Australian Open 2019: French Open Predictions After Men, Women's Finals Results

It was a brilliant showing in Melbourne at the Australian Open for Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka. Both champions played their best tennis on the hard courts, and it was no surprise to see either one win.

Djokovic was the No. 1 seed, and he defeated Rafael Nadal in dominant fashion. Djokovic rolled to the title, pummeling Nadal by a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 margin at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

The Serb had all his weapons working, and Nadal was powerless to slow him down, let alone stop him. The victory marked Djokovic's seventh Australian Open title, moving him one ahead of Roger Federer and Roy Emerson.

Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press

It was also his third straight Grand Slam title, having earned the Wimbledon title and the U.S. Open championship in 2018. Djokovic has won 15 major championships in his career, leaving him five behind Federer and trailing Nadal by just two.

Osaka had to go three sets to beat gutsy Petra Kvitova in the women's championship. Osaka won the U.S. Open in September, meaning she has won back-to-back Grand Slam championships.

While Nadal couldn't overcome Djokovic down under, the next Grand Slam event on the calendar is the French Open, which is set for May 26-June 9. And even the most casual tennis fans know that Paris is Nadal's personal playground.

Nadal has won the French Open 11 time in his carer and there may be no stopping the 32-year-old when the tour hits the red clay of Roland-Garros.

There is every reason to expect a strong showing from Djokovic, and Federer can go deep in the tournament.

There are a number of challengers among the men who could contend in Paris, including Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, Kei Nishikori of Japan and American Frances Tiafoe. The Greek defeated Federer in the Australian Open.

Other potential contenders include Alexander Zverev of Germany, John Isner of the United States and Dominic Thiem of Spain.

On the women's side, Osaka has asserted herself by winning the past two Grand Slam events, but she is not guaranteed to have the same kind of success on clay.

Serena Williams can never be counted out, but the belief here is she will be better on the grass surface at Wimbledon than on the clay surface of Paris. Her power is better suited for the grass courts.

Simona Halep was the top-ranked player in the world until Osaka took that away from her with her Australian Open title. However, it would be wrong to count out Halep, who broke though and won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open last year.

Halep should be in an excellent position to defend her title. Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki should also be key contenders.

Predictions

A young player could come along to challenge Nadal in the French Open, but he is simply not going to get beaten on the red clay. He could get a tough time from Djokovic or Tsitsipas, but Nadal will pick up his 12th French Open title.

Halep has often had problems in the Grand Slam tournaments. It seemed she had turned things around when she won in Paris a year ago, but she was unable to add another triumph in London, New York or Melbourne.

She may have a problem once she reaches the semifinal or championship round in the form of Osaka.

The No. 1-ranked player in the world has shown her toughness and would love to make it three Grand Slams in a row.

However, we will give credit to Halep, and she will make it two French Open titles in succession.