ATP French Open 2019
It’s always a special time whenever the tennis world converges on the clay courts of Paris for Roland Garros, but this year’s edition will be extra special.
That’s because three of the top players in the world — and of all-time — in Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer will all be in action, which hasn’t happened in quite a while.
All three will head into Roland Garros with the singular goal of winning the Grand Slam, although Nadal is still quite clearly the man to beat.
However, there will be an entire field that will be gunning to prevent the Big Three from achieving that goal.
With that in mind, here’s a quick overview of the big storylines ahead of Roland Garros.
Talking Points
Nadal back on track
The “King of Clay” was uncharacteristically off his game on his preferred surface this season. Rafa Nadal stumbled in the semi-finals of three successive clay-court tournaments, which is certainly unlike the Spaniard.
However, Nadal finally appeared to get back on track by beating Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters and looks ready to make some Roland Garros 2019 highlights.
Nadal has already reached the final of the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia, where he lost to the World No. 1. But as Rafa showed when he bested the Serb in Rome, the advantage will be back on his corner if they do square off on clay.
Nadal, of course, is the record 11-time Roland Garros champion — including each of the last two years. Although, his recent clay-court stumbles may be a sign that Nadal may not be as untouchable as he once was on the surface, which could make for a more interesting tournament.
Djokovic gunning for 2nd ‘Nole Slam’
Like Nadal, Djokovic hasn’t had the most dominating season thus far. After winning the Australian Open, the World No. 1 didn’t get past the quarter-finals in his next three tournaments.
However, Djokovic finally snapped that mini-slump when he claimed the Madrid Masters, which was his first clay-court title since winning the French Open back in 2016.
The World No. 1 will now have a special goal to shoot for in this year’s French Open as goes for the rare “Nole Slam,” which is when a player holds all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
Djokovic has already succeeded in completing the “Nole Slam” once in his career. Coincidentally, that also came in 2016, which was the only time he has won Roland Garros in his illustrious career.
Only Australian legend Rod Laver has completed the amazing feat twice. And if the Serb successfully joins that exclusive club, it would be another terrific addition to his already amazing resume.
Federer returns to Roland Garros
After a three-year absence, Roger Federer is finally back playing at Roland Garros. After some injury problems, the 37-year-old took some time off from clay in recent years in order to prolong his career.
But the Swiss legend has decided to make his return this year as he looks to add to his lone French Open title.
Federer began the season strong as he went to three consecutive hard-court tournament finals and won two. Although, he has found his return to clay a bit rocky. After crashing out to Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters, he had to withdraw from the quarters of the Rome Masters.
The Roland Garros 2019 betting odds aren’t particularly high on Federer’s chances of staging a stunning comeback and claiming the Roland Garros crown.
But Federer is apparently enjoying being the “outsider” for the first time in quite a while and will be out to show he can still come up with the goods on clay.
History
The recent history of Roland Garros can be summed up in one sentence: Rafael Nadal and everyone else. Nadal has won 11 of the last 14 Roland Garros titles, including the last two.
The three non-Nadal French Open winners in the last decade and a half were Federer (2009), Stan Wawrinka (2015), and Djokovic (2016).
But after that breakout win, Djokovic has since crashed out in the quarter-finals of each of the last two French Opens. He fell last year to unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato.
What are the odds?
If there’s anyone who has ever earned the title of being an overwhelming favourite in any competition, it’s Nadal in the French Open. SBOBET odds have the Spaniard priced at 1.80 to win yet another title at Roland Garros.
Djokovic is the next closest contender at 3.50, while Thiem — last year’s losing finalist — is also intriguing at 7.50.
Meanwhile, Federer’s odds are up to 23.00, which is understandable given his lack of clay-court reps over the past few years coupled with his recent injury history.
But still, it would be foolish to count him out completely even in his diminished state, and a wager for Federer could yet end up being a very profitable one.
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