starts as favourite in just about every tournament these days, even the ones he has never been able to win in the past. The world number one has 11 Grand Slam singles titles and has dominated tennis in recent years, but Roland Garros continues to frustrate him.
The Serb will start as the top seed despite being beaten in the final three years out of the last four. While Djokovic will evidently be considered one of the best players of all-time whether he wins the French Open or not before the end of his career, it will certainly annoy him that he has not been able to play his best tennis on clay yet.
Perhaps this year will be the year his fortune changes at the French Open. He is priced at odds of 4/7 with the bookmakers to win the title.
Rafael Nadal
The King of Clay is back, but there have been enough false dawns regarding Nadal’s fitness for there to be a few question marks about his ability to win at Roland Garros again.
With 14 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, there is no doubting Nadal’s brilliance. But it remains to be seen how much his various injury troubles have affected his game at the top level.
However, Nadal is a fighter and the 29-year-old Spaniard can be backed at 11/4 to win the competition in the French Open betting for the 10th time this summer.
Andy Murray
New father Murray was beaten by Nadal in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, but the British world number two looked in good form until losing that gruelling match 2-6 6-4 6-2.
Having typically struggled on clay, his weakest surface, there were enough signs in his performances at Monte Carlo to suggest he is finally getting to grips with the clay.
But, having never been past the semi-finals at Roland Garros – losing three times in the last four (2011, 2014 and 2015) – Murray’s odds of 12/1 to win the French Open may only be appealing to his biggest fans.
Roger Federer
Federer, the 2009 French Open champion, has reached a record 39 Grand Slam semi-finals and he could well make it a round 40 at Roland Garros this year.
While Federer may no longer have the mobility to cope with Nadal and Djokovic over the longest matches, the 34-year-old will still be a huge threat and a player to avoid in the draw.
The last of Federer’s 17 Grand Slam singles titles came at Wimbledon in 2012 and he would dearly love to win at least one more major tournament before his retirement.
However, Federer – who is best priced at 25/1 to win the title – has been beaten in the French Open final four times, losing to Nadal on each occasion.
