Roland-Garros – Rune, Goffin, Musetti… They can make the entry seeds tremble

Lorenzo Sonego

Pays : Italy
Age : 27 ans
ATP Ranking: 35e
Best result at Roland: Round of 16 in 2020
Result at Roland in 2021: 1er tour

Until last week, he was one of 32 lucky proteges. Yes, but here it is, bowing at the start of Rome against Denis Shapovalov when he had a semi-final to defend, Lorenzo Sonego lost big. The Italian did not really shine in the preparation tournaments – he only won two matches, one in Monte-Carlo and the other in Barcelona -, but his interesting performance against the explosive Canadian left-hander recalled how dangerous he could be on clay: you don’t reach the second week at Roland (2020) and the quarters on the Rock (2019) by chance. Last year, he had given in the first round in Paris, when he had many more victories than this season. What if he reversed the trend?

Cristian Garin

Pays : Chili
Age : 25 ans
ATP Ranking: 36e
Best result at Roland: Round of 16 in 2021
Result at Roland in 2021: 8th final

This is the typical example of the opponent to avoid from the start for seeded players lacking in confidence, sensations or simply vulnerable on ochre. Cristian Garin has the perfect panoply of earthlings. A solid blocker, capable of holding long exchanges, the Chilean also seems to find his best form at the right time: his quarter-final in Rome, where he beat Marin Cilic and seriously hooked Alexander Zverev during a set, shows it. Although it was on very different clay in Houston in April, he also beat Taylor Fritz, a Top 15 member and winner in Indian Wells a month earlier. It remains on an 8th at Roland and therefore represents a certain danger.

sebastian baez

Pays : Argentine
Age : 21 ans
ATP Ranking: 38e
Best result at Roland: None
Result at Roland in 2021: None

It has no reference to Roland-Garros. Sebastian Baez only played there once last year, losing in the first round of qualifying. But the Argentinian is one of the leading figures of the new generation of clay court specialists. Small format (1 meter 70 for 70 kilos), it compensates by qualities of displacement, tactics and hand above the average. Above all, he has gained more than 120 places in the rankings in one year (he was 183rd at the same time in 2021), also participating in the last Next Gen Masters alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti and other Hugo Gaston. Titled for the first time in his career at Estoril by beating Gasquet, Cilic and Tiafoe in particular, he will undeniably be one to watch.

Holger Rune

Pays : Denmark
Age : 19 ans
ATP Ranking: 40e
Best result at Roland: None
Result at Roland in 2021: None

The other “teenager” in vogue of the moment behind the essential Carlos Alcaraz. Holger Rune had somehow presented himself to the general public last summer by offering a good resistance to Novak Djokovic in the 1st round. The kid’s talent was beyond doubt, he gained confidence. Since Flushing, he has gained more than 100 places, entered the Top 100 then the Top 50 and has especially stood out recently by winning his first trophy on the ocher of Munich. But perhaps even more than this title, it was the way he dominated Alexander Zverev – his first victory against a Top 5 -, with his complete game and his use of amortization, which marked the spirits. This carelessness could do a lot of damage.

David Goffin

Pays : Belgium
Age : 31 ans
ATP Ranking: 48e
Best result at Roland: Quarter-final in 2016
Result at Roland in 2021: 1er tour

He is no longer one of the newcomers at all. Ten years after his adventure qualifying for an 8th final against his idol Roger Federer, David Goffin will play his 11th consecutive Roland-Garros. And after a dark period both in terms of injuries and results, the Belgian seems to have regained some of the qualities of anticipation, ground coverage and timing in the exchange that had led him to the Top 10. in Marrakech to start his season on earth, he also distinguished himself by obtaining match points against Rafael Nadal during a Homeric round of 16 in Madrid. With his experience and three previous appearances in the second week of the Parisian Major (2012 therefore, 2016 and 2018), he would not be a gift to draw in the 1st round for anyone.

Fabio Fognini

Pays : Italy
Age : 34 ans
ATP Ranking: 52e
Best result at Roland: Quarter-final in 2011
Result at Roland in 2021: 3e tour

Experience, Fabio Fognini does not lack either. The Italian will play the French Open for the 15th time in his career. A little less than three years after reaching his best level and a 9th place in the world, he is now experiencing more difficulties, especially since he had ankle surgery in May 2020. He undoubtedly no longer seems to represent the same threat on earth. beaten only in 2019 during his only crowning in Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo, or even only at the beginning of the 2010s. But the whimsical Fabio is a regular at epic matches in Paris – talk to Gaël Monfils – and has much annoyed Jannik Sinner in Rome after a half in Belgrade. Always capable of magical blows, he cannot be taken lightly.

Lorenzo Musetti

Pays : Italy
Age : 20 ans
ATP Ranking: 57e
Best result at Roland: Round of 16 in 2021
Result at Roland in 2021: 8th final

Another Italian, the 3rd on this list! This says a lot about the health of transalpine tennis, but it is not the subject of these lines. After having exploded in the eyes of the general public last year until leading two sets to nothing against the future winner Novak Djokovic in the round of 16 in Paris, Lorenzo Musetti is experiencing a more complicated period. But his exquisite touch and his lightning one-handed backhand have not disappeared from the radar. He chained three consecutive eighths in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, falling twice against Schwartzman after good fights and Zverev on abandonment. Recovered from a left thigh injury, how will he handle the defense of his superb result from last year? That’s the whole question.

Hugo Gaston

Pays : France
Age : 21 ans
ATP Ranking: 68e
Best result at Roland: Round of 16 in 2020
Result at Roland in 2021: 1er tour

A little “French touch” to finish. Let’s face it, if we mention Hugo Gaston, it is above all for his ability to transcend himself on the big stages in France. A year after his fantastic breakthrough on the Porte d’Auteuil side in 2020 – Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem still remember it – he had done it again at Bercy last November when he was not expected. With only one match won on clay in Munich, he will not approach Roland in the best conditions, unlike Richard Gasquet, for example, who had beaten him in the first round last year. But Gaston has his youth on his side to withstand long fights and his ardor. If he manages to get the public on board with him, then he could move mountains.