Tennis: Djokovic and Nadal Ready for French Open Battle

Novak Djokovic is the most dominant athlete in the world right now. To stay that way he will almost certainly need to overcome the greatest clay court Tennis player the world has ever known. To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man and Rafael Nadal is in no mood to relinquish his crown.

Immortality awaits
The historical barriers keep on falling before Novak Djokovic. Since beginning the streak by winning the Davis Cup in December, the Serb has been an unstoppable force in Tennis. In addition to the Australian Open crown, he has picked up titles in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid, and Rome. During that span he gone 39-0 including 4-0 against Rafael Nadal, his biggest rival in Paris. He will set a new record for the best ever start to a Tennis season if he makes the semi finals in Paris. If he wins the whole tournament, then Djokovic will tie Guillermo Vilas’ all-time record winning streak of 46-0.

Not in my house
There’s just one slight problem. Djokovic may have a perfect record against Nadal, the world #1, but the Spaniard has only ever lost one match at the French Open. Paris may not be Nadal’s home town but make no mistake, the French capital’s red clay is his turf. A best-of-five war with Nadal will ask plenty of questions of the Serb but so far Djokovic has passed every test with flying colours. It’s also worth noting that Nadal has never gone the distance in Paris. Djokovic, who suffered from notable fitness problems before switching to a gluten free diet, has shown he is ready for a war with the Spaniard if that’s what it takes to wear the crown.

The verdict
This is not a two man tournament so it’s worth looking at Andy Murray, at +1800, and Robin Soderling, at +3300, as outside chances for the title. Soderling has made the last two finals and is the only man to ever beat Nadal in Paris. Murray meanwhile pushed Djokovic closer to defeat than anyone else during the streak, losing in a final set tie-break last week. In reality it’s extremely unlikely that the final will see anything other than a Nadal vs Djokovic pairing. They say that all streaks come to an end and no doubt the Serb will eventually lose again. It’s not going to happen in Paris. Bet on Novak Djokovic to win at +125 with Sports Interaction.