The Roland-Garros tennis tournament begins this Sunday with its share of favorites.
The Spaniard Rafael Nadal will try to win a 14th Porte d'Auteuil title, while the Polish Iga Swiatek, winner last October, has every chance of winning once again on Parisian clay.
ANALYSIS
Let's go for Roland-Garros vintage 2021!
For two weeks, the best tennis players will compete for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year in Paris.
And some are already favorites to win the competition.
In the men, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal claims to glean a 14th Porte d'Auteuil title, even if Novak Djokovic has not said his last word.
On the women's side, the picture is more open but the young Polish Iga Swiatek, champion against all expectations last year, can double the stake.
Europe 1 reviews tournament favorites and favorites.
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Nadal in favorite, Djokovic in ambush
How not to quote the Spanish legend
Rafael Nadal
(3rd in the world), who is 34 years old, is once again the man to beat in the men's table. Winner this year of his twelfth tournament in Barcelona and his tenth title in Rome, both on clay, the Mallorcan will try to lift the Musketeers Cup for the fourteenth time at Roland Garros and improve an already historic record.
His main opponent, Serbian
Novak Djokovic
, aspires to a second title in Paris. It would be a resounding feat for the world number one: he would only point to one unit of the Spaniard and Swiss Roger Federer in the number of tournaments won in Grand Slam (20). A major challenge for the Serbian who has not won a title since his success at the Australian Open last February. But a great opportunity not to let his Spanish rival take off the charts. The two men can also meet in the semi-final of Roland-Garros.
If
Roger Federer
(8th) is also in the game, the French Open should be a good warm-up for him before approaching the Wimbledon tournament in early July, his main objective. The Swiss arrived without too many benchmarks on clay. He lost in his only match on this surface, in Geneva. However, the Swiss magician can play tricks on his opponents, as during his last participation in 2019. He had reached the semi-finals of the tournament by then.
Behind the leaders of the discipline, the next generation is pushing more than ever. First, the Greek
Stefanos Tsitsipas
(5th) appears to be the most serious contender to come and titillate the masters of the circuit. Winner of the Monte-Carlo and Lyon tournaments on clay, the 22-year-old remains on a narrowly lost semi-final against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2020. This time he will try to play his first Grand Slam final on a surface that he appreciates. He has already played one at the US Open in 2020, but the German
Alexander Zverev
(6th) is also looking for his first trophy in Major. He can count on a new title gleaned at the Masters 1000 in Madrid this season, where he notably dismissed Rafael Nadal, in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
Finally, he also likes clay, but the Austrian
Dominic Thiem
(4th), two-time Roland-Garros finalist in 2018 and 2019, is only a shadow of himself.
He has not won any tournament since the start of the year, and recently had an early elimination in Lyon, on clay.
He will be keen to bounce back at Porte d'Auteuil, in a tournament he dreams of winning.
Iga Swiatek, in the running for a second coronation
In the women's table, the surprising Polish
Iga Swiatek
(20 years old this Monday), who won Roland Garros last October, can double the stake this season. Her freshness allowed her to crush her Czech rival Karolina Pliskova (10th in the world) in the final of the tournament in Rome in mid-May (6-0, 6-0). Which naturally makes her the big favorite on Parisian clay. The now 9th in the WTA rankings will be the player to beat during the fortnight. The young Polish will have to be wary of the world number one, the Australian
Ashleigh Barty
, winner at Roland Garros in 2019 and the most consistent player since the start of the season. Her quality of service, her power from the baseline make her one of the serious contenders for the Parisian crown.
Among the players to
watch
Porte d'Auteuil, the fourth world
Aryna Sabalenka
can create a sensation. The Belarusian won in Madrid against the Australian to clinch her first title in the WTA 1000 category. As for the Japanese star
Naomi Osaka
(2nd), quadruple winner in the Grand Slam, the Paris tournament is a challenge, she which has never shone on clay before. Another star is also eagerly awaited: the American
Serena Williams
(8th), who covets a 24th title in Major at 39 years old. She will thus seek to equal the record of the Australian Margaret Court of the 1970s. Semi-finalist at the last Australian Open, the champion coached by the French Patrick Mouratoglou is playing her last chances to mark the legend of women's tennis even more. .
The race for the title for the women remains very open, however. Often successful in Paris, the Romanian
Simona Halep
(3rd), for her part, forfeited due to injury. We are therefore not immune to potential surprises, as during the last edition of Roland-Garros. Two players ranked out of the top 50 had reached the semi-finals of the competition, including Iga Swiatek, then 54th in the world, who went to the end. Who knows what the 2021 edition has in store for us.