5 bold predictions for men at French Open 2024 ft. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal meeting once again
The French Open will get underway this Sunday, May 26, at Roland Garros in Paris. All the top players, including 14-time champion Rafael Nadal and World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, are going to participate in it.
While Nadal faces a tough draw, Djokovic has a relatively easy path to the final in front of him. Then, there will be players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner striving for glory in the French capital. On that note, let us take a look at five bold predictions:
#5. A player from outside the top 20 reaching the semifinal:
Only once in the last five years has a player seeded outside the top 20 reached the semifinal of the French Open. Alexander Zverev, seeded 22nd, lost in the semifinal to Casper Ruud in straight sets last year.
The same might happen this year, too, with one of the less fancied players enjoying a dream run in the tournament. Players like Alejandro Tabilo and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who are seeded outside the top 20 could go on to reach the semifinal this year. Tabilo reached the semifinal at the Italian Open recently, while Auger-Aliassime finished runner-up at the Madrid Open.
#4. Two players play their first French Open final:
It could well happen that two players go on to play in their first French Open final this year. Out of the players participating in this year’s tournament, only Nadal, Djokovic, Ruud, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Stefanos Tsitsipas have played in a French Open final before.
Both Wawrinka and Murray are past their prime and will clash in the first round, meaning one of them will be eliminated on Sunday itself. Nadal is possibly playing in his last French Open, while Djokovic is not in great form at the moment.
Neither Ruud nor Tsitsipas are very consistent and might find themselves out quite early. Hence, two players from among the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and Daniil Medvedev might end up playing in the final.
#3. A player to win their first French Open title:
A player might win the French Open for the first time this year. There are many likely candidates including Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev, and Zverev. Alcaraz is one of the favorites this time around and will want to make amends for his unfortunate loss in the semifinals last year.
Sinner, too, is in fine form and might exceed himself to win his first big title on clay. Zverev has reached the last four at Roland Garros on each of the last three occasions but will have to deal with Nadal in his very first match. Medvedev is less of a threat on clay, but his ability to raise his game on big occasions could see him through.
#2. Nadal reaching the semifinal:
The odds seem to be stacked against the Spaniard, who is going to be 38 in a week. He will have a titanic battle with Zverev in the first round itself and the latter has been in good form this year.
Many believe that Nadal might go out on the first day itself. However, the Spaniard is an embodiment of resilience and could still have enough in him to go past Zverev. Should he be able to do that, he could reach the last four, too. However, he will have to do exceedingly well to win his 15th title at Roland Garros.
#1. Djokovic and Nadal meeting once again at French Open:
The two players have met 10 times on the red clay of Paris, with Nadal prevailing in eight of those matches. They have once again been drawn in the same half of the draw this year and might meet each other in the semifinal itself.
Although the chances of it happening appear slim at the moment, especially given Nadal’s injury issues, one cannot rule it out altogether. The two great men have enough experience and success to fall back on and devise strategies to beat their less-experienced opponents in the best-of-five format.