Novak Djokovic had a good run during the clay season after missing out on the Australian Open and other Masters tournaments earlier this year. However, the world no. 1 has found his footing on clay in recent times in Rome. After failing in Monte Carlo, Serbia, and Madrid, the Serb finally won his first title of the year at the Italian Open. He is also the defending champion at the Roland Garros.
Recently, Novak was a part of the pre-tournament press conference where he was asked about his top favorite to win this year\’s tournament. Nole had no doubts in his mind as he named Nadal to be the prime contender to win this year\’s title despite his chronic foot injury troubling him in recent times. The Serb revealed that Nadal will always be on the top when there is a discussion about winning at Roland Garros and clay.
![\"Novak](\"http://soapoperadaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/djokovic-italian-open.jpg\")
Moreover, Djokovic pointed out Nadal\’s record in Paris. The Spaniard won 13-titles at the French Open. Also, the King of Clay has an unbelievable 105-3 record in Paris. Thus, Djokovic feels that it would be incredibly tough to beat Nadal at the French Open, even with his chronic foot injury troubling him. Nadal was seen limping last week when Denis Shapovalov beat him in the third round of the Italian Open.
Djokovic Talks About Alvcaraz\’s Chances Of Winning At Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic back-to-back to enter the finals and win the Madrid Open title two weeks ago. He has progressed from world no. 141 in 2021 to no. 6th position with five titles so far. Moreover, four of them have come this year.
Djokovic feels that Alcaraz has been the story of men\’s tennis in the last four-five months for a major reason. The Serb commended the 19-year-old\’s giant leap in the ATP rankings. He was impressed by Carlos\’ phenomenal achievements at such a young age.
Will Novak Win His 21st-Grand Slam At The French Open 2022?
Nole is coming from a big win at the Italian Open last week. He is confident about his skills and believes that he is ready to defend his Roland Garros title. Moreover, Djokovic feels that he is always in contention to fight for any Grand Slam title. The 20-time Grand Slam champ believes in his ability to go far and fight for one of the most prestigious trophies in the tennis world. Nole is confident that he can repeat his last year\’s feat in Paris again. He takes inspiration from his 2021 memories to replicate his performance this year.
Talking about his Italian Open win and current form, Nole said that it has always taken him some time and a few tournaments to get comfortable on clay. He has rarely done well during the first or second tournament in the season. Djokovic pointed out that Rome has always been a successful tournament for him and his win came at the right. The Serb added, \”I always managed to get to the later stages of that tournament in just a week before Paris. Perfect time to really find form.\”
Thus, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz would be the favorites to win the tournament in Paris this year. With no. 1 and Nadal in fifth, we can expect a classic encounter between the two giants during the quarterfinal. Last year, Djokovic got the better of Nadal in the semi-finals and went on to win the title.
