French Open 2015 Draw: Opening Schedule and Tournament Predictions
It’s Grand Slam time once again, as the French Open takes centre stage at Roland Garros, with all eyes on the big four of men’s tennis.
Rafael Nadal has dominated this tournament for the past decade, but he could well face his toughest test yet in the French capital after coming into the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
Although he kicks off his title defence against inexperienced Frenchman Quentin Halys, he’s on course to meet world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, as the draw shows on the official Roland Garros website.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Nadal got the better of Djokovic in last year’s final, but having endured an injury-plagued year since, for once he won’t be the favourite at Roland Garros should the duo collide.
It’s safe to say he hasn’t been the Nadal who would strike fear into opposition in recent weeks, too, with Stan Wawrinka disposing of him in the Rome Masters quarter-finals and Andy Murray doing the same in the Madrid final.
However, there’s something about Paris that brings out the best in the Spaniard. He’s arrived in previous years as an underdog and taught the world never to write him off, so Djokovic should prepare himself for a real battle.
Nadal appears in the right frame of mind to knock Djokovic out for the fourth consecutive year, too, as he told BBC Sport that even though he hasn’t met the world No. 1 in the quarter-finals for some time, he’ll be prepared for it:
"It's strange because it didn't happen (for a long time) but at the end of the day, I have four matches before (the quarter-finals) to arrive at that match.
I need to be ready for that first round. I am ready to fight again and we will see.
"
The Serbian, meanwhile, kicks off against Jarkko Nieminen, with a seemingly simple route to the quarters and the potential showdown with Nadal.
Roger Federer, who lost out to Djokovic in the Italian Open final, starts his campaign against qualifier Alejandro Falla, and he too could have a tough quarter-final to negotiate against Wawrinka.
Here’s a look at the potential last-eight lineup, courtesy of Roland Garros:
While Djokovic, Nadal and Federer will all fancy their chances of lifting the famous French Open trophy, Murray is arguably the man to watch.
He’s quite simply been unbeatable on clay this year, having won his first title on the surface in Munich before that triumph over Nadal in Spain, looking right at home in every tournament.
Murray has had his struggles on clay in the past, but as Sky Sports News HQ revealed, he’s put those torrid times behind him in 2015:
The Scot begins his tournament against Argentinian qualifier Facundo Arguello and will face the winner of that potential epic quarter-final between Nadal and Djokovic—as the Daily Mail’s Stuart Fraser revealed:
Murray pulled out of the Rome Masters early through exhaustion and with one eye on Paris, but despite the fact that he’ll be recharged, he’s likely to come up short.
He’s been exceptional on tour, sure, but the magnitude of the occasion will spur the likes of Nadal and Djokovic on, and whoever wins their battle could well go on to take the trophy.
As BBC Sport’s David Law commented, the big tussle for the trophy will be between these three clay titans:
Something’s got to give in Paris, though, plus anyone would be a fool to write off Federer’s chances of taking his second French Open title.
Either way, it’s poised perfectly for a blockbuster tournament.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
