French Open 2012 Predictions: Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova Will Take Titles

2012 French Open contenders like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka don't have a shot to win the title.

On the men's side this clay tournament belongs to Rafael Nadal and it's his to lose. Maria Sharapova enters will impressive momentum on the women's side, despite never having won in France.

Odds-makers aside, here's a breakdown as to why each of these top-ranked athletes will bring home the clay-court grand slam in 2012.

Full view of ATP and WTA rankings, courtesy of Roland-Garros.

Rafael Nadal

Just one time since 2005 has Rafael Nadal not won the French Open (2009). Having won it a record-tying six times, Nadal will be the sole owner of the record after 2012.

Heading into France, Nadal ranks No. 2 behind Djokovic, whom he defeated for the Italian Open title earlier in May. Prior to that, Nadal ousted Djokovic at Monaco in late April (another clay court).

For the 2012 season Nadal has only once not made it to at least the semi-final round (Madrid) and he's won three tournaments thus far.

His relentless defense and power on clay are what make Nadal so dominant on that surface. Possessing unique athleticism to the court, Nadal has proven to glide well and recover quickly time and time again.

An obvious master on clay, Nadal displays excellent balance so he can volley all day to wear his opponents down.

Maria Sharapova

She's not a long-shot to win the French Open but taking Maria Sharapova is going against the grain. Sharapova has never won the clay classic and only twice has she made it to the semifinals (2007, 2011).

2012 is fortunately a different story as Sharapova comes off a second-straight win in Italy and another clay-court victory in Germany over Azarenka in late April.

Because of her size and power game, it wasn't surprising to see Sharapova struggle early on clay. The slower surface forced her to improve at balance, control and knowing when to take a power shot.

Now that Sharapova has gained confidence and momentum on the surface, sitting back and working the baseline gives her an advantage before attacking the net.

Why Opponents Will Falter

The men's side is easier to dissect as Nadal simply out-maneuvers everyone on clay. He's just quicker, more controlled, smoother and flat-out better.

A disadvantage for a contender like Roger Federer is not only his age but power. As a more finesse and volley-type player, Federer has to exert more energy with each shot since it's a slower court. This in turn wears him down faster and favors Nadal.

Checking the women's contenders, no one has won consecutive French Open titles since Justine Henin (2005-07). Here it's just a matter of who's been playing the best going in.

Last year Na Li won the French Open but had played solid beforehand. Early in 2011 she had a finals appearance in Australia and two semifinal appearances in Madrid and Italy. Li just peaked at the right time in France, which is what we can expect from Sharapova this time around.

John Rozum on Twitter.