18 May 2018

Who will win the French Open?

Yep! It's back.

Roland Garros flings open its doors on Monday 21 May for the 122nd tiime and the question is, can La Decima become La Undecima? 

Rafa, already a ten times winner at the French, is the clear favourite for this year's title. Earlier this month, he broke John McEnroe's 34-year-old record for consecutive set wins on a single surface, winning his 50th set in a row when he beat Diego Schwartzman at the Madrid Indoor Open. Can he break his own record and go beyond 'La Decima' for an incredible 11th title. We'll be cheering him on!   

Don't forget, our partnership with The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar means you can get 12% off your holiday. Play tennis like Rafa!

Who might challenge Rafa? Our top tips:

Alexander Zverev

Nationality: German

ATP ranking: 3

Age: 21

 

The 6 foot 5 German won last week's Madrid Open and is at a career high of third in the ATP rankings. What's more with Roger Federer not competing, Zverev goes into the tournament ranked 2nd. Should he win all his early round matches, he could potentially meet Rafa in the final.

On the women's side, world number one Simona Halep looks a good bet;

Simona Halep

Nationality: Romanian

WTA ranking: 1

Age: 26

The two time Roland Garros runner-up may have lost in last week's Madrid Open Quarter Final to Karolina Pliskova, but her record this year has been outstanding. With Serena Williams not yet back to her best, this could be perfect timing for Halep's first French Open title.

Our outside bet on the men's draw:

Dominic Thiem

Nationality: Austrian

ATP ranking: 8

Age: 24

 

The Austrian beat Rafa Nadal at the Madrid Open last week to end his (quite honestly ridiculous) winning streak. Thiem has been a little unpredictable on clay, but is our dark horse to go far in the competition. 

And of course, you can never rule out Serena.

Serena Williams

Nationality: USA

WTA ranking: 449

Age: 36

 

No introduction is needed for Serena, and while she may be an outside bet for the title having only returned to the tour in March, her coach believes she is capable of winning her fourth French Open this year.

Any Brits?

In Kyle Edmund and Johanna Konta, there will be British interest in the French Open. Both are very much long shots, but you never know in the wonderful world of tennis! 

Kyle Edmund

Nationality: British

ATP ranking: 19

Age: 23

 

Edmund has previously reached only the 3rd round at the French, but his recent form, including wins over Novak Djokovic and David Goffin on clay, have got us all excited for a bit of Kyle magic at this year's competition!

 

Jo Konta

Nationality: British

WTA ranking: 22

Age: 26

 

Konta is another Brit who has never had a great deal of success at the French, having never made it past round 1, but we're confident that her duck is about to be broken at Roland Garros. Clay is not her preferred surface but she has managed numerous wins on the red stuff this year, showing promise for GB's number 1.

 

Want to know how to win on clay? Read our article on local clay courts in the UK.

We wish good luck to all the players taking part in qualifying this week and round 1 next week.

If you fancy playing like the pros, why not give LTL a go!? You can find your local tennis league and play on local courts.