French Open 2012: Breaking Down Novak Djokovic's Most Likely Path

If Novak Djokovic is going to complete his career Grand Slam, he's going to have to make his way through a tough road at the French Open. 

Let's take a look at who the Djoker will likely have to get through at Roland Garros and what his chances in each match are.  

We'll start with the quarters. 

Quarterfinals: David Ferrer

This one all depends on the draw, so, just for funsies, we'll go with Ferrer, who Djokovic matched up with in Australia at this point. 

These two have only paired up on clay four times in their careers—with none of those coming at Roland Garros—and Ferrer has won three of those. 

However, in their most recent battle, which came in Madrid in 2011, Djokovic finally came out on top in three closely played sets. 

While Djoker appears to have finally gotten over the hump of beating Ferrer on clay, this will be a very close match should it happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ferrer pull off the upset. 

Semifinals: Andy Murray

In the semis, Djokovic would likely get world No. 4 Andy Murray. And if Djoker does makes it past Ferrer, he'll likely have an easier time against Murray.

These two have only played on clay twice, but Djokovic has won both times. Andy Murray's worst Grand Slam tournament has been the French Open (73.68 winning percentage), so while it would certainly be close, Djoker would easily be favored. 

Finals: Rafael Nadal

It could very well be Roger Federer here, but I'm not going to be the one to bet against Nadal at Roland Garros. He's too close to invincible on clay. 

If Djokovic does match up with the King of Clay, he's going to have trouble. Djoker, of course, just lost to Nadal this week in Rome, and that makes two clay losses this year to Nadal.

The Rome Masters, in particular, are important because Nadal avenged one of his two losses to Djokovic last year on clay. Some thought after those losses that Rafa was beginning to slip, but his win at the French last year and win over Djokovic in Rome disprove that fact pretty well.

Additionally, besides those two Djokovic wins last year, Nadal is 11-0 against Djoker on clay. 

Simply put, it would be a big-time upset if Djokovic somehow knocked off Nadal in the Finals at Roland Garros. 

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