Novak Djokovic: Why Djoker Can't Win the 2012 French Open

Novak Djokovic is the No. 1 ranked player in the world for a reason, but he won’t leave Roland Garros as the winner of the 2012 French Open.

Djokovic has a chance to win four major championships in a row, something no one has done since 1969. This amount of pressure alone is something that could derail Djoker’s bid for the title at Roland Garros.

He has admitted the weight of the potential historical achievement has already begun to weigh on him:

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“It would definitely mean the world to me … but I haven’t thought about that too much, because I do not want to put too much pressure on myself,” the No. 1-ranked Djokovic said, then added with a laugh: “Pressure that I don’t need at this moment, because I already have enough.”

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Djokovic has cruised through the French Open to this point. However, he isn’t the only big name left in the tournament. Players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray could make Djoker’s life difficult.

Most notably, Djokovic will have major issues defeating Nadal, who has looked absolutely unstoppable for the last few months.

Nadal is known as the “King of Clay,” and has reinforced that nickname by accumulating an outstanding 47-1 record at Roland Garros. It is highly unlikely that Djokovic will be only the second player ever to defeat Nadal on his favorite surface.

It is important to note that Djokovic has defeated Nadal on clay before—twice, to be exact. Conversely, Nadal has won 11 of the 13 clay matches between them. The odds certainly aren’t in Djoker’s favor if he has to go against Nadal.

That being said, there are other factors working against Djokovic. He has never won it all at Roland Garros before, and has only reached the semifinals once in the past three years.

This year, he will likely square-off against Federer in the semifinals. Djokovic should be able to pull out a victory over Federer, but it won’t be an easy match by any means. He has struggled on clay as of late and Federer is a tricky opponent to defeat on any type of playing surface.

It is also worth mentioning that the last time these two squared off on clay, Federer won.

Should Djokovic advance, it brings us back to the last point, which also happens to be the most imperative. There is not a player in the world that is going to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros this year.

A combination of immense pressure and ridiculously stiff competition all but ensure that the No. 1 player in the world won’t be walking away with a title when all is said and done at Roland Garros. 

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