Five Specialists to Look Out For Ahead of the Clay Court Season

It received’t be too lengthy now till spring has sprung, which can lead elite tennis into its clay court docket season.

All eyes can be on Roland Garros, with each the lads’s and ladies’s attracts of the French Open shaping as much as be as wide-open as they’ve ever been.

We have now no actual concept about Rafa Nadal’s conditioning, though we do know that Novak Djokovic – recent from a hurtful defeat within the Australian Open remaining – shouldn’t be at all times probably the most snug on clay.

There have been eight completely different winners of the ladies’s occasion up to now decade, which alone tells us how troublesome it’s to win – and retain – the trophy.

So right here’s a quintet of harmful outsiders to observe heading into the clay court docket marketing campaign.

Alexander Zverev

People who bet on sports can avail themselves of odds of 11/1 on Alexander Zverev to win the 2024 French Open, which in comparison with the 23/10 about Djokovic and three/1 of Nadal might symbolize wonderful worth. Websites like Paddy Power News can be preserving shut tabs on the Spaniard’s lead-in kind on his favorite floor.

Zverev, in the meantime, has reached the semi-finals in three consecutive years at Roland Garros, however has by no means finished himself justice within the recreation – sluggish out of the blocks in opposition to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021, he needed to painfully retire in opposition to Nadal a 12 months later and
was woeful when tackling Casper Ruud in 2023.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: THE SURVIVOR ?@DaniilMedwed comes from two units down and wins
two tiebreaks to stay alive and defeat Alexander Zverev for a spot within the #AusOpen remaining ?@AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/giHE2YDnnb

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 26, 2024

Two units to the great in his Australian Open semi in opposition to Daniil Medvedev earlier than shedding 2-3, Zverev can be seeking to finish his final 4 hoodoo on the subsequent obtainable alternative. His stellar clay court docket recreation ought to permit him to do precisely that.

Casper Ruud

Tennis gamers don’t come far more mercurial than Casper Ruud, who since 2017 has solely gone previous the third spherical of a Grand Slam thrice – reaching the ultimate on every event.

Two of these got here at Roland Garros, with a detailed encounter in opposition to Djokovic in 2023 maybe panning out in a different way for the Norwegian had he received the primary set tiebreak.

Final 12 months, Ruud grew to become solely the second participant born after 1994 to rack up 100 or extra clay court docket wins – Zverev was the primary, by the way. That reveals how a lot the 25-year-old adores the slower surfaces.

Andrey Rublev

As soon as tipped for the very prime, 26-year-old Rublev has by no means gone past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam occasion – though he has reached that stage on ten separate events.

The Russian’s recreation is enhancing – he reached two ATP Masters 100 finals in 2023, profitable on the clay of Monte Carlo, which boosts Rublev’s profession title haul to fifteen. Silverware in a serious, in all probability the French Open, is the logical subsequent step.

Barbora Krejcikova

Having received the French Open in 2021, Barbora Krejcikova is aware of what it takes to prevail in Paris.

FI ??
????????????#tennis #rolandgarros #paris @rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/WwqJzOvJ0o

— Barbora Krejcikova (@BKrejcikova) June 12,
2021

That was undoubtedly the best hour of her profession up to now, though she had an opportunity to attain one thing related on the Australian Open earlier this 12 months – that’s till she ran right into a steamroller of a efficiency from Aryna Sabalenka.

Again on clay, Krejcikova – who has additionally received the ladies’s doubles title at Roland Garros – can be much more harmful.