ATP Roland Garros / French Open, Paris, France, 2019

[tented]

DATE: May 23 - June 9
SURFACE: Clay
PRIZE MONEY: €21,330,500
FIELD SIZE: 128
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rafael Nadal

Seeds:
1 Novak Djokovic
2 Rafael Nadal
3 Roger Federer
4 Dominic Thiem
5 Alexander Zverev
6 Stefanos Tsitsipas
7 Kei Nishikori
8 Juan Martin del Potro
9 Fabio Fognini
10 Karen Khachanov
11 Marin Cilic
12 Daniil Medvedev
13 Borna Coric
14 Gael Monfils
15 Milos Raonic
16 Nikoloz Basilashvili
17 Marco Cecchinato
18 Diego Schwartzman
19 Roberto Bautista Agut
20 Guido Pella
21 Denis Shapovalov
22 Alex de Minaur
23 Lucas Pouille
24 Fernando Verdasco
25 Stan Wawrinka
26 Felix Auger-Aliassime
27 Gilles Simon
28 David Goffin
29 Kyle Edmund
30 Matteo Berrettini
31 Dusan Lajovic
32 Laslo Dere

The Tournament:

A French national tournament has been held since 1891. For some time it was open only to French citizens, or members of French clubs. In 1925, it was opened to international amateurs, and in 1968 it was the first Grand Slam event to go "open," allowing amateurs and professionals to compete. It has always been played on clay.

About the City:

Paris is one of the most charismatic and romantic cities in the world. It is an art mecca, a gastronomic destination, a film capital and the crossroads of Europe. It is the City of Light, softly beautiful in its gardens, monuments and boulevards, and hard-edged, in its blue-collar neighborhoods, its banlieue. Go to the top of the hill at Sacre Coeur at sunset and watch the lights come up.

Tourism Guide:

 

[tented]

The Draw:

 

[kskate2]

Very interesting draw.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I think seeds will hold at the bottom and Nadal-Tits is one semi. Up top, it will be Thiem-Zverev though.

 

[atttomole]

Who has the toughest draw among the four top seeds?

 

[El Dude]

Projected 4Rs (based on seeding):

Djokovic - Coric
Zverev - Fognini
Thiem - Monfils
Del Potro - Khachanov

Tsitsipas - Cilic
Federer - Cecchinato
Nishikori - Medvedev
Nadal - Basilashvili

 

[El Dude]

Who has the toughest draw among the four top seeds?

Hard to say, but I think probably Novak. His section isn't soft and he'll probably have to face either Fognini or Zverev, possibly Kyrgios in the QF. Then probably Thiem in the SF.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Hard to say, but I think probably Novak. His section isn't soft and he'll probably have to face either Fognini or Zverev, possibly Kyrgios in the QF. Then probably Thiem in the SF.

No way Krygios will make it to the QFs..his bipolar meds will not last long

 

[Moxie]

Djokovic gets Hurcacz first round...that's not an easy start. And Roger gets an Italian clay courter in Sonego, also not a great place to start if you're 37. Rafa gets a qualifier, then plays the winner of two qualifiers. Sounds soft, but it does depend on the qualifiers.

 

[Moxie]

Also of note: del Potro has got a terrible path. He gets Jarry 1st round, then FAA looms, and if he gets past him, a likely 4th round v. Khachanov. And he's in Thiem's quarter.

 

[Carol]

If Thiem doesn't play too good he probably couldn't reach not even the semis, I think he has the tougher draw. Meanwhile the top three players will reach the quarter without any problem. Later we'll see how they are playing and the others too or who had gone home already. The draw always is changing, always!

 

[roberto]

As Tignor said: "Rafa couldn't have a better draw if he picked it himself!" Away from ALL of his nemeses!

 

[Moxie]

If Thiem doesn't play too good he probably couldn't reach not even the semis, I think he has the tougher draw. Meanwhile the top three players will reach the quarter without any problem. Later we'll see how they are playing and the others too or who had gone home already. The draw always is changing, always!

You've said this before. To be clear, the draw doesn't change. Only how it shakes out. Personally, I'd give Thiem a greater chance of going deep than Roger.

 

[Carol]

You've said this before. To be clear, the draw doesn't change. Only how it shakes out. Personally, I'd give Thiem a greater chance of going deep than Roger.

Yes, the draw always changes, whatever seems to be difficult then later become easier, you can't follow the "names" but how is playing each one plus injuries which unfortunately there are

 

[Moxie]

Yes, the draw always changes, whatever seems to be difficult then later become easier, you can't follow the "names" but how is playing each one plus injuries which unfortunately there are

I know what you mean...you can't be sure that the seeded player or top player will make it to the place they are expected. But the draw doesn't change. Say Djokovic were to go out early. They're not going to put Thiem in his slot to keep a top seed in his place. From today, the draw will not change. What will change is who wins going forward, and therefore expectations within the draw. It's not just you, though. A lot of people will complain about an "easy" draw for a player, when it didn't start out easy. What will have happened is that it "opened up," meaning that complicated players got knocked out of someone's way. The draw is the draw. How it plays out is a different question.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Who has the toughest draw among the four top seeds?

I don't know about that. But, I can say for sure who has easiest draw.

Without any question it is Ralph.

Let us look at his path.

1R: Qualifer (by def, someone ranked outside 100).

2R: Winner of Q vs. Q. (he is guaranteed to play another one out of top 100).

Note: Ralph is a confidence player and so it is more difficult to take him out in later rounds. With two sacrificial lambs to feast on, he will round up to form even if he had lost Rome (which of course he did not).

3R: Goffin (a man who has zero weapons to disturb Ralph)

4R: Bailashville (Ralph fed bakery products to him in Rome 6-1, 6-0; Need I say more).

QF: Nishikori (In each one of the last four clay tourneys, he lost matches he was supposed to win. He lost to players
ranked below him such as Shortman, Theman, Coinman, Doublesman; He has 0 chance vs. B grade Ralph).

SF: Rafa could potentially draw Thiem who has beaten him recently or draw Fed whom he has beaten multiple times at RG.
Whom does he draw, the man with match-up issues.

F: Here no one can complain as it is fixed.

So, in a nutshell, I am ready to give the 12th RG to Ralph right today notwithstanding his three clay losses this year.

Thanks ESPN for not choosing to broadcast RG.

Wake me up when the grass is green.

 

[Moxie]

Did you really just write that it's "fixed?"

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Did you really just write that it's "fixed?"

"fixed" as in nothing can be done about. There are no other options. Not "fixed" in the sense of someone manipulated it.

 

[Moxie]

"fixed" as in nothing can be done about. There are no other options. Not "fixed" in the sense of someone manipulated it.

Do you think it's a guaranteed Rafa/Nole redux then? I'm not convinced that Novak makes it to the final, given his draw.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Do you think it's a guaranteed Rafa/Nole redux then? I'm not convinced that Novak makes it to the final, given his draw.

You just gave a big lecture to Carol and you don't understand my statement. I am not saying anything about Nole making it and not making it. All I said was that we did not have to wait for the draw to come out to know that Ralph's projected opponent in the final is Nole.

To answer your question, No Novak won't be there in the final. Ralph win against someone else.