Steve Tignor is at Roland Garros to cover the 2018 French Open. You can read his women's bracket breakdown here, and all of his reports from Paris here.
PARIS—Is there any reason to mention anyone other than Rafael Nadal, if you’re asking who might win the Roland Garros men’s event this year? The short answer, and long answer, is no. But there’s more to a major than the winner, at least as it’s happening. Here’s a look at how the next two weeks in Paris might play out, and who has the best shot of finishing second, third and fourth on the men’s side.
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It isn’t that Nadal can’t lose; it’s just that there’s no reason to think, based on his form, his clay competition this spring, and his draw, to predict that he will. It’s not like Rafa needed a smooth path to the semifinals, but he’s been given one anyway. He starts against Alexandr Dolgopolov, a talented player who has beaten Nadal in the past, at Indian Wells. But best-of-five at Roland Garros is a different story, one that doesn’t play to Dolgo’s sporadic strengths. After that, the bold-faced names in this section are Kevin Anderson, Jack Sock, Denis Shapovalov, Diego Schwartzman, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Richard Gasquet. That’s a Rafa-friendly section.
Semifinalist: Nadal
WATCH—Nadal's pre-tournament press conference at Roland Garros
