Roland Garros 2021 preview: Rafael Nadal still wants to be King

Finally the highly anticipated and upcoming Roland Garros 2021 is ready to excite fans, media and insiders: postponed by a week compared to the original date, but always between May and June, in the men's singles we can already fantasize about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the same side of the draw.

Briefly from the start: Rafa Nadal is the main candidate for the final victory of the tournament, with Nole Djokovic as second favorite on the eve of the tournament. All the others start in the second, third or fourth row.

And Roger Federer? The Swiss Maestro does not have a particularly easy path, especially on its NOT preferred surface. A utopia would already be to see him in the quarter-finals against his incobo Djokovic.

Seeing him triumph against the Serbian would be practically impossible on clay-courts, at best five sets and with little match pace. Before Nole, the Swiss champion, who will have to wait for the conclusion of the qualifiers to know his first opponent, could have Marin Cilic in the second round, Taylor Fritz in the worst case scenario in the third and presumably Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16.

Roland Garros 2021 preview: Rafael Nadal still wants to be King

The thirteen-time champion of the tournament Rafael Nadal, favored for duty, then falls in the second segment of the draw. After Alexei Popyrin, one between Hugo Gaston and Richard Gasquet in the second round and probably Lorenzo Sonego, for the Spaniard there could be Jannik Sinner again. The player who put him most in difficulty last season on the red brick of Bois de Boulogne. After Sinner, Nadal could have Andrey Rublev and Djokovic.

In the bottim-half, Alexander Zverev's main obstacle on the way to the quarter-finals responds to the name of Roberto Bautista Agut. Hypothetical, of course, with Dominic Thiem. Finalist in 2018 and 2019, yes, but with a balance of three wins and three defeats on clay-courts, this season. Fabio Fognini also orbits on the same side of the board, called to the Gregoire Barrere test in the first round and possibly to the challenge with one between Marton Fucsovics and Gilles Simon in the second. Number two in seeding is Daniil Medvedev, still without success in Paris.

The first round challenge with the crazy horse Alexandr Bublik for the Russian is fascinating and far from obvious. Obligatory favorite in the last segment of the board Stefanos Tsitsipas: the match with Jeremy Chardy at the debut is soft in a completely theoretical line. Outsiders? Casper Ruud, Lorenzo Sonego and Lorenzo Musetti.

Roland Garros 2021 men's singles percentages

Rafael Nadal 40% Novak Djokovic 30% Alexander Zverev 20% Daniil Medvedev 10%

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ussLaZ