Jo-Wilfried Tsonga gives his 2023 French Open predictions ft. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic

With the 2023 French Open less than a month away, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has given his picks for the title - Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Over the past two decades, the French Open has been completely dominated by Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has been prolific on Parisian clay ever since his debut at the tournament in 2005. In a feat that many have said may never be repeated, Nadal has managed to lift the Roland Garros title a staggering 14 times.

The 36-year-old has recorded an impressive 112 wins in Paris, with just three losses to his name. Interestingly, the second-most wins recorded at the French Open are by his arch-rival Novak Djokovic, with 85.

The Serb, however, has only two French Open titles to his name.

The veteran duo are also the most recent owners of the Coupe des Mousquetaires. In June 2022 Nadal reclaimed his French Open title from Djokovic, who clinched the trophy in 2021.

Noting the success of the two 22-time Slam champions, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who retired at the 2022 French Open, picked them both for the 2023 edition. He declared that the 14-time tournament champion is the favorite but a Novak Djokovic threat cannot be overlooked.

“If Rafa is there, I still want to say that he will be the favourite. And there is Djokovic in ambush of course. He is still the potential best player of all time,” Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stated, as per welovetennis.fr.

The French Open draw is expected to be more open than ever this year, given Rafael Nadal’s prolonged injury absence and Novak Djokovic’s recent dip in form. Tsonga thus picked 2022 US Open champion and current World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as the probable heir to the throne in case of the veterans’ absence.

“I admit that Alcaraz is still playing very, very well. And then we have to see if Rafa will be there or not. Because for me, the favorite is Alcaraz if Nadal is not present,” the former World No. 5 said.

He is not thinking about retiring: Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni

The Spaniard and uncle Toni at the 2017 French Open

With Rafael Nadal’s extended time on the sidelines, speculation is rife about the Spaniard’s tennis future.

The 36-year-old was last seen at the 2023 Australian Open, where he crashed out in the second round. Nadal has been recuperating from a hip injury ever since.

Of his many tournament withdrawals, the former World No. 1 has also skipped the first four Masters 1000 events – the latest being the ongoing Madrid Open.

But in a recent interview, Nadal's uncle and former coach Toni revealed that his nephew has no plans of retiring. Toni also suggested that the 36-year-old is almost certainly expected to participate in the 2023 French Open, despite uncertainty over his presence at the upcoming Masters 1000 in Rome.

"He is not thinking about retiring, he just wants to recover well and continue competing because he is passionate about this sport. He would like to be competing now, but there is little left for that to happen," uncle Toni said. "He is going to play in Paris, although how he trains in the coming weeks and what he can do in Rome will be important to measure his aspirations there."