French Open 2019: Preview, draw analysis and predictions

The second Grand Slam of the year is all set to begin, promising a fortnight of high-octane tennis. With both the tour veterans and newcomers having shown promise over the clay-court season, the battle for the Roland Garros 2019 title is expected to be a fierce affair.

Here is a look at the prospects of some of the top players.

First quarter

Expected quarterfinal: Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev

Analysis: Novak Djokovic has been handed a fairly easy draw this year and should reach the fourth round without having to break a sweat. A probable last-16 encounter against either Croatia's Borna Coric or Canda's Dennis Shapovalov would be the first real test for the Serb at this year's tournament.

The other section of Djokovic's quarter does not boast of a lot of big names either. Barring the seeds, there aren't any players in the section with much Grand Slam success. But Fabio Fognini is one to watch out for despite his notoriously inconsistent style of play.

If recent results are anything to go by, fifth-seed Alexander Zverev is set for another disappointing Grand Slam campaign. That said, he does have a relatively docile draw (with Dusan Lajovic being the only serious challenger on paper), and would hope to gain some confidence as the tournament progresses.

My picks: Novak Djokovic vs Fabio Fognini

Second Quarter

Expected quarterfinal: Dominic Thiem vs Juan Martin del Potro

Home favorite Gael Monfils would be looking to work some magic at Roland Garros

While fourth seed Dominic Thiem is set to face seasoned opponents in the form of Pablo Cuevas, Kyle Edmund, Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils in his section, Juan Martin del Potro will likely cross paths with young guns including Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov.

Thiem will fancy his chances of going deep into the tournament, with an eye on bettering his finals showing from last year. He will have to be patient against some of his opponents though, Verdasco and Cuevas in particular, who play their best tennis on clay. That said, Thiem should not find it too hard to make it to the last-8.

Del Potro meanwhile may not look like the strongest contender coming into the tournament, but there is little reason to doubt his capabilities. If his serve and forehand are in good shape, his opponents will find him hard to stop.

My picks: Dominic Thiem vs Juan Martin del Potro.

Third Quarter

Expected quarterfinal: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roger Federer

Big-serving Ernests Gulbis would be eager to defend his fourth-round showing from last year

This could easily be the most mouth-watering quarter, with Stefanos Tsitspas and Roger Federer at opposite ends of it.

Getting to the third round should be easy for Tsitsipas. But the road from then on is laden with obstacles in the form of probable encounters against Frances Tiafoe and one of three former top-5 players: Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, or Marin Cilic. It's hard to predict which one of these three will make it to the fourth round.

Federer will have to be wary of big-serving Ernest Gulbis and clay-court specialist Diego Schwartzman. The other players in the draw should not trouble the Swiss too much.

My picks: Stan Wawrinka vs Roger Federer

Fourth Quarter

Expected quarterfinal: Kei Nishikori vs Rafael Nadal

Richard Gasquet has traditionally performed well in front of his home crowd.

Kei Nishikori may face a former top-10 opponent in the form of home favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. While he might have a slight edge in that match-up, his task only gets harder from there on.

Awaiting in the next rounds would probably be some of the top-performing newcomers on tour including Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev.

Rafael Nadal will be up against qualifiers in the first two rounds, but might face some resistance from players like David Goffin and Richard Gasquet. Nadal losing out before the quarterfinals, however, looks like a very unlikely scenario at this point.

My picks: Daniil Medvedev vs Rafael Nadal

Notable first round matches

Fabio Fognini vs Andreas Seppi

Ivo Karlovic vs Feliciano Lopez

Janko Tipsarevic vs Grigor Dimitrov

Richard Gasquet vs Mikhail Zverev