Nadal, Zverev are biggest title contenders in Paris

While the women’s draw at Roland Garros has plenty of title contenders, the men’s tournament looks like it will continued to be ruled by one man, Rafael Nadal. While Nadal is on course for a staggering 11th French Open title, there are other contenders who could spoil his bid for “La Undecima”.

Here are the five favorites to hoist the men’s trophy in two weeks time at Roland Garros:

1

Rafael Nadal

The odds of Nadal defending his title in Paris seem even even higher after a near-perfect draw. The top seed is lucky to have Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem both land in the bottom half along with No. 2-seeded Alexander Zverev. While Denis Shapovalov could be a dangerous threat, having beaten him last year in Montreal, he won't have the experience to pull off the feat in Paris. Nadal starts his march against Simone Bolelli in the first round.

2

Alexander Zverev

While he may not have beaten the King of Clay on dirt this season, no one pushed Nadal harder than Zverev did a week ago in the Rome final. The young German, who also won titles in Munich and Madrid, will not face Nadal until the final. He could have to get past Thiem in the quarters and Novak Djokovic, making things harder for the 20-year-old to finally break through on a Grand Slam stage.

3

Dominic Thiem

The only man to beat Nadal on clay this season—three times in his career—is Thiem. He comes into Paris with confidence in his game but questions over his energy levels after battling hard to win the title in Lyon on Saturday. The Austrian is seeded No. 7 and could face rising youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two and Zverev in a blockbuster quarterfinal. With the exception of Nadal, no one favors the clay as much as Thiem, making him a serious contender to reach his first major final.

4

Novak Djokovic

The 2016 champion's confidence has increased after successful runs in Monte Carlo and Rome. The Serb comes into this year’s tournament seeded a low No. 20 and questions still surround him, but his hard-fought semifinal loss to Nadal last week was encouraging. The Serbian opens against Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva.

5

David Goffin

A dark horse throughout much of the clay-court season, David Goffin will be looking to capitalize on an open bottom half of the draw. While the Belgian crashed out of Paris a year ago with a terrible ankle injury after tripping on a tarp, he's healthy and ready to replace those bad memories with good ones. He'll start his campaign against Robin Haase.

Main-draw play kicks off Sunday at Roland Garros with Zverev and Goffin leading men’s action in Paris.

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