4 Early Picks To Win Men’s French Open In 2022

The 2022 men’s tennis season has started with a bang. Rafael Nadal made a memorable two-set comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open men’s singles final. All eyes now turn to the red clay of Paris for the late-spring festival known as Roland Garros. There are two obvious favorites for the title, but what about the main contenders to the two heavyweights? That is the especially interesting question when you consider your picks for this title.

Rafael Nadal

You just saw Nadal win his 21^st major championship at the Australian Open. You saw Nadal win the tournament despite not being in peak physical condition after a long injury layoff. You saw Nadal figure out how to defuse the power of Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals and then Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals. He fell behind Medvedev by two sets in the final and appeared to be done, but he stayed in the fight and found a way to make a comeback. He got broken when serving for the title at 5-4 in the fifth set, but he broke right back and serve it out for a 7-5 win in the fifth set. Now Nadal, with 13 French Open titles already to his name, will go for No. 14 in Paris this year. He lost the title last year to Novak Djokovic, so you know he will be out for revenge, hungry for his 22^nd major title and leverage over Djokovic in the race to see who will be remembered as the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.

Novak Djokovic

The man who was not allowed to enter Australia and compete in the Australian Open will be out for blood in Paris, even though he will enter the tournament as the defending champion. The Australian Open snub certainly left a bitter taste in his mouth. He will be breathing fire in an attempt to not only defend his title, but win a 21^st major and tie Rafa instead of allowing Nadal to win No. 22 and take a two-major lead over him in the race for the most majors in men’s tennis history. Nadal will need to take some time off after his Australian Open title, and it’s worth remembering that he didn’t play Wimbledon or the U.S. Open after his bruising loss to Djokovic in the French Open semifinals. If Nadal is not fully healthy, which is a distinct possibility, Djokovic would become the clear favorite to win the tournament.

Alexander Zverev

The German made the semifinals of Roland Garros one year ago but lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets. Zverev certainly has the game and the athleticism to make a run, but he continues to lose high-pressure matches and has to find a way to cross that threshold before too long.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Though he got clobbered by Medvedev in the Australian Open semifinals, Tsitsipas beat Medvedev on clay last year at the French Open. Clay is his best surface. His explosive topspin forehand does so much damage on high-bouncing clay in warm weather in early June. He came one set from winning the tournament a year ago, but Djokovic defeated him. Tsitsipas struggles at Wimbledon and has not yet made the final of a hardcourt major tournament, but at the French Open, he is a frontline contender. Keep in mind that if Dominic Thiem gets healthy, the Austrian might be a factor again, but for now, it’s still Tsitsipas in the top four.