No matter what happens in Paris this coming week, we will be crowning a new Grand Slam men’s single champion.
Who would have thought that a week ago? Jannik Sinner’s recent 30-match winning streak appeared to have made the clay-court spectacle a foregone conclusion. But this year’s French Open has had more twists than a Christopher Nolan film, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both squandering two-sets-to-love leads before crashing out of the tournament. Honestly, I think this is exactly what the men’s game needed. Sure, Alcaraz’s absence casts a significant shadow over proceedings. But a new Grand Slam champion- regardless of who it is- will help reinvigorate the men’s stale narrative (Sinneraz was becoming a bit monotonous).
Sinner a victim of his own success
Sinner’s 2nd round defeat at the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundolo could very well go down as the greatest French Open upset of the 21st century (men or women). Sinner came into the match on a 30-match winning streak and appeared to be sauntering to victory against the Argentine, leading by two sets and 5-1 in the 3rd. Nothing to see here, right? Wrong. Sinner fell victim to the oppressive heatwave that has engulfed the whole of Europe, battling bouts of dizziness and dehydration as he somehow conspired to lose from a seemingly unlosable position. It was the sporting equivalent of watching Achilles getting killed by random solider no.5. I think you could make an argument that both Sinner and Alcaraz have fallen victim to their own success in recent weeks. These guys practically play the entire tournament every time they set foot on court, and the physical toll of such excellence was bound to catch up to them. The first thing that went through my mind after Sinner’s defeat was simple: this is Djokovic’s time to finally grab his 25th Grand Slam title.
Fonesca tames Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s tournament ended in similarly head-scratching fashion, as the Serbian went down in five sets to Brazilian wunderkind Joao Fonesca. Hiis 3rd round loss to Fonesca marked just the 2nd time in his career that he lost a Grand Slam match after leading by two-sets-to-love (the other coming against Jurgen Melzer in the 2010 French Open). Djokovic didn’t capitulate in quite the same manner as Sinner but was rather outplayed by the big-hitting Brazilian. Fonesca just opened his shoulders when facing the two-set deficit, dismantling Djokovic’s renowned defensive game with some of the purest shot-making you are likely to see. Fonesca followed up that unlikely Djokovic comeback win with a methodical showing against Casper Rudd. Can Fonesca emulate hero Gustavo Kuerten and bring the title back to Brazil?
Zverev the presumptive favourite
Who would have thought that Alex Zverev- who has lost part of his soul to Jannik Sinner this season- would be going into the 2nd week of the French Open as the presumptive favourite? The 2nd seeded German has looked relatively assured amidst all the other chaos, dropping just one set en route to the quarterfinals. This is surely his time. One thing is for sure, I don’t think he will ever recover if he doesn’t finish the job this week. However, he will be up against crowd sentiment as he prepares to face off against teenage sensation Rafael Jodar.
Jodar the next big thing
Rafael Jodar has captured the imagination during this clay-court campaign. Ranked outside the top 700 just over 12 months ago, Jodar has exploded on the sticky stuff, winning a title in Marrakech before impressive runs during some of the premier events. And he created history with his 4th round comeback win over veteran Pablo Carreno Busta, becoming just the 3rd Spaniard to reach the French Open quarters on debut (the others being Juan Carlos Ferrero and Rafael Nadal). Jodar possesses a forehand that can rival fellow teenager Fonesca. But what impressed me most was his fabulous touch and hustle around the net (he is surprisingly dexterous for a guy flirting with 6ft 4in). You add that to his raw power and you have the recipe for a potential Grand Slam champ. I really think he could harness that crowd against Zverev (even though the German is quite used to playing the de facto villain). Anything is possible right now.
