Gauthier Delomez / Photos: AFP
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9:42 p.m., May 25, 2024
Can Rafael Nadal achieve one last triumph on the clay that made him shine so much? The Spaniard, winner of Roland-Garros on 14 occasions, will face one of the big names on the ATP circuit on Monday, the German Alexander Zverev, 4th in the world. A major challenge, when at the same time, Novak Djokovic, title holder, will play against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the 33-year-old Frenchman invited by the organizers.
At the same time, among the ladies, the picture seems clearer for the winner of three of the last four editions, the Polish Iga Swiatek, the number one player in the world, who could easily see herself following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal. So who are the main contenders for the title this year? Review of the troops with Cédric Pioline, tennis consultant for Europe 1, official radio of Roland-Garros.
Nadal-Zverev, the shock of the first round
Let’s first talk about the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who should, according to him, play the French Open one last time. And for the latter, the draw did not spoil it. “It’s bad luck (…) The current Nadal is no longer the conquering Nadal of Roland-Garros”, observes Cédric Pioline, “but with him, we have learned to be very careful because he can be surprising”, adds the former fifth in the world.
Opposite the Majorcan, a particularly fit Alexander Zverev, winner of the Masters 1000 in Rome, but for whom this first round is “not a gift”. “These well-ranked players like to enter the tournament quietly, to gain strength. There, he will have a real challenge from the first round,” estimates the Europe 1 consultant. Which makes the German, moreover, one of the main favorites for the title in a very open men’s draw. “It’s a very possible year for him. He seems to have completely digested that terrible injury two years ago against Nadal (in the semi-final). He’s back in the top four, he says himself that he is playing again at a great level”, supports the double winner of the Davis Cup.
A succession in difficulty
Although the world number 4 is emerging, Cédric Pioline believes that “there is not really one player who stands out from the others”. This is the case of the Serbian Novak Djokovic, certainly still world number one, but who has not shown his best face. “It’s an unusual start to the season for him, without any tournament won and with very few matches and tournaments played,” he underlines, “but he is world number one, he finished the year very strong in 2023, so I’m not worried It could come back, it could start again all of a sudden. All his programming was geared towards his peak form starting around this time (…) We shouldn’t. “bury”, confesses Cédric Pioline.
What about the young generation, symbolized by the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (2nd in the world) and the Italian Jannik Sinner (3rd), winner of the last Australian Open? According to the Paris-Bercy tournament director, they are not in their best shape either. “The top three in the world haven’t played every tournament, and they haven’t played particularly well in the tournaments they’ve participated in. That opens the door to a lot of possibilities for these players, but also those who are in the next car, even a surprise”, underlines Cédric Pioline. The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (9th), the Russians Daniil Medvedev (5th) and Andrey Rublev (6th), or the Norwegian Casper Ruud (7th), finalist of the last two editions, effectively appear in ambush.
Swiatek, once again far in front
In the women’s singles, on the other hand, there is no need to rack your brains to choose a favorite. Iga Swiatek seems to be, once again, the best placed to try… to succeed herself. “She has had a thunderous start to the season, with very few defeats, three Masters 1000 won. She is really far ahead of the others. There are very few players who can challenge her, even fewer on clay,” analyzes Cédric Pioline .
For the former semi-finalist of the French Open in 1998, the three players who follow the Pole in the rankings (respectively the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the American Coco Gauff and the Kazakh Elena Rybakina) “probably have the potential to shake her up , even to create a surprise But, I find that Iga Swiatek is still a step above compared to the others Now, it’s a Grand Slam, it’s a long journey of 15 days, it doesn’t have to be. not relax, and a lot of things can happen on the road”, philosophers the Europe 1 consultant. It is from this Sunday, 11 a.m., that the first lessons can be learned, whether among ladies or gentlemen.