Novak Djokovic has expressed his opinion that Rafael Nadal is his favorite to win the French Open tennis title, despite the 14-time Paris champion struggling to be in top form in the twilight of his professional career.
World No 1 Djokovic, who plays as a wild card in Geneva this week and opens his campaign against Yannick Hanfmann today, said if Nadal is in the draw, he cannot be written off lightly despite his injury problems and competition from the younger generation.
"This year things are more open. Casper Ruud is certainly one of the five players who are contenders for the title. Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas - they all won a major tournament on clay during the season. But when we talk about Roland Garros and Nadal is there, he is always the biggest favorite for me. After all he has done on the courts of Roland Garros, it is normal, respectfully, to place him as the main contender for the title. Obviously things are a little different now given his level of play. But this is Roland Garros and this is Nadal. Then maybe it's me if I feel good, if I play well. At Roland Garros and at all the other Grand Slam tournaments, I'm a slightly different player", the reigning champion in Paris told reporters on the courts in Geneva.
Djokovic, who turns 37 today, will look to win the title in the Swiss city in the dress rehearsal for Roland Garros. If he doesn't, the 24-time Slam champion will be without a title before the start of the French Open for the first time since 2018. /BGNES
