2016 French Open Men’s Preview
All attention will be on the dirt courts of Paris as action shifts to the second Grand Slam of the calendar. The 2016 French Open will be the flavor of every Tennis lover around the globe with the first ball scheduled to be tossed on Sunday, May 22. In the men’s section, world number one Novak Djokovic’s quest for a career slam will undoubtedly be the talking point.
Djokovic started 2016 where he left 2015 off, by winning the Australian Open and having a good run in the Clay season. For many, this is his best chance to break his duck at the Roland Garros – especially with an off-color Rafael Nadal around. But last week’s Rome final loss to Andy Murray must have emphasized the enormity of this task. The Serb will still be the man to beat in Paris. Odds of 1.91 (sportsbet) make him the favorite.
Murray is in fine form too and should represent the biggest threat for Djokovic at the Roland Garros. Having already beaten him on clay in the finals at Rome. His challenge before Djokovic will come from defending Champion Stanislas Wawrinka who is the same half of the draw. At odds of 5.5 (sportsbet) to lift the title, Murray offers great value for money.
No French Open would be complete without the mention of Nadal, the nine-time Champion here in eleven years. His form on clay this year wasn’t his usual best but title wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona indicate that he is not to be taken lightly. He needs to be at the top of his form to overcome Djokovic who could be his potential semis opponent. At odds of 6.5 (sportsbet) Nadal definitely is the dark horse.
The withdrawal of Roger Federer has robbed the tournament of some sheen but his Swiss team-mate and defending Champion Wawrinka would like to fill the void. Wawrinka’s form so far in the season has been nothing great with the quarter-finals loss to Nadal at Monte Carlo being his only run of note. It would take a monumental effort for the Swiss to regain the crown he won so emphatically last year.
Local hopes will be pinned on Nick Kyrgios who could surprise a few opponents here while Bernard Tomic seems to have slipped into a poor run of matches. Sam Groth’s opening round battle with Nadal could be an entertaining match.
The Serb World number one looks good to master the Roland Garros while Murray plans to spoil his plans. Who will come up trumps? Keep an eye on Paris as the action unfolds starting this Sunday!
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