Paris (AFP)

An imposing 3 m stainless steel statue now welcomes the spectator at Roland Garros: Rafael Nadal in majesty and in full effort is the master of the place and intends to prove it a 14th time to bring the record for Grand Slam titles to 21.

His main rival Novak Djokovic could face him in the semi-finals, which for the Serbian's coach, Goran Ivanisevic, is preferable to a duel in the final where the Spaniard would have a psychological influence.

The young guard, Stefanos Tsitsipas in the lead, seems ready for the feat.

And yet, in the words of Patrick Mouratoglou, coach of the Greek, the question that arises again this year at the start of the Parisian Major is this: "Who will Nadal beat in the final?"

"Nobody is invincible", however warned the king of the clay in an interview with AFP before the tournament.

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His uncle and historical coach Toni Nadal recently estimated on ESPN Spain that the world No. 1 remained "Rafa's main opponent on clay", despite the lesson received in the last Parisian final (6-2, 6-2, 7-5) and the uncertain results of the Serbian on this surface this season (defeats in the 8th in Monte-Carlo and in the final in Rome).

"Djokovic will have doubts, but he is one of those players who can quickly change his mind if they play a game well," said Toni Nadal.

And precisely, Djokovic will certainly have gained some confidence points by winning Saturday in Belgrade, even if it was only at the expense of the 255th world Alex Molcan.

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"Lifting a trophy here ten years later is really special. It's perfect before Roland Garros, said the Serbian. I play well, I feel good."

- Obviously formidable -

Nadal, who will celebrate his 35th birthday on Thursday, also did not have the results he was used to in the preparatory tournaments for Roland Garros.

Beaten in the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, he still won Barcelona against Tsitsipas and especially Rome against Djokovic.

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"The only really negative match was the one against Rublev in Monaco," he analyzed before his final in Rome.

And his opponents are not mistaken: he will inevitably be formidable again at Roland Garros.

"Every time he won, all the players said to themselves the following year + OK, we are trying to do better +. And then bim, you take wheels, and you come home ...", a summary Daniil Medvedev.

Seeded N.3 at Roland Garros where he won 100 matches for 2 losses, because Medvedev, who has never won any game in four participations, approaches the tournament in second place in the world, Nadal finds himself in the half table of Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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The Swiss, almost 40 years old, has only played three games since his semi-final of the Australian Open 2020. The result, a victory in his resumption match in March in Doha and two defeats, the last in his entered the competition in Geneva in May for his first match on clay in nearly two years.

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He will inevitably be the center of attention in Paris, but for how long?

If he makes it to the quarters, he could face Djokovic there.

The other place in the final will be coveted in particular by Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and especially Stefanos Tsitsipas.

- No Barty-Swiatek final -

Double finalist at Roland Garros (2018 and 2019) and winner of the US Open 2020, Thiem however still seems psychologically affected by the pandemic.

Zverev is gaining confidence with a title in Madrid after beating Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Tsitsipas, titled in Monte-Carlo and Lyon and finalist in Barcelona, ​​is even more threatening.

“I struggled to find the recipe for playing regularly, week after week. I have succeeded, to some extent, this year. I am quite happy with the way I am progressing, how I manage to fight against the first seeds. You feel good when you're in the race to win, "he warned.

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In the women's draw, the draw deprived the tournament of a possible final between the last two winners Ashleigh Barty (2019) and Iga Swiatek (2020).

The Australian, who did not come to defend her title last year, has sparked since her return to the circuit.

She won in Miami and Stuttgart, was a finalist in Madrid and took ten days off after dropping out of quarterbacks in Rome for pain in her right arm.

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As for Swiatek, winning Adelaide and Rome since the unexpected triumph in Paris confirmed his own potential.

© 2021 AFP