French Open: Even Novak Djokovic calls Rafael Nadal a favorite
Novak Djokovic could win his fourth Grand Slam title in a row at the French Open. Unless Rafael Nadal wins for the twelfth time in Roland Garros.
by SID
last edit: May 26, 2019, 06:30 pm
Favourite? I? Rafael Nadal gave the unmoved. "I don't care if I'm the favorite," said the Spaniard on Friday when he made his public appearance at the French Open in Paris. Favourite? He? Sure, of course! When Roland Garros opens his gates, Nadal is the contender for the title. He has won the tournament eleven times in the past 14 years - and therefore only lost two (!) Of his 88 matches at the second Grand Slam of the year.
Nadal set an example last week. An exclamation mark. In three sets he defeated the world number one Novak Djokovic in three sets at the Masters in Rome, 6: 0 and 6: 1, he beat the Serbs in rounds one and three. After that, Nadal rewarded himself with a short vacation in his home Mallorca: a day of golf, a day of family. Only then did he travel to Paris. His goal? "I'm trying to keep my level here." And: "I only care that I play well."
If Nadal maintains his level and maybe even increases a little, there is not much to be said against winning a twelfth time in Roland Garros. Djokovic himself replied to the inevitable question of who was the favorite at the world's most important clay court tournament: Nadal, "who else?". In any case, Nadal's opening opponent Yannick Hanfmann (Karlsruhe) is unlikely to be a stumbling block.
Nadal: "No total disaster"
Before he won Rome, Nadal didn't have a particularly good clay court season - by his standards: three times in a row ended in the semi-finals, in Monte Carlo (against Fabio Fognini), Barcelona (Dominic Thiem) and Madrid (Stefanos Tsitsipas). But, said Nadal: he had been injured for a month, the knee was injured, and it took time to get back in top form. "The three semi-finals before Rome weren't overwhelming now, but it wasn't a total disaster either," he said.
# BETATHOMEFOWIN #
And the Nadal of Rome could also prevent a historic achievement with a twelfth victory on Roland Garros' red ashes. Djokovic would have won the four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments for the second time in a second triumph after 2016, when he defeated Andy Murray in the final. He would only be the second man in modern tennis history to succeed Rod Laver, but the legendary Australian won within a calendar year (1962 and 1969). Don Budge (USA) completed the Grand Slam in 1938.
"We had a good match in Rome," said Djokovic after arriving in Paris about the final against Nadal a few days earlier. And he emphasized that Nadal was "the better player", "just too strong". And what does that mean for Roland Garros? "He," Nadal, "is the big favorite," said Djokovic, "it would not be right to call someone other than him the big favorite." The King of Roland Garros won't care.
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