French Open 2015: Analyzing Key Storylines Entering Roland Garros
The clay courts of Roland Garros have been tended to, and the start of the 2015 French Open is just days away as the top stars in tennis gear up for a two-week run at the sport's lone clay Grand Slam.
Although the draw doesn't come out until Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. in Paris), the top seeds are all but secured in the main two draws. Novak Djokovic enters as the undisputed No. 1 overall on the men's side, while Serena Williams eyes the women's top seed.
But to say the dominance of Djokovic and Williams will cloud over the tournament is ill-advised, with both history and a crop of dangerous contenders working against them.
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Let's take a glance at the three top storylines entering play at Roland Garros.
Will Nadal's Reign End?
Take a simple glance down the history of the French Open, and it's almost impossible to paint Rafael Nadal as anything other than the favorite. But 2015 may be his toughest title yet at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard's nine French Open titles are more than any other player in the event's history, and he has taken the last five French Opens to grab a stranglehold over the tournament.
As Jill Martin of CNN notes, though, Nadal faces an uphill battle to get back to the final:
While he's been far from his usual best over the last couple of years, Nadal's greatness at Roland Garros hasn't wavered, as Roger Federer is the only other player in the field to have won the French Open. Count Federer as one of the foes who isn't downing Nadal's chances even amid a poor season, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"You cannot take away the past 10 years," said Federer. "It’s going to be best-of-five sets. We know how tough Rafa is physically and mentally. He is the favourite still to me."
Nadal usually is able to get back to his clay-court dominance at the Rome Masters just before the French Open, but that didn't materialize this year. Stan Wawrinka ousted him in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
But as history dictates, Nadal is a completely different beast upon stepping onto the Roland Garros courts. Perhaps 2015 will be no different.
Serena's Legend Hoping to Grow
Serena Williams' dominance over women's tennis has lasted for the longevity of her career. She has at least five titles at every Grand Slam stop—except Roland Garros.
The French Open has traditionally been a thorn in Williams' side. She only has two victories there and has only emerged victorious once since 2002.
But since Williams' last win in the French Open in 2013, she has taken three more Grand Slams to get to 19 for her career. Only five away from Margaret Court's record of 24, one former great is banking on her to get it done, citing recent struggles at Roland Garros as motivation.
"Serena is amazing, and she will get to 20 slams for sure," Martina Navratilova said to Tennis Podcast, per ESPN. "She put her career into another gear three years ago after that loss to Virginie Razzano at the French Open. She really focused herself on the sport."
That's not the only struggle at Roland Garros that Williams can pull from after being ousted in the second round of last year's tournament. If there's one Grand Slam that the American has remained far from her best at, it's these clay courts.
But one more title over the next couple of weeks would really put her legacy into focus.
Djokovic Eyeing Career Grand Slam
There are plenty of stars on the men's side who are eyeing a chance to win their first French Open—namely, any of them not named Nadal or Federer. But there's no doubt that Novak Djokovic leads that charge with fury.
Unlike the other stars trying to win a title at Roland Garros for the first time, Djokovic has the opportunity to complete the elusive career Grand Slam. He's taken the Australian Open five times, the Wimbledon twice and the U.S. Open once but never reigned supreme at the French Open despite making it to two finals in the last three years.
If the Serbian's play this year is any indication, he's set to end that frustrating trend in convincing fashion at Roland Garros. His title at the Rome Masters extended his win streak past 20 matches, as ATP World Tour reported:
Should Nadal get back to his best and face Djokovic later on in the tournament, it could spell doom, as he's proved himself inferior to the Spaniard on the clay courts in recent years. But with the typical favorite reeling, Djokovic's path to the career Grand Slam is taking shape.
If Nadal is able to return to form and Djokovic doesn't take advantage this year, that quest for a French Open could continue for quite some time.
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