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Roland Garros has been a crucial tournament in the career of World No.1 Novak Djokovic. While the Serb has only won it once (in 2016), that title helped him complete his long-awaited Career Grand Slam. It also made him only the second man in the Open Era to hold all four Majors at the same time.
Even aside from that one title though, Novak Djokovic has an impressive Roland Garros record. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in each year of the last decade, while advancing to three semifinals and five finals.
Having won a record ninth Australian Open earlier this year, the 34-year-old will be keen to add one more Slam to his tally and get closer to the record of 20 held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. A second French Open crown will also make Djokovic the first male player in the Open Era to clinch the Double Career Grand Slam.
Let's take a look at his projected path for that to happen at Roland Garros 2021.
Novak Djokovic's 1st round opponent - Tennys Sandgren
Novak Djokovic will kick off his campaign against World No. 66 Tennys Sandgren. While the American has not beaten the Djokovic in their past three encounters, he can produce surprising results on his day.
The Serb has conceded just one set in three matches against Sandgren so far, but the duo have not faced off on clay before. Still, he can be expected to win this one without much trouble.
Novak Djokovic's likely 2nd round opponent - Pablo Cuevas / Lucas Pouille
Novak Djokovic's next test could either be France's Lucas Pouille or Argentina's Pablo Cuevas.
While Djokovic has not faced Cuevas before, he leads the head-to-head against Pouille 3-0. That said, all three of those matches were played on hardcourt.
Cuevas hasn't been in great form over the last couple of years, but he pulled off an impressive result at the Geneva Open, reaching the final. Pouille, on the other hand, hasn't made it past the Round of 16 at any event so far this year.
Djokovic is likely to win in straight sets against either of the two players.
Novak Djokovic's likely 3rd round opponent - Ugo Humbert
Novak Djokovic and Ugo Humbert have faced off just once on tour before, in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon 2019, where the World No. 1 won in straight sets.
Humbert hasn't been in great form coming into Roland Garros, having lost his opening match at three straight tournaments. That said, he did make the quarterfinals at the Estoril Open before that.
Given Djokovic's superior claycourt skill-set and experience, he's likely to clinch another straightforward win here.
Novak Djokovic's likely 4th round opponent - David Goffin
Belgian No. 1 David Goffin will likely be the first player to seriously challenge Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros 2021.
Goffin has already beaten the Serb once on clay once before, at the 2017 Monte Carlo Masters. While Djokovic has won seven out of their eight overall encounters, the solitary win could give Goffin some confidence.
Six of Djokovic's seven wins over the Belgian have come on grass or hardcourt, with just one victory coming on clay - back in 2013.
Goffin could possibly take a set off Djokovic in Paris this year, but the World No. 1 can be expected to eventually sail through to the quarters.
Novak Djokovic's likely quarterfinal opponent - Roger Federer / Felix Auger-Aliassime / Matteo Berrettini
This is where the draw starts getting tricky for Novak Djokovic. He could face one of his biggest rivals, Roger Federer, in the quarterfinals, or possibly one of the young guns in Felix Auger-Aliassime and Matteo Berrettini.
The Djokovic-Federer encounter promises to be a tasty clash, with their head-to-head on clay tied at 4-4. They've met twice at Roland Garros before; Federer won their semifinal encounter in 2011, but the Serb returned the favor in 2012.
Their last meeting was also in the semifinal of a Grand Slam, with Djokovic winning at the 2020 Australian Open.
As for Berrettini and Auger-Aliassime, the duo have never met Djokovic on clay before. While the top seed has actually not faced Auger-Aliassime at all, he has beaten Berrettini in the one match they've played on hardcourt - at the 2019 ATP Finals.
While this will likely be a tough test for Djokovic, he should be able to win in four or five sets.
Novak Djokovic's likely semifinal opponent - Rafael Nadal
This is the match everyone is waiting for, the blockbuster encounter that all the fans have pencilled in. However, if the last few matches between the two are any indication, Rafael Nadal will likely walk away with the win.
Novak Djokovic received an uncharacteristic drubbing from the Spaniard in the Roland Garros final last year, capitulating to a 6–0, 6–2, 7–5 defeat. The Serb lost once again to Nadal in the Rome final last month, albeit with a better scoreline of 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.
Djokovic, however, is one of just two players to have ever beaten Nadal at Roland Garros.
While Djokovic has a slender lead in their overall head-to-head (29-28), Nadal has a big advantage on clay: 19-7. The Spaniard has also recorded five straight wins against Djokovic on the surface.
Given Nadal's ridiculous record in Paris, Djokovic's campaign is likely to end at this stage. But it will likely be a good match, which could extend to five sets.
Novak Djokovic's likely final opponent - Stefanos Tsitsipas / Dominic Thiem / Alexander Zverev
If Novak Djokovic does manage to win against Rafael Nadal, he will be a strong favorite for the crown. However, the final will not be easy.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have both taken massive strides over the last couple of years, with the former even giving Djokovic fits at Roland Garros 2020. Zverev, on his part, made the final at the US Open last year.
Dominic Thiem, however, would likely be the biggest threat to Djokovic's Double Career Grand Slam ambitions. Not only has the Austrian already won a Slam himself, but he also has a solid record against Djokovic, particularly on clay.
Their head-to-head on the surface is tied at 3-3, with Thiem winning three of their last four encounters.
Djokovic could beat all three youngsters if he is on his game, but the match will likely be an intense five-setter that could finish either way.
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