By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, May 22, 2015
Nine-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal could face world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash.
Photo credit: Roland Garros
Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal casts a commanding shadow across Court Philippe Chatrier, carrying a 66-1 Roland Garros career record into Paris.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic may well have to end Nadal's reign to realize his ultimate Grand Slam goal.
Video: Nadal Reacts to Tricky Roland Garros Draw
The Roland Garros draw was conducted today in Paris.
It presents the prospect of a blockbuster quarterfinal between the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Nadal. That would be a rematch of the 2014 final, which saw Nadal deny Djokovic the career Grand Slam, grinding out a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 triumph. The King of Clay claimed his record-extending ninth Roland Garros trophy and 14th Grand Slam title.
Riding a 22-match winning streak, Djokovic faces left-handed veteran Jarkko Nieminen in the first-round with 20th-seeded Richard Gasquet, 15th-seeded Kevin Anderson and 27th-seeded Bernard Tomic possible opponents before a quarterfinal against Nadal.
Nadal says his "love of suffering" is a key to his reign. Love hurts, and he's tasted pain at times this season suffering five losses on his favorite surface. The world No. 7 is bound to bring the passion to back up his ferocious forehand, but will it be enough to fight off a dominant Djokovic empowered by the prospect of completing a Grand Slam career quest? Nadal is 6-0 lifetime against Djokovic at Roland Garros, but the Serbian has won five of their last six meetings and is the dominant world No. 1.
First Quarterfinal Prediction: (1) Novak Djokovic vs. (6) Rafael Nadal
Undefeated on clay this year, Madrid champion Andy Murray will play a qualifier in his opener with a possible third-round test looming against Australian Open quarterfinalist Nick Kyrgios, whom Murray beat en route to the Melbourne final in February.
Seventh-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, who opens against Lukas Lacko, is a 2013 French Open finalist who has reached at least the quarterfinals three years running and is a solid bet to continue that trend. Ferrer leads the ATP in return games won this season (36 percent) and tops the Tour in first-serve return points won (37 percent).
Second Quarterfinal Prediction: (3) Andy Murray vs. (7) David Ferrer
Former French Open semifinalists Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among the high seeds in the third quarter. The No. 4 seed Berdych meets a qualifier in round one with a potential third-round match with theatrical Italian Fabio Fognini looming. Berdych beat Fognini in a thriller in Rome earlier this month.
U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori has failed to survive the second round in three of four prior appearances in Paris. But the fifth-seeded Japanese, who takes on French wild card Paul-Henri Mathieu in his opener, owns the sharp baseline skills, fast feet and quick hands to make a deep run. Nishikori resides in a lefty-heavy section of the draw that also includes No. 11 seed Feliciano Lopez, No. 32 seed Fernando Verdasco, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci and Argentina's Federico Delbonis.
Third Quarterfinal Prediction: (5) Kei Nishikori vs. (28) Fabio Fognini
Second-seeded Roger Federer launches his 62 career Grand Slam start against a qualifier.
The 2009 Roland Garros champion could face Gael Monfils in a rousing round of 16 match. The 13th-seeded Frenchman, who opens against French wild card Edouard Roger-Vasselin, has beaten the Grand Slam king twice in a row on clay, in the 2014 Davis Cup final and in Monte-Carlo last month. However, Federer has dropped just one set defeating the acrobatic Frenchman in all three of their prior French Open encounters.
Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez stunned Stan Wawrinka in the French Open first round last year. The pair could meet again in the third round this year with the winner advancing to a potential fourth-round match with 12th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon.
Fourth Quarterfinal Prediction: (8) Stan Wawrinka vs. (13) Gael Monfils
First-Round Matches to Watch
(10) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jack Sock: Their lone prior meeting went the distance in Stockholm last year. Sock won his first ATP title on red clay in Houston; Dimitrov has exited in the opening round in two of four career French Open appearances.
Nicolas Almagro vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov: A three-time Roland Garros quarterfinalist, Almagro pushed world No. 1 Djokovic to three sets in Rome earlier this month. Dolgopolov is one of the quickest players in the game and devoted to the drop shot, which he will use against the slower Spaniard.
Andreas Seppi vs. (16) John Isner: The 39th-ranked Italian upset Roger Federer at the Australian Open in January and beat Isner in their lone prior clay-court clash at the 2012 Rome event.