The top ATP contenders for the French Open

It’s been a renaissance 2017 for Rafael Nadal who has reestablished his playing form as the King of Clay, but there are formidable challengers in the way of his quest to win a 10th French Open title. Crafty veterans, hard-hitting prospects and a few worthy superstars could be spoilers or even the champion.

Roger Federer is the biggest name who will not figure in the chase for the Musketeers Cup. Notably, world No. 1 Andy Murray misses the cut as one of the top five contenders because he has struggled before and after the elbow injury that sidelined him in March.

5

Alexander Zverev

The 20-year-old German might prove that the future is now. His confidence is soaring after defeating Novak Djokovic for his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome. It literally pushed him to the next level: a Top 10 ranking.

Does Zverev resemble a young Gustavo Kuerten who got his breakthrough major at the 1997 French Open? It may just be the floppy hair, but he's also going to bring a stiff challenge to whoever faces him.

4

Despite getting pummeled by Djokovic in the Rome semifinals, Thiem continues to distinguish himself as one of the top clay-court players in the world. He was a finalist at Barcelona and Madrid where he fell to Nadal before finally turning the tables on the Spaniard in the Rome quarterfinals.

His comfort level on clay is nearly unmatchable (he has captured six of his eight titles in two years on dirt). The Austrian unleashes terrific power like a young Stan Wawrinka, and he might be ready to top last year’s semifinal run at Roland Garros.

3

Stan Wawrinka

There’s nothing too unusual about Wawrinka’s recent cold spell that has seen him collect only two wins at Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. The streaky Swiss won the 2015 French Open after looking lethargic for the preceding clay-court season, and he’s proven he can turn thing around quickly at majors.

The 32-year-old is also a fearless competitor who can hit through anyone when he locks into big matches, so it's tough to count him out, especially with his usual Federer shadow nowhere to be seen.

2

The decline of Djokovic’s dominance began after he finally won the French Open last year. He’s trying to recover his best form after parting ways with his longtime coaching team and he’s shown flashes of his form, most recently in a 6-1, 6-0 semifinal victory at Rome over Thiem.

But he also fell victim to Zverev’s in that final, and did not create a single breakpoint. He was also dominated by Nadal at Madrid. Fans will just have to wait and see if Roland Garros is the stage for his major turnaround.

1

Once again, the French Open revolves around Nadal. The Spaniard just turned in another monstrous season on clay with his 10th career titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona followed by his fifth title in Madrid. His 17-match winning streak ended in the Rome’s quarterfinals, but it also saved him a couple more physically grueling matches.

Most important, Nadal’s forehand is firing and his backhand has never looked better. He’s the master of fighting through the ups and downs on clay and he gained a mental edge on Djokovic after snapping a seven-match win streak to the Serb in the Madrid semifinals.

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