I saw that my favorite to win at Roland-Garros, in this case Stefanos Tsitsipas, made more than one react and not necessarily in my opinion. Moreover, some have made it clear to me and I am grateful to them. This is why rather than give you my opinion, which does not suit you at all, I am going to tell you this time who are the favourites, for this edition of the men’s singles at Roland-Garros, by Nicolas Mahut, Bastien Fazincani (coach WTA), Eric Salliot (RMC), Julien Reboullet (L’Equipe) and Quentin Moynet (L’Equipe).
Nicolas Mahut: “Saying Rafa is enough”
“For me, the favorite is Rafael Nadal. As for the explanation, I don’t need it. Saying “Rafa” is enough. It is certain that he showed not very positive signs in Rome with his foot problem, but with him, we cannot know. If he feels he has a chance, he will be in Paris. And from the moment he is present at Roland-Garros, then he naturally becomes the favorite. The problem is going to be to know how far he will be able to bear the pain. We can clearly see that there is a threshold beyond which it is not tenable for him. Will he overtake it? If so, then he won’t be able to defend his chances properly. On the other hand, if the pain is surmountable, he is my favorite to win Roland-Garros. »
What happened in Rome chilled me
Julien Reboullet (L’Equipe): “Novak is on an upward trajectory”
“If Novak Djokovic wins the Masters 1000 in Rome, I would make him my favorite, because he is on an upward trajectory, writing the crazy story of a season that will never exist for anyone again. , having hit rock bottom in January in Australia, having seen Nadal pass him in the number of Majors in the history of tennis… There would be a completely crazy trajectory there. He still played very, very well against Alcaraz in Madrid, with however a real weakness in backhand return. But he was very impressive in the forehand, which is rare for him. So if he adjusts the sights of his backhand and in addition he is not bothered by the “kick” in the service of Alcaraz, as in Madrid where with the altitude the ball takes on much more effect, he can expect a lot. Besides, it would be very interesting to see him play again against Alcaraz. The latter is the rocket of the moment, but he is treating a sprained ankle which is not trivial. And to date, he has never had enough success to reach the Grand Slam semi-finals. He does not yet know the rhythm of a match every two days for 15 days. It’s something that, despite his talent, he will have to tame. That’s why if there, now, we had to establish a favorite for Roland-Garros, given that Rafael Nadal left Rome limping very, very low and in a lot of pain, it would be Novak Djokovic, but on condition that it imposes itself in Rome! »
Eric Salliot (RMC): “Tsitsipas learned a lot from his final last year”
“This Roland-Garros was going to be super exciting. A week ago I was like a kid, but what happened in Rome turned me off, because I’m just scared of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who are my two favourites, end up in the same part of the table, which would ruin everything. If ever they are played in the semi-finals, it is not impossible that the one who will have extracted himself from the other part of the table recovers the loot. I think Stefanos Tsitsipas learned a lot from his final last year and I think he won’t be far from it. »
Carlos Alcaraz, simply because it makes me dream a little
Quentin Moynet (L’Equipe): “Nole knows that by heart”
“If we put Nadal aside, given the doubts surrounding his physical condition since yesterday, I would say Djokovic, ahead of Alcaraz and Tsitsipas. The Serb had a difficult start on earth, linked to his (very) disturbed start to the season and an obvious lack of rhythm. But from Belgrade, where it was still damn sluggish, it is gaining momentum. Physically and mentally, he proved against Alcaraz in Madrid that he had almost regained his qualities djokosmiques. We praised (rightly) the breathtaking Alcaraz, but he only beat Djokovic 7-6 in the third set, in perfect conditions for the kicked service of the Spaniard in the diagonal of the advantages. This blow will hurt Roland-Garros less. And Djokovic will be much better at the restart. Managing a fortnight, seven matches in three winning sets, “Nole” knows that by heart. Alcaraz, despite its incredible progress, not yet. »
Bastien Fazincani (WTA coach, coached, among others, Alize Cornet): “Rafa if he is operational, otherwise Alcaraz”
“Number 1 favourite: Rafa. If, of course, he can play and if he is not too diminished. Even if Alcaraz is in lunar form and Djokovic is coming back well, I would say that the experience of the tournament, the field, the matches in 5 sets, without forgetting the conditions which are so favorable to him, and above all the fact that he knows winning, winning and winning again at Roland-Garros, makes Rafael Nadal my favorite. In the event that Rafa is not operational, my choice would be Carlos Alcaraz, quite simply because it makes me dream a little that he is a young kid who has never won. The beautiful story. At the same time, I am not taking the risk of the century by predicting it! »
