2012 French Open Preview: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer

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at Internationaled.org

Published: May 26, 2012

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Well, folks, here we are again.  It's springtime in Paris, the terra bateau at Roland Garros is in fine shape, and Rafael Nadal is once more the prohibitive favorite.  The pick?  Nadal to win.

(...unrestrained yawning...) 

And there you have it.  The cat's out of the bag.  So much for suspense.  You can quit reading now, if you like.

(...mild disbelief?  Then...)

"In other news, stocks took a beating again today amid investor concerns that the European debt crisis would continue to spiral...."

Hold on, mon amis!  Sacre bleu, where's the fun in that?!  Let's preview the Big Three anyway, Andy Murray, too (why not?), and throw in a few longshots just for good measure.  Stay with me.  Here we go.

 

The Prohibitive Favorite: Rafael Nadal.

With all due respect to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, this is Nadal's tournament to lose until he decides to hang 'em up.  

He's won here six times.  It's his home away from home.  

Only Robin Soderling beats Rafa here (see 2009), and Soderling is MIA this year (nobody's seen hide nor hair of him on a tennis court in years, or so it seems) and is happily expecting a baby soon.  Best wishes, Robin.  Hope baby and baby-mama do well.  



Moreover, Nadal seems to have solved the Djokovic riddle.

Yes, Rafa lost seven straight finals to the Serb until Rafa prevailed a month ago in Monte Carlo and last week in Rome, both in straight sets.  How did he do it?  Well, in typical, stubborn, Rafa fashion: He put in considerable blood, sweat and tears on the practice court, subtly tweaking a few aspects of his game and played aggressive, mostly mistake-free tennis.

 

But perhaps more significantly, he waited for a drop in Djokovic's absurdly high level of play.  And fortunately...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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