Just hand the French Open trophy to Novak Djokovic

Just hand the trophy to Novak Djokovic and allow the others to compete for the runner’s up prize. The entire purpose of holding an event, including the French Open, is baseless when the result is as good as guaranteed. Such is the deplorable state of Men’s tennis nowadays.

Also read – The Big Three

Rafa’s reign on the clay is behind us, and Djokovic will rule the earth, sky, and seas hereon. There is no one at the French Open 2020 to challenge the dominance of Novak. He was, until 2020, the undisputed ruler of the hard courts, he now rules the clay too.

The First Quarter

There isn’t a player in the first quarter who can get a set off Novak on the clay. Heck, even Khachanov, Berrettini, and Bautista together will probably fall short of squeezing a set out of the Serb.

Winner: Novak Djokovic

Can Shapovalov Reach the  semis
Can Shapovalov make semis

The Second Quarter

Either Denis Shapovalov or Stefanos Tsitsipas from the lower half of the second quarter are likely to emerge as Novak’s challengers in the semifinals. Medvedev ‘s record on the clay is not great. Rublev, and Krajinovic, however, may pose a threat to Shapovalov or Tsitsipas, but Denis Shapovalov, we believe, has a better shot at making the semis against Novak.

Winner: Denis Shapovalov

Can Dominic Thiem win another slam in 2020
Can Dominic Thiem win back-to-back slams in 2020

The Third Quarter

If Dominic Thiem manages to win the first three, his next against Rudd could be exciting. Rudd lost to Novak in the semis of Rome, and is quite good on the clay. Thiem’s pre-quarter against either Wawrinka or Murray could also be a barn burner. Stan, we believe, could be much tougher to take out in the later stages of the tournament. Thiem could face Shwartzman in the quarter, but that, we believe, would be easier than playing Monfils. Monfils making the quarterfinals, however, would be a minor miracle.

Thiem’s quarter, it appears, is the toughest, and he can be brought down by Rudd, Wawrinka, Schwartzman, and Monfils. Dominic could even go down to Cilic in the first. But, Thiem made the last two finals at Roland Garros and recently won the US Open. The confidence alone should help him overcome such challenges.

Winner: Dominic Thiem

the King of Clay
Rafael Nadal the King of Clay

The Fourth Quarter

The yester-years’ King of Clay should face an easy ride until he meets the very mercurial and talented Fognini in the fourth. Will Fabio, however, make that far? The only other noteworthy opponent in the quarter is Zverev, but Nadal should ride that one to the semis.

Winner: Rafael Nadal

Just hand the trophy to Novak Djokovic

While Rafa and Thiem will battle it out in the semis, Novak has a relatively easy route to the finals. Novak will meet a depleted Nadal or Thiem in the finals and win in straight or four sets. There is no point of it all, just hand the Roland Garros trophy to Novak Djokovic and let the others play for the second spot!

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