Alex Corretja previewed the upcoming Roland Garros for Telegraf in an exclusive interview explaining how it might go down.
The Eurosport tennis analyst has a clear set of names who could enjoy a deep run at the 2nd grand slam of the season. Two of them are Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Asked about their chances in Paris, he said:
"We don't know what Rafa will be like. If he is healthy, we will still have to see what results he will have in the first week. There is no doubt that he will be a dangerous opponent to everyone, because that is Rafael Nadal, the best player of all time on clay. On the other hand, Alcaraz is in a world where everything is perfect. He plays great with many variations, he took Barcelona and Madrid. He rested for a couple of weeks and is now hungry."
When asked to compared them to Novak Djokovic and his recent form, Corretja said:
"It will be decided by whether Djokovic and Nadal will keep their consistency or whether Alcaraz's enthusiasm will come to the fore. That is the only thing that should be 'unpacked' in the coming weeks. It's difficult to say who has the best chances... If you look at the ATP list and the moment, Novak is in a good position, and Rafa is the only one with a question mark."
Asked whether he thinks Novak is the closes to winning it he said:
"He is in a great position before coming to the tournament. I'm not sure if I should call him the exclusive favorite, because it depends on whether Nadal will get into his rhythm. Alcaraz should be placed a little below them, because he is younger and we don't know how he will cope with two weeks of play and five-set matches. Novak still deserves credit to be the favorite, as we speak."
And finally because this is tennis, Corretja also named some players that might disrupt the three main favourites of the event:
"One must always think seriously about Tsitsipas and Zverev. They reach the quarterfinals and are very difficult to get around. There are also guys like Rublev and Ruud, they are also a difficult obstacle. You don't want to play against them in the early stages of the tournament, it's important that you have a strong position on the ATP list in order to avoid them. Norrie, De Minaur, Hurkacz, Sinner, Auger-Aliassime must also be mentioned... They are dangerous. I'm not saying they will win the French Open, but they are tough opponents."
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