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3 contenders to watch besides the Big 3 at the French Open

By Justin Gincauskas

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Dominic Thiem of Austria hits a forehand against Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final of the men's singles during Day 15 of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Dominic Thiem of Austria hits a forehand against Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final of the men's singles during Day 15 of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images) /
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The French Open starts in less than two weeks, as the tournament is set to kick off on the 30th. On the men’s side, nothing has changed from a year ago. Nadal will still be the big favorite to lift the trophy in Paris, while Djokovic will be hoping for a big upset that could see himself getting within one of tying the Grand Slam record and becoming the first man to win every Grand Slam title at least twice.

Federer will also be playing in the French Open, which may or may not mean that this could be his last time playing on the red clay in Paris. Either way, it will be a difficult task for Federer to make a deep run in a tournament he has not won since 2009.

I believe there are three players that have the ability to beat the Big 3 at a Major when playing at their best, and have the best shot of taking the title from Nadal at the French. I see Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem as the three that are more than capable of winning this year’s French Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas might be one of the best clay court players not named Nadal right now on tour. I know that Tsitsipas has not played the best in his last two tournaments, failing to advance to the semis in either event, but he continues to push the best in the world to their limit. In Rome this past week, Tsitsipas defeated Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini in straight sets in the first two rounds before losing a tight three setter against Djokovic in which Tsitsipas won the first set.

Tsitsipas has also already beaten a member of the Big 3 in a Grand Slam this year, defeating Nadal in an epic five setter at the Australian Open in which Tsitsipas came back after being down two sets to love. Nadal did get his revenge in the Barcelona final, but Tsitsipas proved once again that you will have to play your absolute best if you are going to beat him. Tsitsipas is definitely a contender to watch at the French this year, as now could be the time where he captures his first Grand Slam title.

Alexander Zverev

Besides Djokovic, I see Alexander Zverev having the best chance to upset Nadal at the French Open. Zverev had one of the best weeks of his young career earlier this month in Madrid, taking out three players ranked inside the top 10 on his way to the Masters 1000 title. In the quarterfinals, Zverev shocked everyone by defeating Rafa Nadal in straight sets. He then took care of Dominic Thiem in the semis, before coming back from a set down in the final to defeat Berrettini.

Zverev still continues to struggle in the Grand Slams, making it past the quarterfinals only twice in his career. He has yet to beat a top 10 player in a Grand Slam, but has made strides in the last year, making the final at the US Open in 2020 and pushing Djokovic to four sets in Australia earlier this year. I believe that it is only a matter of time before Zverev wins his first Grand Slam, and if Nadal somehow stumbles in the early rounds, I could see Zverev taking the title at the French.

Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem has not had the best clay court season in 2021. He has only played two clay court tournaments so far, losing in the semis of Madrid to Zverev, then losing in the round of 16 in Rome to Lorenzo Sonego. Although he has not played the best as of late, he still has a ranking of four in the world and should be one of the favorites to win the French Open after Nadal and Djokovic.

Thiem already knows what it takes to win a Grand Slam title, winning the US Open last year. He also has had a ton of success on clay in his career, winning in Barcelona in 2019, and making the finals of the French Open in 2018 and 2019, where he ended up losing to Nadal both times. Thiem has proven that he can beat the best in the world at Grand Slams, defeating Djokovic twice at the French Open. He may not be entering the French Open in the best form, but nobody should ever count Thiem out on clay.

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