Will 2019 see the usual suspects triumph at Roland Garros or will there finally be a breakthrough on the tour by another player?
This year’s French Open kicks off on Sunday with a series of unanswered questions. How will Roger Federer fair in his comeback? Can somebody defeat Rafael Nadal in a best-of-five match on the clay? Is this the year Dominic Thiem finally ends his grand slam drought?
With a lot of keep track of over the next two weeks, here are four storylines to follow in the men’s draw this year.
Nadal eyes No.12
This year marks the 14th anniversary of Nadal’s debut at Roland Garros. Back in 2005 he roared to his first ever major title at the age of 18. Since then he has dominated Roland Garros for more than a decade. Only three times during that period he has not won the title (2009, 2015 and 2016). Overall, he has won 86 out of 88 matches played (discounting retirements).
Should the king of clay prevail again this year, he would become the first player – man or woman – to win the same major for a 12th time. Only he and Australia’s Margaret Court has won the same grand slam 11 times. Court’s triumphs occurred at the Australian Open between 1960-1973.
Nadal at the French Open
Debut: 2005
Champion: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018)
Other results: 2009 fourth round (lost to Robin Soderling), 2015 quarter-finals (lost to Djokovic) and 2016 third round (withdrew injured)
Win-loss: 86-2
Miscellaneous: has won the title three times without dropping a set – 2008, 2010 and 2017
Djokovic’s Double Duty
Unlike the women’s draw, Novak Djokovic could in theory, not win a single point at the French Open and still finish the tournament as world No.1. A true testament to the success he has endured over the past 12 months on the tour.
Should Djokovic prevail in Roland Garros, he would achieve a series of milestones. Victory would make him the first player in the Open Era to win every grand slam at least twice. His maiden French Open victory was back in 2016. In the history of tennis, only Roy Emerson and Rod Laver has achieved this.
The Serbian would also hold all four grand slam titles at once should he prevail. Doing so for the second time in his career after 2015-2016. Nobody has achieved this since Laver back in the 1960s.
Djokovic’s French Open highlights
Champion – 2016
Runner-up – 2012, 2014 and 2015
Semi-finalist – 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013
Federer’s decade
It has been 10 year’s since Roger Federer won his first and only French Open title. After a lengthy absence from the tournament, he will return this year. Federer, who has only played two competitive clay-court tournaments since 2017, has played down his chances of winning.
Should he defy the odds and win, the 20-time grand slam champion wouldn’t just add to his record grand slam tally. It would be the longest gap between a player winning their first and second title at the same major in the Open Era. Jimmy Connors currently holds the records at eight years – Wimbledon 1974, followed by Wimbledon 1982.
“I’m incredibly happy to be returning to Roland-Garros; I haven’t played the French Open in three years.” Federer said earlier this week.
“The audience’s expectations are high, but I’m trying to calm things down because I feel it’s going to be hard. But things went well for me in Rome and Madrid so I am really very satisfied.”
Federer is also bidding to become the first man to win five major titles after their 30th birthday.
The other guys
Will this be the year where a fresh face wins their first grand slam title? An accomplishment that was last achieved by Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open. Overall, there has been 149 different grand slam winners in the history of the men’s game.
2018 runner-up Dominic Thiem will be hoping to become the 150th. Thiem’s country of Austria has only tasted grand slam success once before which was with Thomas Muster at the 1995 French Open.
Alexander Zverev has long been tipped as a future champion in the majors, but is yet to break through. He faces a tough time doing so in Paris given what has been a roller coaster past few months for him. Although, if he did win he would become the youngest grand slam champion since Juan Martin del Potro back in 2009. Should he reach the final, Zverev would become the youngest player to do so since Nadal back in 2008.
Finally, Stefanos Tsitsipas is bidding to become the youngest man to win the French Open since Nadal back in 2006 at the age of 20.
