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The French Open has stopped throwing up surprise winners since a certain Rafael Nadal arrived on the scene almost two decades ago. The legendary left-hander has won 13 of the last 17 Roland Garros titles on offer, with Novak Djokovic (2), Roger Federer (1) and Stan Wawrinka (1) winning the remaining four.
However, Nadal hasn't had the best of starts to his current claycourt campaign, winning only three of his five matches. It's the first time (a COVID-19-plagued 2020 campaign apart) the 35-year-old will head into the French Open with no claycourt titles.
Considering his pedigree on the red dirt, Nadal will start as the overwhelming favorite in Paris although a lack of matches on the surface could be his undoing, especially in the latter stages of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic looks good to go back-to-back at Roland Garros. After a slow start to his 2022 season, the World No. 1 is beginning to look like the player to beat after his triumphant Rome campaign last week. However, the Serb hasn't played a five-set match since the US Open, so it remains to be seen how he fares in the format at Roland Garros.
There are two other strong contenders for the title too - Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz has had a blistering start to his 2022 campaign, winning Barcelona and Madrid in his last two stops.
In the Spanish capital, he beat Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back to win his second Masters 1000 title. Tsitsipas, meanwhile, is the tour leader in match wins (31) this season, having successfully defended his Monte-Carlo title before making the semis in Madrid and the final in Rome.
However, there are also a few dark horses for this year's French Open title. They aren't necessarily expected to go all the way but could cause some damage and upset some of the bigger names. On that note, here's a look at three of them, in no particular order:
#1 Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud is one of the top claycourt players at the moment. The 23-year-old Norwegian, ranked eighth in the world, has won six of his seven career singles titles on clay.
More than 60% of his wins (85/139) have come on the red dirt. He has already played six tournaments on the surface this season, winning in Buenos Aires, making the semifinals in Rome and the quarterfinals in Barcelona and Munich.
In four appearances at the French Open, though, Ruud has never been to the second week, losing in the third round in the last three years. Last season, he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in five sets. That followed straight-sets defeats to Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer in the previous two years.
Nevertheless, after reaching the Rome semis, Ruud will fancy making a first trip to the second week at Roland Garros and ruffling the feathers of a few contenders.
#2 Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner has been one of the form players this year even though he hasn't got a title to show for his efforts.
With a 24-6 record on the season, the 20-year-old Italian has an impressive win percentage of 80, bettered only by Alcaraz (28-3, 90.3%) and Nadal (23-3, 88.5%).
The five-time titlist is yet to make a final on clay but has had consistent results on the surface. Sinner made the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and Rome either side of a round of 16 appearance in Madrid. Earlier in the season, he made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Miami.
Sinner has registered just a quarter of his career match wins (27/103) on clay but has a rather impressive record at Roland Garros. He made the quarterfinals on his tournament debut in 2020 and the fourth round last year, losing both times to 'King of Clay' Nadal.
Considering his consistent performances this season and his good record at the French Open, the World No. 12 could make another deep run at the claycourt Major.
#3 Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev is another player in good form this season. He has won three titles already, one less than tour leader Alcaraz.
The 24-year-old Russian, who is 25-7 on the season, has had a decent run on clay as well. After a third-round exit in Monte Carlo, he won his third title on the red dirt, beating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Belgrade final.
Rublev then made the quarterfinals in Madrid but fell in his opening match in Rome last week.
The Russian has a rather underwhelming record at Roland Garros, enduring first-round exits either side of a quarter-final run in 2020. An early exit in Rome might be a blessing in disguise for the World No. 7, who is seeking a deep run in the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results
