French Open 2015: Schedule, Players to Watch and More for Grand Slam
Something has to give at the 2015 French Open.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are both ranked No. 1 in the world, but Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova have been dominant forces at Roland Garros. The world’s top-ranked players must find a way to overcome the defending champions if they hope to pursue a Grand Slam for the 2015 season.
With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule for the year’s second major tournament, the players to watch and the predicted winners. The men's and women's draws can be found on the event’s official website.
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| May 24 | First Round |
| May 25 | First Round |
| May 26 | First Round |
| May 27 | Second Round |
| May 28 | Second Round |
| May 29 | Third Round |
| May 30 | Third Round |
| May 31 | Fourth Round |
| June 1 | Fourth Round |
| June 2 | Quarterfinals |
| June 3 | Quarterfinals |
| June 4 | Women's Semifinals |
| June 5 | Men's Semifinals |
| June 6 | Women's Final |
| June 7 | Men's Final |
Players to Watch
Rafael Nadal
Nadal is more dominant at the French Open than arguably any of today's athletes are at anything.
He enters this year's tournament with nine titles in the last 10 years and 66 wins in his last 67 Roland Garros matches. He is a savant on clay and boasts more French Open championships than anyone in the history of the sport.
However, the southpaw has not been himself this year thanks to lackluster play and lingering injuries. He drew the No. 6 seed in the 2015 French Open, which pits him on a collision course with Djokovic in the quarterfinals. If Nadal manages to win that, he will likely be matched against Andy Murray in the semifinals and then Roger Federer in the championship match.
That draw is intimidating for anyone, even the dominant version of Nadal who shows up at the French Open. The fact that he is a disappointing 17-5 on a clay surface this season makes the schedule all the more worrisome.
Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times noted Nadal needs that quarterfinals victory over Djokovic for confidence purposes alone after an up-and-down season:
That is much easier said than done against the world's No. 1 player.
Novak Djokovic
Nadal's record at the French Open is certainly intimidating, but Djokovic is a sparkling 35-2 during the 2015 season. Djokovic boasts five tournament titles this year alone and has a 22-match winning streak entering this year's second Grand Slam.
Among those five championships is the Australian Open title, which Djokovic earned by knocking off Stanislas Wawrinka in the semifinals and outlasting Andy Murray in a thrilling four-set match that included a tiebreaker in the first and second rounds.
One of Djokovic's two losses this year came in the finals at Dubai to Roger Federer, but the world's top-ranked player bounced back with a victory over Federer in the finals at Indian Wells and the Masters 1000 in Rome.
Djokovic is an absolute force on the tennis court and is in prime position to finally beat Nadal at the French Open. If he continues his absolute dominance from the 2015 season, Djokovic will have nine majors and be halfway to a 2015 Grand Slam. It is a long shot, but nobody is playing better tennis than the Serbian.
Djokovic's 42-10 record at Roland Garros isn't nearly as impressive as Nadal's, but the defending champion is not in peak form and hasn't even controlled play on clay this season.
The time is now for Djokovic to win in France.
Serena Williams
Williams is in a similar position to Djokovic—she is the world's top-ranked player, but her top competition at the French Open, Sharapova, is the defending champion and won in 2012. What's more, Williams only has two French Open titles, which would be excellent for most players but isn't top-notch for a superstar looking for her 20th major.
The two titles are Williams' least of any Grand Slam, although she is the top-ranked player in the world and already beat Sharapova at the Australian Open this year.
Williams' biggest problem is probably lingering health issues, but she addressed that, per Matt Cronin of USTA.com:
Williams must deal with a difficult draw and could play Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals before a potential showdown with Sharapova for the title.
Still, Williams is 24-4 in her last 28 matches against top 10-players in Grand Slam events and boasts an 11-match winning streak against that elite competition. She plays her best tennis when the stakes are the highest, and that will certainly be the case at the French Open.
The rest of the field is officially on notice.
Predicted Winners
Djokovic and Williams will take home French Open titles this year.
Djokovic has simply been dominant in 2015, and Nadal is as vulnerable as ever on clay. This is a golden opportunity for the world's top-ranked player to finally knock off a Roland Garros legend, and he will take full advantage.
As for the women's side, it is impossible to argue with Williams' record against top-10 competition. The gap between her and the rest of the field continues to grow in the later stages of tournaments, and this year's French Open will be no different.
Look for a championship from each of the world's No. 1 players.
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