Rafael Nadal must be considered the favorite to win 2017 French Open

Rafael Nadal appears to be back in top playing form in 2017. The nine-time French Open men’s singles champion must be considered the favorite this year.

Rafael Nadal is a nine-time winner at Roland Garros.

The Spanish tennis superstar is commonly known as “The King of Clay.” He is now seen almost unanimously as the clear favorite to win the French Open. It’s for good reason.

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Nadal is surging on the 2017 ATP World Tour.

Now, with Swiss superstar Roger Federer skipping the French Open, Nadal tops even Novak Djokovic as the favorite for the title. The move on Federer’s part will likely set him up to continue his success on tour this year at later Grand Slam events. It also opens up the field at Roland Garros for Nadal.

Rafael Nadal already has three ATP titles in 2017.

Djokovic, coming in as the defending champion, recently split with his entire team and brought on Andre Agassi to work with him during the French Open. The move might improve his chances, but his play has been streaky so far in 2017.

Andy Murray has also seen both ups and downs on the ATP World Tour. With top players seeing such inconsistency, the recent strong play of Rafael Nadal places him atop the field as the favorite to win the French Open.

Only three players have won titles at Roland Garros since Nadal first claimed glory in 2005. Those players are Federer, Djokovic, and Stan Wawrinka. Murray is yet to win a title at the Grand Slam event. He did finish runner-up to Djokovic in the 2016 tournament.

Stay tuned to see how the action unfolds at the 2017 French Open.

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