Despite A Rough Couple Of Weeks, Rafael Nadal Is Still The Favorite To Win The French Open

                                               (Image from telegraph.co.uk) 

Rafel Nadal has had a rough couple of weeks on clay, losing last week to David Ferrer in the Quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters and losing this week to Nicolas Almagro in the Quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Now while it's true that losing this early on clay in two consecutive weeks is highly unusual for Nadal, it's no reason to panic. Not only is it no reason to panic, but Nadal is still the clear favorite to win the French Open.
   
     Let's not forget that a year ago, Rafael Nadal was going into the French Open not having played in a Grand Slam since losing in the 2nd Round of Wimbledon to Lukas Rosol. He had also withdrawn from the US Open due to knee tendinitis and from the Australian Open due to a stomach virus, and yet he still went on to win the French Open for the 8th time of his career. This time around, Nadal is entering the French Open after winning the previous US Open and reaching the final of the previous Australian Open. Not only that, but he is currently the #1 ranked player in the world and is coming off one of his best seasons ever. For one to let these last two weeks overshadow Nadal's body of work over the past 12 months is nothing short of idiotic and incredibly short-sighted.
         Nadal may be struggling right now, but he isn't worried about winning tournaments now. He's worried about winning one tournament and that one tournament is the French Open. He has plenty of time to get things ironed out and go on to win his 9th French Open title. If he has to only go 75% in other tournaments so as to not get himself injured or exhausted, then that is what he needs to do. It's a lot like Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong trained all year to peak at the Tour de France and every other event was viewed as a means to help him peak. He frequently wouldn't win other events because his best cycling wasn't going to be seen until the Tour de France. The same goes for Rafael Nadal. Nadal isn't going to win all these events because his best tennis isn't going to be seen until the French Open. He's trying to peak for the French Open, and since the French Open isn't for another month, Nadal isn't close to peaking for the French Open, hence he's not playing his best tennis right now. This is what I honestly think is going on.
     So while it is true that these past couple of weeks have been disappointing for Nadal and for his fans, there isn't any reason to suddenly say he isn't the clear favorite to win the French Open. He's coming off his best season ever, he was just in the last Grand Slam final, and he's the greatest force we've ever seen play on clay. A two week slump isn't going to overshadow that for me by a long shot and I have full faith that he will get back to his championship level form in time to win his 9th French Open title come May and June.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy 

Will Masters Titles In Miami and Indian Wells get Novak Djokovic Back On Track?

                                                    (Image from: espn.go.com) 

It has been a while since Novak Djokovic last won a grand slam title, at least for his standards anyways. Djokovic's last grand slam title was the 2013 Australian Open, and since then he has failed to win a grand slam. During the course of that time,  Rafael Nadal once again defended his French Open crown and also won the US Open, Andy Murray finally won Wimbledon, and Stanislas Wawrinka came out of nowhere to win the Australian Open. With the resurgence of Nadal, the feel-good story of a Brit winning Wimbledon, and Stanislas Wawrinka's shocking success down under, it is easy for us to forget about Novak Djokovic. While we still are a ways away from the next grand slam (French Open), Novak Djokovic's recent success at the last two ATP World Tour Masters events in Indian Wells, CA and Key Biscayne, FL is his way of reminding the tennis world that he still is a force to be reckoned with.
     To win the BNP Paribas Masters at Indian Wells, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the final and to win the Sony Open at Key Biscayne, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the final. Those are two of the toughest opponents he has to beat all year, and for him to beat them in back-to-back events is sending a pretty strong message to the rest of the tour. Look, I'm in the minority when it comes to valuing tournaments not called "Grand Slams". I don't hold them to nearly as much value as other people do, but I do think the Masters events can be important for guys who are trying to find their groove again. For Djokovic, if he wants to get back to winning grand slams and win at least one in 2014, he has to start somewhere to build up his confidence, and winning both Masters titles at Key Biscayne and Indian Wells is a great start!

In my opinion, these two Masters titles is definitely something to take note of. I think that for him to win both events is a very encouraging sign for Djokovic and his fans that he is gearing up to go on another dominating run. While I don't see this translating into a French Open title or anything since these two events are on hard court, I do see these two Masters titles potentially translating into success at Wimbledon and the US Open. Obviously, if Novak Djokovic doesn't win a grand slam this year, these two titles will mean almost nothing, but if goes on to win a grand slam this year, I think it is more than reasonable to look back at these two Masters titles as the catalyst that got him back on track to winning more Grand Slams.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy