A Tale of Three Champions

The upcoming French Open concludes this year’s clay court season and not surprisingly, Rafael Nadal is once again favoured to win the tournament. The Spaniard has already won the Roland Garros six times- at par with the great Bjorn Borg, and is on the hunt for a record seventh. Indeed, a victory would make Nadal the greatest Roland Garros champion and clay court master, but the tournament has much more to offer than glory just for Rafa.

This is Novak Djokovic’s chance to assert his dominance in professional tennis. If Novak manages to defeat Rafa on his favourite turf, he will definitely prove his authority over his counterparts on all surfaces. Djokovic has been on a Grand Slam winning streak since Wimbledon last year and has the opportunity to win four Grand Slams in a row, a historic feat as no player has won four majors in a row since Serena Williams in 2003 and no man has done it since Rod Laver.

Nadal’s dominance on clay is the only reason why Federer has missed out on collecting all four Slams in a calendar year and if Djokovic wins the French Open, it would place him in a better position than Federer to complete the Calender Grand Slam, giving him a shot at becoming the first men’s player to do so in over four decades since Rod Laver did it twice in ’62 and ’69. The last player to have achieved the feat was Steffi Graf in ’88.

For the past five years or so, almost all the Grand Slams have been distributed among three players- Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. The three are fierce competitors and enjoy a thriving rivalry that is probably undisputed in the history of the game. Tennis is said to be a gladiator’s sport and these payers embody that spirit especially when they play each other and their games are nothing short of legendary.

Nadal looked in woeful touch at the start of the year and had been plagued by injuries in the recent past, but came back strong and was in scintillating form during the build up to Roland Garros. He has already notched up comprehensive victories in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome, where he did not drop a single set. His only disappointment was in Madrid, where he lost to compatriot Fernando Verdasco. To top it off, Rafa recently reclaimed his #2 ranking from Federer. It would certainly take a very brave person to bet against Rafa winning Roland Garros given his current form.

Djokovic, standing on the cusp of history, seems to have his work cut out. He will take heart from Verdasco’s victory in Madrid, knowing that even on clay Rafa can have an off-day. Given its implications, this is the most important tournament of his life so far as victory would mean the transition from a great player of his era to one of the legends of the game. Over the past twelve months, Novak has shown he is a level above his two main rivals and over the course of this year, especially with the Olympics looming ahead, he will either falter and always be remembered along with the other two as the greats of their generation or will carve himself a special place in history.

Federer’s days of glory seem to be behind him. Though no one can say that winning another major is beyond him, as he is certainly capable of beating absolutely any one on his day, his role seems to be that of a joker. He has shown some good form of late and had recently for a brief period of time, snatched Nadal’s place in the rankings. Even if his chances of winning the tournament are bleak, he certainly could play a part in shaping the fortunes of Djokovic and Nadal. A lot of critics are already saying he should retire and Federer would be itching to show them that true class does not fade easily.

The Federer-Djoko-Rafa triad will face stiff resistance from the likes of Ferrer, Veredasco, Berdych and Gasquet; all of whom are capable of pulling off major upsets. The French Open will make a thrilling tournament to watch and is sure to spring a few surprises. Will the current world order be shaken or will we witness history in the making? These are questions that will only be answered once the tournament begins, till then we can only speculate.