French Open 2012 Bracket: Complete Analysis and Review

With the 2012 French Open set to start on Sunday from Roland Garros in Paris, tennis fans everywhere have eagerly anticipated the release of the men's and women's draws. The brackets have officially been revealed and they certainly seem as though they will provide some compelling tennis over the next couple weeks.

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are considered the overwhelming favorites on the men's side, but will some dark horses be able to step up and knock the top players out?

Over in the women's draw, things are more wide open than ever. Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka will look to add another Grand Slam to her resume, but Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, defending French Open champion Li Na and so many others are going to ensure that life is difficult for the Belarusian star.

Here are the complete singles draws for the 2012 French Open, along with analysis on the top players and how they can be expected to fare.

Where: Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France

When: Sunday, May 27 through Sunday, June 10

Watch: NBC, ESPN2, Tennis Channel 

Bracket

Men's and Women's Draws

Men's Draw Breakdown

Novak Djokovic

As the top overall seed in the tournament, Novak Djokovic should have the easiest draw, but that may not be the case. Djoker shouldn't have much of an issue dispatching of Potito Starace in the first round, but things get a bit more difficult after that. Djokovic may have to face Aussie Lleyton Hewitt in the second round, and he is always a tough out in Grand Slam tournaments.

Things only get tougher from there as Djokovic figures to get a couple pesky players in Austrian Jurgen Melzer and Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the ensuing rounds. In the next round he will probably have to battle the hometown crowd against Frenchman Gilles Simon, followed by the talented Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarters. That would be followed by his top two forms of competition in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. If Djokovic is going to win his first French Open, he'll have to earn it.

Rafael Nadal

As good as Djokovic is, with six French Open championships to his credit, Rafael Nadal has to be considered the odds-on favorite. Nadal is the defending champ at Roland Garros and has won six of the past seven. Nadal appears to have gotten the best draw of the top contenders as he is on the opposite side of both Djokovic and Federer. He's likely to cruise to the semis as he'll have to dispatch of Simone Bolelli, Denis Isotomin, Florian Mayer, Juan Monaco and Nicolas Almagro in all likelihood.

Nadal's first true test will come in the semis against either world No. 4 Andy Murray, or countryman David Ferrer who is somewhat of a clay-court specialist in his own right. Provided Rafa can get through that, he will be waiting for the winner of a projected Djokovic vs. Federer match. Nadal would hold the slight edge either way, especially since his route to the finals doesn't appear to be too taxing.

Roger Federer

Like Djokovic, there is no question that Federer resides in the more difficult half of the draw. Fed will blow by his first-round opponent in Tobias Kamke, but the challengers will come at him fast and furious thereafter. The crafty David Nalbandian is next on the docket, followed by American Andy Roddick, who always plays Federer tough. The clay surface will undoubtedly play into the Swiss star's hands, however.

Solid Spaniard Feliciano Lopez is likely to be next, followed by perhaps the top dark-horse candidate in the field in Tomas Berdych. The Czech player has been very good as of late during the lead up to the French Open, but Federer was able to defeat him in the Madrid Open final. Once Fed clears all of those hurdles consecutive wins over Djokovic and Nadal will almost assuredly be needed. In other words, the road to a second French Open championship will be a tough one.

Women's Draw Breakdown

Victoria Azarenka

Many tennis fans are more interested in the women's game currently due to the unpredictability it brings when compared to the monotonous men's game, and that will be on display in the French Open. The top seed Victoria Azarenka will attempt to win a second consecutive Grand Slam title, but it won't be easy. Alberta Brianti and Carolina Garcia are pretty safe opponents over the first two rounds, but things start to get tricky in the third.

She figures to see a couple smaller, craftier players in succession in the form of Zheng Jie and Dominika Cibulkova. Their styles tend to work well on the clay surface, so Azarenka will be in for a couple battles. Next up will be a heavy hitter in either Samantha Stosur of Sabine Lisicki. That will be followed by a semi-final match with Aggie Radwanska or Marion Bartoli in all likelihood. If she can get through that gauntlet unscathed, then Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams or Li Na will be her final test.

Maria Sharapova

Unfortunately random draws aren't always fair, and it seems like Sharapova often learns that the hard way. Despite being the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Russian star may not get past the quarters. Sharapova should be able to run through Alexandra Cadantu, Polona Hercog, and Peng Shuai in the first few rounds, but then things get quite challenging. Next up figures to be countrywoman and friend Maria Kirilenko, and then perhaps her biggest test of the tournament in Serena Williams in the quarters.

That is a finals-caliber match, but it will be played a couple rounds earlier than it should be. Sharapova would then get one of Petra Kvitova, Li Na or Francesca Schiavone in the semis, all of which would be tough matches due to their varying styles. Her most likely finals opponent would be Azarenka, but a lot can happen on that side of the draw. Regardless of what goes on around her, Sharapova has a lot of work ahead of her.

Serena Williams

Similarly to Sharapova, Serena certainly won't be able to waltz to a French Open title. After dispatching of Virginie Razzano and Jamie Hampton in the first couple rounds, Serena will have to battle in each and every match. Julia Goerges will be a tough test in the next round, followed by the always-competitive Carolina Wozniacki. Serena will then have to deal with the aforementioned Sharapova and will inherit the rest of her path if she wins.

That means a semi-final berth against Kvitova, Na, Schiavone, or perhaps even Vera Zvonareva or Jelena Jankovic. Her run would culminate in a finals match against Azarenka or an underdog like Radwanska, Bartoli or Svetlana Kuznetsova. If Williams can beat Sharapova then she will probably be the favorite, but everything is going to hinge on that quarter-final match.

Predictions

Rafael Nadal d. Novak Djokovic in men's final

Serena Williams d. Marion Bartoli in women's final

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter