Novak Djokovic: Why Djoker Won't Win 2012 French Open

Novak Djokovic got past the first two rounds of the 2012 French Open rather easily in consecutive straight-sets victories, but that certainly doesn't guarantee his future success in winning this tournament.

Djoker still has a long way to go and a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to be the last man standing at Roland Garros.

Here are some major reasons why the French Open will continue to escape Djoker in his quest for the career grand slam.

Roger Federer

Djoker's road to the French Open final won't be a smooth one, as he might have to take on one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport.

Barring an unforeseen upset, Federer will meet Djokovic in a potential semifinal matchup that will pit two of the greatest players in the world against each other.

More importantly it would be a rematch of last year's semifinal that saw Federer get the better of Djokovic. It was the last loss Djokovic suffered in a grand slam match.

Federer's skills on clay are superior to Djokovic's, and that gives him the edge. Federer has also won at Roland Garros before, and that kind of experience is invaluable for the world's former No. 1 against the world's current No. 1.

Rafael Nadal

Even if Djoker gets past Federer and into the final, he will almost certainly take on Rafael Nadal for the French Open title.

How am I so certain? Maybe that's because Nadal has lost at Roland Garros only once, and that was in 2009. Since then, Rafa has taken home the last two French Open titles and has gotten himself back on track in the tourney.

Clearly, Nadal is in a class all his own on clay and beating him at Roland Garros is damn-near impossible. Djoker is decent on clay, but he is nowhere near Nadal.

Rafa has also already beaten Djokovic twice this year in Monte Carlo and Rome. Both tournaments were a great preview as to just how much better Nadal is than Djoker on clay, and that won't change at the 2012 French Open.

Past Lack of Success

As I mentioned before, Djoker has never won at Roland Garros.

All great players have at least one major they don't do well in, and the French Open is that tourney for Djokovic.

In his losses to Nadal this year at Monte Carlo and Rome, Djoker couldn't get over the hump on clay, and clearly it isn't his best surface.

Djoker has a lot to prove to tennis fans if he wants to become a future favorite in France and on clay in general. But in this instance, it's a believe-it-when-I-see-it situation, and Djoker can't be logically picked to win this tournament until he proves he can win it.