Published27. May 2024, 06:25
Tennis: A very open Roland-Garros tournament
The big Parisian fortnight began yesterday, without a big favorite. We haven’t seen such an uncertain men’s tournament for almost twenty years.
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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic spoke to each other on the courts of Roland Garros during practice sessions. Not sure that their paths will cross again during this Parisian fortnight.
MAGO/ABACAPRESS
Transition period or new trend? The last time an edition of Roland-Garros started with such an open men’s draw was nineteen years ago. Rafael Nadal played – and won – his first Grand Slam there, and Roger Federer, then world No. 1, still had to prove himself on clay. Since then, the hegemony of the Majorcan, winner fourteen times, and the presence of the ogres Federer and Djokovic ready to take advantage of an – extremely rare – failure by Rafa made the game of predictions easier. This puts Stan Wawrinka’s feat in 2015 into perspective.
For this year, a very smart person would dare to predict with aplomb the outcome of the fortnight which began yesterday. Title holder, Djokovic is still world No. 1, but probably not for long. The Serb has been a shadow of himself since the start of the season. He didn’t even reach the slightest final in 2024.
A clash between Nadal and Zverev
For what will undoubtedly be his farewell Paris tournament, it is difficult to expect miracles from Nadal, whose body has been in agony for two years but whose first round against the No. 4 seed Sasha Zverev will be the shock moment of the start of the fortnight. As for the tenors Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, hip and forearm injuries prevented them from getting their bearings during the clay court season.
Despite Alcaraz’s good start yesterday, there will be uncertainty over their respective journeys. “It’s a new situation, and it actually opens up other perspectives,” said tournament director Amélie Mauresmo yesterday morning. We can have surprises, but that’s on the starting line, and maybe there won’t be any at the finish.”
2024-05-27 04:25:07
#open #RolandGarros #tournament
