French Open 2022: Men's singles power rankings
Rafael Nadal will begin his pursuit of a record-extending 14th French Open title in Paris in a few days' time. The Spaniard is set to face a stiff challenge from defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and a slew of Next Gen stars.
Qualification rounds are already underway at Roland Garros. And with main-draw action scheduled to begin on Sunday, we rank the top players’ prospects based on their performances on the red dirt in recent years.
Note: The following formula was used to calculate the power rankings for this year's French Open: (1x points earned in the 2022 European clay swing + 0.75x points earned in the 2021 European clay swing + 0.5x points earned in the 2020 European clay swing).
Only points earned by reaching the quarterfinals or further in a tournament count towards the rankings. This was done to avoid giving undue advantage to seeded players who received early-round byes in the ATP 250 and 500 tournaments.
#9 Diego Schwartzman
One of the most consistent players on the ATP tour in recent years, especially on clay, Diego Schwartzman enters this year's French Open as one of the most underrated prospects once again.
The Argentine has recorded semi-finals and quarter-finals runs in the last two editions of the French Open. And even though he hasn't had the best lead-up to the tournament in 2022, Schwartzman remains a threat as big as any in Paris.
#8 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
A run to the summit clash in Monte-Carlo, where he beat the likes of Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov, announced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's arrival on the big stage. And while the Spaniard went down in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he had plenty of positives to take away from his performance.
The Spaniard had a solid season on clay in 2021 as well, reaching the quarters at Monte-Carlo and scoring a few good wins in Paris as well. This year's French Open could well mark the Grand Slam breakthrough that he has long been waiting for.
#7 Casper Ruud
Another player who has been fairly consistent with results over the last few years is Norway's Casper Ruud. An established claycourt specialist, Ruud will be one name that all the top players will be looking to avoid.
The Norwegian is in decent form, having reached the quarterfinals in Barcelona and the semifinals in Rome.
#6 Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz's rise over the last few months has been nothing short of sensational. The Spaniard has lifted two big titles on clay this season, both in front of his home crowds -- Barcelona and Madrid -- and will enter the French Open on a major confidence-high.
That said, the Spaniard is still very young and lacks the valuable experience that some of the other names on this list have gathered by slugging it out on the tour for longer. An undeniable future star, Alcaraz will be a big threat but the youngster may just need to wait his turn for Grand Slam success a little longer.
#5 Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev's power-packed game has earned him a reputation as an evergreen threat on faster surfaces, but the 24-year-old is just as capable of outmuscling opponents in drawn-out baseline exchanges on the red dirt.
Rublev has reached the quarterfinals or better at all the notable events of the European clay swing -- Rome, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and the French Open -- in the last three years. The Russian made the final at the Italian Open last year and the quarterfinals at the 2020 French Open.
#4 Alexander Zverev
Barring a surprise loss to Holger Rune in his opening match at the Bavarian International, Alexander Zverev has put together an impressive season on clay this year.
The German reached the semifinals in both Madrid and Rome -- losing to Tsitsipas on both occasions -- and the final in Barcelona. Add to that his French Open semi-final appearance from last year, and Zverev begins to come across as a formidable opponent.
#3 Rafael Nadal
More often than not, Rafael Nadal is the overwhelming favorite to win a match whenever he steps onto the court at Roland Garros. Injury concerns this season have, however, planted seeds of doubt in the minds of tennis fans about the 13-time champion's prospects this year.
By his lofty standards, Nadal has had an underwhelming season on clay, with a quarter-final finish in Madrid being his best showing. His semi-final loss against Djokovic at last year's French Open was another shocker, but there is no denying that Nadal will be gunning for nothing short of the title in Paris.
#2 Novak Djokovic
After suffering a few surprise losses early in the clay season, Novak Djokovic finally steadied the ship in Rome, emerging with a first title for 2022.
The defending champion has endured a tough year after being forced out of the Australian Open over visa troubles. Djokovic's run to the title in Paris last year put to bed any doubts about his clay prowess and there is no reason why he cannot replicate the success this year.
#1 Stefanos Tsitsipas
While this might come as a surprise to some, Stefanos Tsitsipas' results on clay have outshone everyone else on the tour. The Greek, who has reached six claycourt finals in the last three years, has become a force to reckon with on the red dirt.
This year alone, he won the ATP 1000 title in Monte-Carlo -- a title he also won in 2021 -- and made the finals and semifinals in Rome and Madrid respectively. Tsitispas has taken small steps to improve his results in Paris as well, reaching the semifinals in 2020 and the final in 2021. He will be keen to take that final step and lift the La Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2022.