By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 24, 2020

Welcome to the first autumnal Roland Garros—and the debut of the retractable roof over Court Philippe Chatrier.

Reigning Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal aims to put a historic cap on Paris’ red clay.

Roland Garros Men's Draw Here

Nadal: New Balls Please!

The second-seeded Spaniard is playing for his record-extending 13th French Open crown to equal Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record by capturing his 20th career major championship.

The French Tennis Federation streamed the Roland Garros draw over YouTube and it presents a pretty positive picture for the king of clay.

Our Top 10 Takeaways from the Roland Garros men’s draw here:

Djokovic’s Draw—First Rate

Novak Djokovic made ignominious history hitting himself out of the US Open draw.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion will be swinging for the title in his Paris return.

Empowered by his run to a record 36th Masters crown in Rome, Djokovic will be thrilled by the fact two-time Roland Garros runner-up Dominic Thiem—who bounced the Serbian out of the 2019 semifinals in a blustery five-set triumph—is on Nadal’s side of the draw in the bottom half.

Though Djokovic’s lone Roland Garros crown came in 2016, he’s got a lot going in this French fortnight. Djokovic carries a 31-1 record into Paris, including a 7-0 mark vs. the Top 10. He’s dropped just one set en route to his fourth Rome title and believes cooler conditions will help him and hurt Nadal whom he declared beatable following his upset loss to Diego Schwartzman in Rome.

"Definitely Diego showed that Nadal is beatable on clay," Djokovic said. "The conditions that they played on, obviously heavy clay, not much bounce, humid, night session, we are going to have that, as well, in Paris. Night session, under the lights, as I said, a little bit less bounce, so I'm pretty sure that he does not prefer that to high bounce.

"I know he likes the high bounce. He likes the hot and warm and fast conditions where he can use his spin a lot. So, yeah, let's see. It's going to be interesting. I think even though he's the No. 1 favorite, I think there are players that can win against him there. It's obviously best-of-five, so you've got to be really fit to be able to achieve that."

The top seed opens vs. 22-year-old Swede Mikael Ymer with his first possible-seeded opponent No. 29-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the third round followed by a possible fourth-rounder vs. 15th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, who owns a win in Paris over the Serbian, albeit on the indoor court Bercy.

Nadal: Smooth Start, Stress-Test Second Week

A creature of habit, Rafael Nadal craves repetition and match play to tune-up his strokes and establish is range and rhythm.

The king of clay faces a series of adjustments: He’s played just three matches in the last seven months and was clearly working off the rust in his straight-sets Rome loss to Diego Schwartzman.

Nadal opens against 83rd-ranked Egor Gerasimov with his first possible seed No. 32-seeded Dan Evans, if the Briton gets by Kei Nishikori in his opener.



It gets interesting in the second week with the second seed potentially facing 14th-seeded nemesis Fabio Fognini in the fourth round, US Open finalist Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals followed by a potential blockbuster semifinal vs. Dominic Thiem, in what would be a rematch of the last two French Open finals.

Nadal will have to adjust to the new Wilson ball, which debuts at Roland Garros and the roof over Court Philippe Chatrier. Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova believes lack of red clay repetition and the cooler conditions of autumn will be Nadal’s biggest obstacles in his quest for the magic 20th major.

"The weather, it's going to be cold and rainy wet heavy condition,” Navratilova said. “Rafa likes it lively so that his topspin really pays off and he can move people around the court much better. The lower bounce not so much. These two things will go against him but he's still a heavy favorite.”

Nadal himself concurs: conditions will present a challenge.

"I think is a very strange situation for everyone," Nadal told the media in Paris. "The situation here is completely different than in Rome, no? The conditions to play tennis in Rome have been good. Here the conditions are very,very tough. The weather is so, so cold.

"That makes it difficult for everyone.But the conditions are a little bit extreme to play an outdoor tournament."

The second-ranked Spaniard isn't exactly bouncing with enthusiasm over the new Wilson ball calling it "super heavy" and suggesting it could be a health hazard.

“I practiced with the balls in Mallorca before the comeback. In Mallorca with warm conditions, the ball was very slow, I think not a good ball to play on clay, honestly,” Nadal told the media in Paris. “That is my personal opinion. Is not the right ball to play on clay court. Even with these conditions makes the things tougher, no?

"I really believe that the organization need to take a look on that for the next couple of years, for the health of the players, too, because the ball super heavy becomes dangerous for the elbow and for the shoulders, I think."

Thiem Dream Sequel

In his Coronavirus-interrupted season, Dominic Thiem plays for history as the first man to win the US Open and Roland Garros back-to-back.

Dominic Thiem attained the dream fighting off Alexander Zverev in the first fifth-set tiebreaker in US Open finalist history to earn his maiden major. Now he aims to join former coaching consultant Thomas Muster as the first Austrian man in 25 years to rule Roland Garros.

No time for a sleepy start for the third seed in Paris.

In a battle of the current and former US Open champions, Thiem takes on Marin Cilic, a French Open quarterfinalist in two of the past three years.

Thiem could face big-serving Reilly Opelka in the second round with Rome semifinalist Casper Ruud, who frequently trains with Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca looming in round three.

The good news for Thiem is he’s won 13 of his last 14 major matches, should be confident after breaking through for his maiden major and eager returning to his favorite surface.

"It's mentally a big challenge with these tough conditions," Thiem said. "I think there are going to be whole matches in rainy conditions, which is tough. It's similar like New York: the guys who will handle all the tough conditions, circumstances the best, they will go the furthest in the tournament."

Three Sleepers To Watch

We’re defining sleepers as players outside the Top 10 seeds:

(24) Borna Coric—The Croatian baseliner has yet to surpass the third round in five career appearances in Paris. Yet if you saw Coric dig in and deny six match points stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 in the fifth set en route to the US Open quarterfinals then you know how hard he fights. A fast and fit player with a knack for the backhand strike down the line, Coric is undefeated in deciding sets this year and owns a higher career winning percentage on clay (.570) than hard court (.517).

(28) Casper Ruud—Riding his heavy forehand, fast feet and quick-action serve, Ruud toppled Karen Khachanov, Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini to reach the Rome semis where he held set point before bowing to Djokovic. Yes, a potential third-round meeting with two-time finalist Thiem is a roadblock, but the 21-year-old Ruud is eager, energetic, won his first ATP title on the clay of Buenos Aires this year and training with Rafa on red clay should make him one of the better-prepared players in the field.

“He has that pattern of play on clay with a lot of spin. It's no accident he's in semifinals here in Rome,” Djokovic said after stopping Ruud in Rome. “I'm sure we will see more of him in the big tournaments, especially on this surface. I mean, he's got the game. He's physically fit. He just knows how to play on clay.”

 

 

 

 

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Great practicing today with @domithiem can’t wait to get started at the French Open! 🇫🇷🎾

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Sep 24, 2020 at 10:53am PDT

Jannik Sinner—A smooth mover and pure ball striker, Sinner has the skills to dictate against even elite opponents. Though the 19-year-old Italian faces a very stiff test in 11th-seeded David Goffin in his opener, Sinner defeated the Belgian baseliner in two tight sets in Rotterdam this season and should be encouraged by knocking off Benoit Paire and Stefanos Tsitsipas in succession en route to the Rome round of 16.

First-Round Matches to Watch

(3) Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Head-to-head: Thiem leads 3-0.

The first clay-court clash between the reigning and 2014 US Open champion is a rematch of the Flushing Meadows third-round, which Thiem won 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

(16) Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. (WC) Andy Murray (GBR)
Head-to-head: Murray leads 12-8.

Three-time champions can’t stay away from each other. They practiced together during qualifying week and will square off for the third time at Roland Garros with Wawrinka prevailing in the 2017 semifinals the year after Murray won in the 2016 semis.



(10) Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut leads 6-2.

The 11th-ranked Spaniard swept Gasquet at the Western & Southern Open last month. This marks their first clay clash and presents a contrast of styles with Bautista Agut aiming to control the court with his flat forehand against Gasquet’s wondrous one-handed backhand.

(9) Denis Shapovalov (CAN) vs. Gilles Simon (FRA)
Head-to-head: Shapovalov leads 1-0.

The left-handed Canadian backed up his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in New York with a rousing run to the Rome semifinals where he pushed Diego Schwartzman to 7-6 in the third set. Shapovalov brings explosive shotmaking, while Simon is skilled on the counter-striker and redirecting down the line.

Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. (11) David Goffin (BEL)
Head-to-head: Sinner leads 1-0

Clever baseliner Goffin is a 2016 Roland Garros quarterfinalist; the 19-year-old Sinner, who John McEnroe calls a future Top 5 player, knocked off Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the Rome round of 16.

Red Raw

US Open champion Dominic Thiem, Flushing Meadows finalist Alexander Zverev and semifinalist Daniil Medvedev all skipped Rome to rest and recover for Paris.

The trio has had about a week to train at Roland Garros so watching their transition to the terre battue will be interesting.

"The preparation on clay was not ideal," Thiem said. "I had two practice days in Austria, arrived two days ago here. I'm going to have four practice days here in Roland Garros. In total, six days practice on clay,which is not a lot.

"I also have to see how I handle the New York title because obviously it was physically and mentally very demanding. I hope that I'm 100% ready on Monday. All of that is a huge challenge for both of us, for all my team."

Haunting Hangover

Stefanos Tsitispas suffered an agonizing US Open loss squandering six match points in losing to Borna Coric.

Combine that wi,th the scar tissue Tsitsipas may feel returning to Roland Garros a year after falling to Stan Wawrinka 6-7, 7-5 ,4-6, 6-3 6-8 in the round of 16 and you have a psychological study in responding to tennis trauma.

Two-time Roland Garros champion and Tennis Channel analyst Jim Courier believes Tsitsipas will eventually emerge from these struggles stronger and master majors someday—if he can make some minor technical adjustments like refining his sometime stray ball toss.



“He's super talented. He's won big matches,” Courier said of Tsitsipas. “He's still very nascent. I'm looking forward to seeing him there.

“His match last year with Wawrinka was absolutely smashing at Roland Garros out on Suzanne Lenglen. That was another close match that he lost. He's lost some tight ones in the majors. That may weigh on him in a major when he gets back to a fifth set, scroll through his memories, conjure up some bad stuff there.

“I would encourage him to think about how much upside he has, keep going with his passion. He's a great personality for our sport. He's going to do well. He's going to win majors.”

Oddsmakers Favorites

The king of clay is the oddsmakers obvious ruler.

No surprise here: Oddschecker reports l2-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal is a +100 bet to make history and defend his crown suggesting he has a 50 percent chance of winning his record-extending 13th Roland Garros championship before a match is played.

Dominic Thiem’s odds of winning the French Open have come down to +300, putting him equal with Novak Djokovic as co second-favorites behind Nadal.

Odds on other notable names:

• Stefanos Tsitsipas +3300
• Daniil Medvedev +4000
• Felix Auger-Aliassime +5000
• Alexander Zverev +6000

Television Schedule

Beginning Sunday, September 27th, at 5 a.m. Eastern time, Tennis Channel's 14th year of coverage of the 15-day main draw gets underway with matches from the first ball of play.

In all, Tennis Channel plans to devote more than 330 hours to televised Roland Garros coverage, including 120 live and another 210 during encore replays each evening.



Typically, the network launches coverage with the start of play each morning at 5 a.m., with live coverage through approximately 3 p.m. Eastern time when matches conclude.

Tennis Channel's Live 2020 Roland Garros Coverage

• Sunday, September 27  5 a.m.-3 p.m. First Round
• Monday, September 28  5 a.m.-3 p.m. First Round
• Tuesday, September 29  5 a.m.-3 p.m. First Round
• Wednesday, September 30  5 a.m.-3 p.m. Second Round
• Thursday, October 1  5 a.m.-3 p.m. Second Round
• Friday, October 2  5 a.m.-3 p.m. Third Round
• Saturday, October 3  5 a.m.-Noon Third Round
• Sunday, October 4  5 a.m.-Noon Round of 16
• Monday, October 5  5 a.m.-3 p.m. Round of 16
• Tuesday, October 6  6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Quarterfinals
• Wednesday, October 7  6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Quarterfinals
• Thursday, October 8  5 a.m. - 2 p.m. Women's Singles Semifinals Men's Doubles Semifinals
• Friday, Octobert 9  5 a.m.-4 p.m. Men's Singles Semifinals, Women's Doubles Semifinals
• Saturday, October 10  5 a.m.-9 a.m. Girls' Singles and Doubles Finals
• Sunday, Octobert 11  5:30 a.m.-9 a.m. Women's Doubles Final

MSG Networks announced it will be airing 36 hours of live coverage of Roland Garros, starting on Sunday, September 27th.

The network’s tournament coverage will include four hours of live match play from 5:00-9:00 a.m. Eastern time each day through Monday, October 5th on MSG. Coverage will then re-air in primetime each night on MSG from 7:00-11:00 p.m Eastern time.