French Open 2013 Preview

The French Open would not be the same without Rafael Nadal. So what better way for the Spaniard than to return to his first grand slam event since Wimbledon on the back of six ATP tour wins and eight consecutive finals since his comeback from injury. The 11-time grand slam champion has won the French title a record seven times, claiming the first of his seven way back in 2005. His only defeat at Roland Garros came in 2009 when he was knocked out by Robin Soderling in the fourth round. But what are the chances of Nadal claiming an eighth French title?   

Nadal will face the toughest French Open of his career so far. Having come back from injury, and entering the most demanding tennis tournament of them all, Nadal will have his work cut out from the very beginning. Playing a German qualifier in the opening round may sound like a routine victory, but we all know how Nadal succumbed to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon last year, he cannot take anyone for granted. I think it is safe to assume that Nadal will at least reach the quarter-finals. His form so far proves it and his match play on clay is more than above most of the players below him in the rankings. Many eagle-eyed tennis fans would have kept a keen eye on the Spaniards return from injury and whether he could break the mold of the top four above him. Yet again, Nadal has defied all odds and cemented his position as the World No.4 overtaking compatriot David Ferrer with relative ease. With Andy Murray absent through injury, Nadal now heads into the tournament as third seed behind only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic having been drawn in the same half of the draw as the Serbian. This outcomes means that if both players win there respective matches, it will result in a mouth-watering semi-final clash between the two giants of tennis. I for one can very much see both of these players reaching the semi-finals, so this will be a match to watch out for. A winner here? Such a tough decision, but with Nadal only returning to full form and being his first grand slam back since Wimbledon, I'm going for Djokovic. His win earlier this year against Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters is enough evidence for me that Djokovic is still the man to beat. A close five setter will likely be the outcome to the match.

Federer meanwhile can safely negotiate his way through the draw, knowing full well that a sixth French Open final is definitely a possibility for the Swiss maestro. Whether Federer can win it or not, is a different matter. Although lucky not to have Nadal in the same half of the draw, Federer may well have to contend with the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer if he is even to reach the final, and if you watch a lot of tennis you'll know that on a good day, any of these players can beat the top four. I think it's a strong possibility that Federer and Ferrer will meet in the semis and it could be an interesting match. Ferrer is clearly a strong clay court player and has saved his best tennis for the latter years of his career. A meeting between these two will be hard to call, but I'm going to be adventurous and say David Ferrer will reach his first grand slam final. He won't win the title, but I think he will be more than happy to earn a runners-up medal and he fully deserves it for how committed he still is to the sport. His aggressive base-line play and his fitness will be too much for Federer, who I believe should save his best tennis for Wimbledon. 

So my prediction is that Novak Djokovic will meet David Ferrer in the French Open final. Ferrer enters most tournaments as the underdog but the French Open is his only real chance of winning a slam and this year he may have a chance of winning it. But with Murray out injured, Djokovic is the man to beat and I think the Serb will win the match in four sets to win his maiden Roland Garros final.