Can Novak Djokovic Complete the Double Grand Slam?
Novak Djokovic enters the French Open holding no grand slams and as an underdog to win the title. An odd sight for a player who once had a grapple hold over tennis, especially after the 2016 French Open, where he held all four slams at the same time.
But its 2018 now, and Djokovic is a different player. After a mixed 2017 campaign, Djokovic took time off from tennis to better rehabilitate his injured elbow. After a mixed return to the sport in the Australian Open, Djokovic underwent a surgery for his elbow in February and had what could be called a colossal failure of a comeback in the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells + Miami), where he crashed out in his first match in both tournaments. The aftermath included firing Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek as his coaches and the return of Marian Vajda and Gebhard Gritsch as his coach and fitness coach, respectively.
How his game adds up
His clay season since then has been better and a reason for cautious optimism. While the start to his clay season was not optimal, every match he lost was in three tight sets. This was not the case in Rome, where he reached the semi-finals and pushed Nadal to the brink in the first set in his straight sets loss in what seemed to be a return of form. His movement, footwork, positioning and groundstrokes all looked leaps better than in his previous matches. But most importantly, the intensity that seemed to have vanished was back as he battled his way to good form. This is very encouraging news in a time where most people had started to dismiss Novak as a top gun.
How are his chances in Roland Garros
Despite slipping to the bottom half of the draw as the 20th seed, Djokovic has a favourable draw that could see him potentially reach the semi-finals without too much of a problem, provided his form is good. He faces David Ferrer in the second round. While this could be seen as a difficult match, previous occasions indicate otherwise. They’ve not played a match against each other since 2015 and Ferrer last won a match against him in 2011. Besides, Ferrer has been slowly slipping down the rankings as his form falls. Bautista Agut, his third round opponent, carries a similar story.
Either Fernando Verdasco or Grigor Dimitrov will meet him in the fourth round. With Dimitrov, it is unlikely that he’ll reach the fourth round given his current form and the fact that he’s not gotten past the third round in Roland Garros. Verdasco, on the other hand, might creep his way to the last 16 and could pose a challenge to Djokovic.
Goffin or Carreno Busta await in the Quarterfinals. Busta has never defeated Djokovic on clay while Goffin is currently in mixed form.
The Semifinals onwards gets difficult. He faces either Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev, both of whom have had good clay seasons (more so for Zverev) and a final with Rafa. The going looks tough.
Next: Can Dominic Thiem win his first Grand Slam?
Conclusion
It seems unlikely that Djokovic will get past the semi-finals at best given his current form. Unless there’s a major upswing in form, it seems likely that Djokovic might not be able to capture his second French Open title. But what do you think? Can Djokovic do it? Or does the title have Rafa’s name written on it?