Saturday 23 May 2015 09:49, UK
The French Open draw is tougher on Novak Djokovic than Rafael Nadal, according to Mark Petchey.
Nine-time Roland Garros winner Nadal, on account of his plummeting world No 7 ranking, was sixth seed so inevitably was handed a difficult task and could meet Djokovic as early as the quarter-finals.
But Djokovic, the world No 1 and top seed in Paris, might need to battle past Nadal in the final eight, then Andy Murray in the semi-finals before beating Roger Federer in the final to claim the only Grand Slam that currently eludes him.
This era is defined because you can’t just play one great match, you need two. Djokovic will need three to win his first French Open.
“We’ve always said that winning a Grand Slam is so difficult because you need to beat two of the big four consecutively to win it,” Petchey told Sky Sports.
“This era is defined because you can’t just play one great match, you need two.
“Djokovic will need three to win his first French Open, if the top seeds reach the latter stages.
“Beating Nadal, Murray then Federer is not insurmountable for him. If he plays his best tennis, it’s not a case of opinions, the results say he can beat all three players.
“Djokovic will be arriving with everyone saying he’s the world best player but this draw has just put more obstacles in his path.
“He is also entering as the favourite which, for example, Federer didn’t have when he first won the French Open. Everyone was still backing Nadal back then. Federer didn’t have any pressure, until Nadal lost to Robin Soderling, to win it.”
Nadal’s inclusion in the draw was always going to result in playing a fellow contender at a relatively early stage due to his uncharacteristically low seeding.
But Petchey has warned that the clay court specialist, the reigning French Open champion, must be wary throughout the whole tournament.
“Nadal’s first round draw looks easy but he’ll play Nicolas Almagro or Alexandr Dolgopolov afterwards which isn’t an easy match. Then you’ve got Grigor Dimitrov floating around in that part of the draw.
“We knew Nadal would be in a tough spot because of his seeding. The top four players would have been watching the draw, peering through their fingers, wondering where Nadal would end up.
“It was always going to be a very different French Open this year because of Nadal’s seeding. Unlike preceding years, the quarter-finals were always going to be far more relevant this time around. They’ve thrown up a potential blockbuster.
“But if anyone’s come out on the harsh side of this draw, it’s Djokovic, not Nadal.”
