DJOKOVIC, NADAL PART OF LOADED TOP HALF THAT BEGINS PLAY ON MONDAY BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 24th May 2015

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

DJOKOVIC, NADAL PART OF LOADED TOP HALF THAT BEGINS PLAY ON MONDAY BY RICKY DIMON

epa04765587 Kei Nishikori of Japan (CL) in action against Paul-Henri Mathieu of France during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 24 May 2015. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT |

The top half of the French Open men’s singles draw gets underway on Monday, although Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will not take the court until Tuesday. Call it the calm before the storm–a storm that will last no more than eight days for one of the two competitors (Djokovic and Nadal would face each other next Wednesday if they both advance to the quarterfinals).

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal in action during a training match held at Roland Garros for the Kids Day, in Paris, France, 22 May 2015. The French Open 2015 played at the Roland Garros course runs from the 24 May to 07 June 2015. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

Nadal’s precipitous fall outside the top four of the world rankings left him at the mercy of the French Open draw and as luck would have it he has been lumped in the same section of the bracket as the undisputed best player in the world. Something will have to give when—or if—Djokovic and Nadal clash in the quarterfinals. Djokovic is 35-2 this season and 22-0 in his last 22 matches. He has not lost since February. Nadal’s current form is dreadful by comparison, but he is 66-1 lifetime on the Parisian clay with nine titles.

Who can derail the highly-anticipated meeting? Probably not anyone in the top half of this section. Bernard Tomic, Djokovic’s nearest seed, is least comfortable on the slow stuff. He would only present a danger on either a hard court or grass, and even then his challenge would be minimal. Either Kevin Anderson or Richard Gasquet will likely face the top-seeded Serb in the last 16. Nadal, on the other hand, could have a tough second-round battle on his hands with Alexandr Dolgopolov or Nicolas Almagro. The winner of a first-rounder between Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Sock will be favored to face Nadal in round four.

Dolgopolov vs. Almagro is one of the most intriguing openers even without considering what is in store for the winner. Throw that into the equation no first-round match is bigger. The head-to-head series stands at an even 2-2, with Almagro leading 2-1 on clay (including 1-0 at the French Open, having prevailed in the 2010 first round). Both men are slowly rounding back into form after missing much of the 2014 campaign due to injury.

As if the Djokovic-Nadal quarter is not already ridiculous enough, the top half becomes even more loaded when the second section is taken into account. Joining Murray and Ferrer is what is without question the second toughest quarter are Marin Cilic, John Isner, David Goffin, and Nick Kyrgios. Cilic is a shadow of his 2014 U.S. Open-winning self and Goffin is not as hot as he was last summer, but Isner and Kyrgios are especially dangerous.

Of the top two seeds, Ferrer should enjoy an easier trek to the quarterfinals. The seventh-ranked Spaniard is expected to cruise past Lukas Lacko in the first round and his nearest seed is Viktor Troicki—who would be more dangerous on a different surface. Murray, meanwhile, is on course to meet whoever emerges from a tough opening-round date between Vasek Pospisil and Joao Sousa. Murray could then run into Kyrgios in the last 32. The fast-rising Aussie may not be 100 percent physically right now, but he has demonstrated that he can be an absolute force on every surface—especially on the biggest stages in tennis.

Pospisil vs. Sousa pits one man who has been getting too much rest against another who may not have a long enough break going into Roland Garros. Pospisil suffered an ankle injury after colliding with Sock during doubles action in Madrid and has not played since. The 51st-ranked Canadian has not won a match since beating Juan Martin Del Potro in Miami. Sousa, on the other hand finished runner-up in Geneva on Saturday. If Pospisil has an edge in the talent department, Sousa will enjoy an advantage on clay. As long as Pospisil is at or close to 100 percent, this will be a good one.

As well as Murray and Ferrer are playing in 2015, they are far from a slam-dunk to dominate this quarter of the bracket. Although he is 10-0 on clay this season, the third-ranked Scot is largely unproven at the French Open. He has reached the semifinals twice but promptly got eradicated by Nadal on each occasion. Ferrer has cooled off considerably since capturing three titles earlier this year.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: French Open, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Roland Garros, Sports, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

May 24, 2015 at 5:16 pm

-@DjokerNole, @RafaelNadal PART OF LOADED TOP HALF THAT BEGINS PLAY ON MONDAY BY @Dimonator- http://t.co/6hzIeSDGos #RG15 #Rafa #djokernole