"Nadal always has to be right at the top" - Novak Djokovic on favorites for the French Open

In a pre-tournament press conference at the French Open, defending champion Novak Djokovic said Rafael Nadal is the top favorite at Roland Garros given his record in Paris.

Rafael Nadal is the most successful player in the history of the French Open. The Spaniard has won the tournament a whopping 13 times and has a 105-3 win-loss record on Parisian clay.

This makes him the man to beat despite his recent struggles with a chronic foot injury. Nadal limped to a three-set third-round loss against Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open last week.

"We talk about favorites for Roland Garros and clay, you know that Nadal always has to be right at the top, because of his records particularly in this tournament," Djokovic said.

Djokovic proceeded to add Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in a thrilling three-set semifinal at the Madrid Open two weeks ago, to the list of top contenders at Roland Garros. Alcaraz started the 2021 season as the World No. 141 and has since skyrocketed to No. 6 after picking up five titles, four of which have come this season.

"You have Alcaraz that obviously is the story of men's tennis in the last four or five months with a big reason. He's had some tremendous leaps forward on rankings and the results that he's been achieving are phenomenal for someone of his age," Djokovic stated.

Always confident in his own abilities, Novak Djokovic, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, said that he believes he's in contention to defend his title at Roland Garros.

"I feel I am always in that contention to fight for any Grand Slam trophy. I believe in my own abilities to get far and to fight for one of the most prestigious trophies in the world of tennis. As a defending champion, of course, more so, to believe I can do it again. Reliving the memories from last year is something that obviously gives me goosebumps and motivation to try to replicate that," said Djokovic.

"Rome has been a very successful tournament for me; just the week before Paris, perfect time to really find form" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic celebrates with his team after winning the Italian Open a sixth time.

Speaking about his clay season and his win at the Italian Open, Djokovic said that he's historically required "time and several tournaments" to find his footing on the red dirt.

The Serb added that he has always enjoyed playing in Rome and that it's the perfect time for him to find form, with the event ending a week before Roland Garros.

For me, historically, it always has required some time and several tournaments to really feel comfortable playing on clay. Rarely did I feel my best on clay in the first or second tournament in the season," Novak Djokovic said.

"Rome has been a very successful tournament for me in my career, and it was really coming at the right time. I always managed to get to the later stages of that tournament in just the week before Paris, perfect time to really find form," he added.

Djokovic won his sixth Rome title without dropping a set, defeating the likes of Stan Wawrinka, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the title.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are in the top half of the draw at the French Open. With Djokovic and Nadal seeded first and fifth respectively, they are expected to meet in a mouthwatering quarterfinal clash. Alcaraz could potentially meet the winner in the last four.