Roland Garros 2019: 5 men's players to watch out for

The second Grand Slam of the year is about to begin, which means the focus has now shifted to Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal will once again be the center of attention, and the Spaniard will also be high on confidence after winning the Rome Masters. The 32-year-old will be hoping to win his 12th French Open title, extending his own record of 11 trophies.

On the other hand, Roger Federer returned to clay after three years by playing in the Madrid Open where he lost to Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals. In the Rome Masters a leg injury forced him to withdraw from the quarterfinals, cutting short his preparations.

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has had a good run in 2019; he has won the Australian Open as well as the Madrid Masters. The 31-year-old had stated that the Madrid Masters was perfect preparation for the French Open, so the rest of the field should be wary of him.

Apart from the Big 3, there are many other wonderful talents who are slowly making their mark in the tennis circuit. Here, we take a look at 5 such players who can make an impression at the upcoming French Open.

#1 Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem is expected to be the next major force on clay. The 26-year-old finished as the runner-up against Rafael Nadal in the French Open last year. And this year, he has won the Indian Wells Masters and the Barcelona Open.

Thiem's solid forehand combined with his power-packed backhand can trouble any opponent. His baseline game is quite precise, and his vicious topspin helps him considerably on clay.

Thiem is very calm during pressure situations, which the Austrian has said helps him focus against tricky opponents. He will be a big threat against whoever he runs into at Roland Garros.