"Novak Djokovic's draw is a dream draw" - Serb picked as the firm favorite to defend French Open title by Somdev Devvarman

Novak Djokovic has been picked as the main favorite for the 2024 French Open by Somdev Devvarman, especially considering the "dream draw" the Serb has been handed this year. Victory in Paris will give Djokovic his fourth title at the tournament and 25th Grand Slam, further cementing his status as the GOAT in men's tennis.

The World No. 1 will begin his title defense at the French Open against wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert. After a routine potential second-round clash, the 37-year-old could face Lorenzo Musetti in the third round and Francisco Cerundolo or Tommy Paul in the fourth round.

At a press interaction hosted by Sony Sports Network, Devvarman dismissed all those clashes as troublesome for Djokovic, saying that the World No. 1's experience and tenacity should see him through comfortably.

With Grand Slams employing the best-of-five format, Devvarman believes Djokovic has enough breathing space to recover from mistakes or lapses in concentration to emerge victorious.

"Novak Djokovic's draw is a dream draw, really. That's how I look at it. Wildcard first round, guy who likes to come in, not the steadiest from the baseline. I think he should get through that. Not playing a big name till Musetti in the third round, but usually by then Novak is pretty set," Devvarman said, addressing a question posed to him by Sportskeeda.

"Right now, with the way Novak's playing and the fact that it's five sets... he has a lot more time to recover from a mistake or recover from a lapse in focus or whatever. Fourth round again, are they going to beat him in five sets? I wouldn't take that bet," he added.

Somdev Devvarman also noted that Djokovic only has to beat World No. 2 Jannik Sinner or World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz to defend his title, as the two have been drawn in the same half. Devvarman sees this as a big win for the 24-time Grand Slam champion in his hunt for a fourth Roland Garros title next fortnight.

"By the time he is in the quarterfinals, it's most likely Casper Ruud if not somebody who has upset him or who's having a good run. Novak's in a great place, let's put it that way. Great news for Novak fans is that he only has to beat Sinner or Alcaraz [if he has to win], not both of them. That's huge for them as well," Devvarman said.

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Novak Djokovic will arrive at the French Open after Geneva Open campaign

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is in action at the Geneva Open, where he has reached the semifinals against Tomas Machac. With play currently underway, Djokovic has lost the first set 6-4 but won the second set 6-0 at the time of publication.

The Serb, Geneva Open results pending, will arrive at Roland Garros without a title this season. His best result has been reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters. At the recently concluded Italian Open, the World No. 1 lost in the third round to Alejandro Tabilo.

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