Rafael Nadal will be aiming to win a record-extending 14th French Open, which will commence tomorrow.
However, he has his work cut out for him given the competitive playing field in front of him, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev also being highly favoured by the updated French Open 2022 odds.
Elsewhere, Roger Federer will sit this one out since he’s still recovering from multiple knee surgeries, while World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is bidding to recapture his form following his horrible outing in the Geneva Open.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up the latest French Open 2022 updates.
Is Rafael Nadal 100-per cent fit?
Rafael Nadal may be one of the favourites heading into France, but he downplayed his chances of winning because he is bothered by his previous rib injury and chronic foot problems.
The Spaniard was forced to miss the last six months of 2021 as a result of his injuries, but he made a triumphant return in January when he won the Australian Open.
However, his fitness concerns have resurfaced following his third-round exit from the most recent Italian Open where he lost to Denis Shapovalov. At 35 years of age, the wear and tear looks to have taken its toll on the King of Clay.
“Injuries are something that I live every day with, so it’s nothing new for me and is not a big surprise. I am here just to play tennis and try to make the best result possible here in Roland Garros,” said the World No. 5.
“I considered myself during all my tennis career one of the candidates here, because I achieve tournaments before here. Now on Friday, before the tournament starts, I don’t think I am the favorite at all. But you never know what can happen,” Nadal added.
The 35-year-old is looking to break 1972 French Open titlist Andres Gimeno’s record as the oldest singles champion in France. He will start his campaign against Australian Jordan Thompson and he might cross paths with Big 3 colleague Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, assuming his health holds up.
Novak Djokovic have a lot to play for in France
Novak Djokovic was already preparing for the possibility of not being able to defend his Roland Garros title due to his COVID-19 vaccine stance, but he earned a reprieve when France lifted their restrictions last March.
Months ago, the 20-time Grand Slam titlist was not given the chance to defend his Australian Open title after being deported from Down Under and he began his season late in Dubai.
Fast forward to today, Djokovic is fresh from winning the Italian Open, which is his first title in over six months. With momentum on his side, the Serbian is bidding for his 21st Grand Slam to move level with Rafael Nadal.
“The Italian Open is the perfect preparation and lead-up to Roland Garros,” Djokovic said. “I’m going to Paris with confidence and good feelings about my chances. With the rankings and the way I’ve been playing in the last few weeks, I’d rate myself as one of the favourites.”
“To some extent, the Italian Open is a relief because after everything that happened at the beginning of the year, it was important to win a big title,” he added.
Looking at the bigger picture, the reigning French Open champion has his eyes set on leapfrogging Steffi Graf for the all-time record of most weeks holding the No. 1 spot. He already holds the ATP record with 370 while Graf’s record stands at 377.
With World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev out of form since he’s hampered by a hernia injury, Djokovic is poised to extend his lead over everyone especially if he makes a deep run in Roland Garros. The Serb is slated to face Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round.
Carlos Alcaraz taking the tennis world by storm
Carlos Alcaraz is having a memorable 2022 campaign so far. A year ago, he was just ranked 120th but now he’s at No. 6 – which is only one notch below fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
The 19-year-old is in fine form as he won four titles prior to Roland Garros. His meteoric rise in the last 12 months was in full display when he bested Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev en route to winning the title in Madrid.
While majority have Nadal and Djokovic as the tournament favourites, Alcaraz is not someone to be overlooked as he plans to gatecrash his way to his first-ever Grand Slam.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
