After a number of weeks on the clay courts, the French Open will begin on Sunday 22nd May and it is shaping up to be a decent tournament.
After the draw was made on Thursday, the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud could be looking to have a really strong fortnight as they are on the opposite half of the tournament to the big favourites at the second Slam of the season.
Both of these players mentioned are very comfortable on the clay courts and would have felt they were going to have a strong fortnight regardless of the draw, but you cannot help but appreciate the way things have shaped up if you are a part of their teams.
Novak Djokovic won the Rome Masters and will be feeling like he is peaking just in time, while Rafael Nadal remains one of the top clay courters in the world even when dealing with a foot injury. Carlos Alcaraz is the Madrid Champion and is arguably the best player in the world right now and should be well rested, while Alexander Zverev has reached the business end of multiple Grand Slams, but all four of these players are in the same top half of the draw.
Coming through the section will be difficult, while you will have to question how much could be taken out of the tank before the Men's Final and that may pave the way for someone like Stefanos Tsitsipas or Casper Ruud to win a maiden Slam title.
Personally I think it comes down to Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz with the two set for a monster Semi Final match if they can work their way through the draws, but it is going to be a very interesting Grand Slam where the key is to get through the early Rounds as comfortably as possible and not get dragged into the long clay court matches that can sometimes develop.
Iga Swiatek is clearly the player to beat on the Women's side of the tournament and I honestly think it will take an 'act of God' for her to fail to add to the French Open title she won a couple of years ago. Barring injury, the World Number 1 should be able to produce a level of tennis that is unlikely to be matched by the others in the draw and I think Iga Swiatek is going to win the tournament.
Finding someone to oppose Iga Swiatek is not easy- the defending Champion Barbora Krejcikova is going to take part, but is coming in off a long layoff and I don't think she will be able to reach the Final again.
Ons Jabeur has had a really strong clay court season and I think she could be the player to come out of the bottom half of the draw, but the Women's game is pretty open behind the current World Number 1 and I think we are in for a fun tournament to see who can work their way into a position to try and at least challenge Iga Swiatek like we have not seen for a number of months.
It has not been the best clay court season for the Tennis Picks and I have been disappointed by the efforts in the Madrid Masters which have seriously dented the season numbers.
However, I am still feeling pretty happy with the approach going into the French Open and I am looking for a strong event to round out this portion of the year before the move onto the grass courts and the lead into Wimbledon.
The First Round is going to be split over three days to open the event, but there are some rainy conditions in Paris and I think that is going to play a little bit of havoc with the schedule. A new Night Session at Roland Garros should make for interesting viewing for the fans at the event and those watching at home and I will be hoping that the weather doesn't affect any of my selections.
Rain delays can break momentum pretty quickly so it is something to consider.
Day 1 of the French Open gets going on Sunday and my selections from the day will be in this thread. Hopefully this can be the start of a really good two weeks to close out the clay court season.
Grigor Dimitrov - 6.5 games v Marcos Giron: This is a rematch of a First Round match at Roland Garros twelve months ago when Marcos Giron upset Grigor Dimitrov. However, it was a match in which the latter looked to be in complete control before his body let him down and the match was actually not completed on that day as Marcos Giron was able to move through to the Second Round.
He is going to need another upset if he is going to get past Grigor Dimitrov in 2022 and I think it is asking a lot of Marcos Giron when you consider the form of the two players during this clay court season.
The American did have a solid win over Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in the Rome Masters, but that has been a rare success for Marcos Giron who has a 3-8 record on the clay courts in 2022. The serve has remained relatively vulnerable on the clay, but Marcos Giron has really struggled when it comes to the return of serve and his numbers have dipped significantly from the return numbers produced last season.
Even those are not really that encouraging and Grigor Dimitrov has reached the Semi Final at the Monte Carlo Masters and may have had further strong runs if not running into one of the top clay courters on the Tour in Stefanos Tsitsipas. Grigor Dimitrov has an 8-4 record on the clay courts this season, but three of those losses have come against Tsitsipas, while the Bulgarian has been pretty strong behind his serve and has a real edge over Marcos Giron when it comes to the return of serve.
I expect that to make the difference for Grigor Dimitrov in this First Round match and I think he has looked stronger going into the French Open than he would have felt in 2021.
Grigor Dimitrov was dominating the return of serve in that match against Marcos Giron here last year and I think he is going to have a serious edge on this side of the court again. This may be a big spread, but he won the first two sets 6-4, 6-2 last year at the French Open against this opponent and I do think Dimitrov is playing well enough to earn the majority of break points in this one too.
As long as he plays the big points efficiently, Grigor Dimitrov can win this match and cover the handicap mark set out.
Alexander Zverev - 8.5 games v Sebastian Ofner: Qualifiers can be dangerous opponents early in any tournament, but it does feel that the Men's Grand Slam matches gives the higher Ranked players plenty of chances to turn a match around if making a slow start. Sebastian Ofner has won three matches in Paris to reach the main draw, but Alexander Zverev will not be too concerned about the opponent and instead will want to make sure he moves through to the Second Round without exerting too much energy.
That has been an issue for Alexander Zverev in his career, but he has had a strong clay court season and will be confident of his chances at the French Open. He has landed in the tough top half of the draw and the German is going to have to improve his returning if he is going to win a first Slam title.
Alexander Zverev's return numbers have been someway down on his previous levels on the clay courts, and it has put additional pressure on the serve.
However, I do think he is going to have far too much for Sebastian Ofner who has had a decent year on the clay courts, but who has largely been operating at a much lower level than the one he is faced with on Day 1 at the French Open. Sebastian Ofner did win six of the seven sets played in Qualifying, but he is going to have to serve at a level he has rarely been able to sustain and I do think this is a match in which Alexander Zverev can build his confidence and momentum the longer it goes.
The higher Ranked player crushed Sebastian Ofner at Wimbledon in 2017 and I think the clay courts should offer Alexander Zverev plenty of opportunities to break serve.
He should be able to push forward with the pressure mounting on a player Ranked outside the top 200 in the World Rankings and I think Alexander Zverev will earn the six or seven breaks of serve he will likely need to eventually cover this handicap mark.
MY PICKS: Grigor Dimitrov - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Alexander Zverev - 8.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)
Christopher O'Connell - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Jaime Munar - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Felix Auger-Aliassime - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
John Isner - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Fabio Fognini - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Carlos Alcaraz - 9.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Ons Jabeur - 5.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Beatriz Haddad Maia - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Maria Camila Osorio - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Petra Martic - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Dalma Galfi - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Cori Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
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