How important is it for Novak Djokovic to win a French Open title?

                                          (Credit: www.telegraph.co.uk) 


     Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players of all-time. The man has won 11 grand slam tiles, is ranked #1 in the world, and has raked in more prize money than any player in the history of the sport: $99,272,343. In short, Novak Djokovic has accomplished just about everything one could ever want in tennis.
   
     I say "just about" because there is one thing that still eludes him and that is a French Open title at Roland Garros. It's weird to think that one could be considered the second greatest tennis player of all-time and not yet possess a career grand slam and yet if you were to ask me for the top two greatest tennis players of all-time, I would say Roger Federer and then Novak Djokovic.

     I don't mean to dismiss other legends of the game like Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras, but when you watch Novak Djokovic play tennis and then see his body of work, it's hard to think of anybody who has played the sport better. Djokovic has a fantastic serve, cat-like quickness, one of the greatest return of serves the sport has ever seen, and an ability to hit the most difficult shots when he's under the most pressure.

     He has ice in his veins and rises to the occasion in the biggest moments. He is the ultimate tennis player and a classy one at that. He always congratulates his opponents in defeat and applauds their efforts when he wins. We may never see another tennis player as good as Novak Djokovic ever again and yet with all of that being said he is still yet to win a career grand slam because of the French Open.

     Should we wait to call him the greatest tennis player of all-time until he wins at Roland Garros? Do we cut him slack because he dueled against the greatest clay court player of all-time in Rafael Nadal? Is the career grand slam essential to his legacy or is it just something that adds to it?

     I guess it depends on what you are asking, exactly. If you are asking whether or not Novak Djokovic needs a French Open title to prove he is an all-time great, the answer is obviously no. His 11 grand slam titles and prize money speak for themselves. But, if you are asking whether or not Novak Djokovic needs a French Open title to be considered the greatest of all-time, I think this is not such an easy question to answer.

     For one thing, both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are considered the top two players of all-time in many people's books largely because they have won a career grand slam. In order to be considered greater than them, it stands to reason that you must accomplish everything they've accomplished and then more. Winning a career grand slam seems to be an essential piece to any greatest of all-time resume, which means failing to win one would be a significant mark on Novak Djokovic's otherwise phenomenal career.

     I personally think that Novak Djokovic knows this and thus wants to win the French Open more than any other grand slam. He wants to cement himself as the greatest player of all-time and remove any shred of doubt. So long as he doesn't have a French Open title under his belt, that shred of doubt will remain. It may seem somewhat unfair, but what we are talking about is being remembered as the greatest to ever play the sport.

     If Novak Djokovic never wins a French Open title, there will always be people saying that Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal is the greatest because they got the job done at all four grand slams. If on the other hand he is able to join them in the career grand slam club, it will become almost impossible to argue that he isn't the greatest of all-time. He will have accomplished everything that they have and done it while they were still in their primes.

      A French Open title for Novak Djokovic will nearly cement his place as the greatest player of all-time with only six grand slam titles to go before he passes Roger Federer for most grand slam titles ever. I have no doubt that Novak Djokovic will pass Roger Federer for most grand slam titles ever. The only question is will he win a French Open title and so long as that question remains unanswered, Novak Djokovic will fall short of being the sport's greatest player.

2016 French Open Preview: 10 things to look for at Roland Garros

     The French Open is upon us! As a matter of fact, as I'm typing this, the second grand slam of the year is already underway, so I'm really getting this under the gun! Haha. Anyways, if you have been following my tennis blog over the years, you know that before each grand slam I make a list of 10 things to look for going into the event and then I recap the event with 10 things to take away. Note: I am doing a Novak Djokovic feature article right after this so make sure you read that as well. Anyways, without further ado, here is my list of 10 things to look for at the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros. Enjoy!

#1. Will Andy Murray carry momentum from Rome into Paris? Andy Murray won the title in Rome, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 in the final. Probably the number one thing to look for on the men's side is whether or not Andy Murray can use his title at the Rome Masters as a springboard to winning Roland Garros. Andy Murray is yet to win a grand slam on the dirt despite spending a good chunk of his formative years training on it in Spain. Many feel that winning in Rome could be the breakthrough that Andy Murray needs to win in Paris. How he does over these two weeks will be very interesting to follow and could be career defining.

#2. Will Serena Williams make a deep run? Serena Williams won the women's title in Rome, which is very encouraging for her. However, she has gone down early in past French Opens, which means it will be interesting to see how she plays early on in this tournament. The fact that Serena is the defending champion makes it tricky to gauge how well she'll do. She has never won the French Open in back-to-back seasons, but at the same time, one has to like her chances considering that she won it last year and also won in Rome this year. If Serena can get to the second week, she'll be the favorite to win it all. But, during the first week she has historically shown some vulnerability, so it will be crucial to monitor her play in the first couple of rounds.

#3. How much will the absence of Roger Federer cloud this tournament? Roger Federer is a no-go for Roland Garros and a no-go at a grand slam for the first time since the 1999 US Open. Sometimes a grand slam can be defined by who isn't present and the absence of Roger Federer looms large at this year's French Open. Even though nobody saw Roger Federer winning this tournament, we are still so accustomed to seeing him in the second week of a grand slam and for him to not be out there at all will feel very weird. Hopefully his absence won't hurt the ratings too much since these next two weeks promise to bring about great tennis.

#4. How much will the absence of Maria Sharapova cloud this tournament? The biggest absence on the women's side is Maria Sharapova, who is absent due to her failed drug test in which she tested positive for meldonium. Sharapova is a two-time champion at Roland Garros (2012 & 2014) and has found more success at this grand slam than any other. If she was playing, there's little doubt that she would be a contender, which makes her absence even more significant. Once again, hopefully her absence won't detract people from what should be a great two weeks of tennis.

#5. Does Rafael Nadal have one more French Open title in him? Rafael Nadal fell to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in the 2015 French Open and looks to prove he still has what it takes to win a grand slam on clay. Given Rafael Nadal's historical DOMINANCE on clay, it would be foolish to not give him significant odds at winning the title again this year. But, father time is catching up with the king of clay and there are a lot of other players who are serious contenders as well (Murray, Wawrinka, and Djokovic). I still believe Rafael Nadal has what it takes to win at Roland Garros, but it won't be easy.

#6. How dangerous is Victoria Azarenka? Victoria Azarenka is definitely back in the mix of things at grand slams. She is #5 in the world and won her first title on tour in nearly three years at the 2016 Brisbane International in Australia. She built off of that to win the titles at Indiana Wells and Miami, making her the third WTA player to ever win both events in the same season (Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters are the other two). However, Vika hasn't had much success at Roland Garros, making the semifinals only once and that was in 2013. It'll be interesting to see whether or not Victoria Azarenka is able to be a factor in the second week at Roland Garros or if she'll flame out early.

#7. Is this Novak Djokovic's time? As I mentioned earlier, I will be doing a feature article on Novak Djokovic right after this preview that will go more in-depth, but in this article, I will give you a quick synopsis of Novak Djokovic's situation. He has won 11 grand slam titles and is ranked #1 in the world. The only grand slam title he is yet to win is the French Open. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals last year only to lose to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. What's on everyone's minds is whether or not this is the year Novak Djokovic finally breaks through at Roland Garros. I am going to say that it is. I think that this time Novak Djokovic will get it done and win the French Open. But, it won't be easy. Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Stanislas Wawrinka all have what it takes to win it all as well. Novak Djokovic will have to play his very best tennis in order to win the career slam.

#8. Can Angelique Kerber win another grand slam in 2016? Angelique Kerber is very quietly going for a calendar grand slam as she enters Roland Garros. She is the 3rd seed overall, yet nobody is really talking about her as a serious threat. Part of the issue is that she didn't do well at Rome or Madrid and she has only reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros once (2012). Smart money says she isn't much of a factor, but if the WTA has taught us anything over the years, it is that anything can happen. I guess what I'm saying is don't be shocked if you are shocked by Angelique Kerber winning it all in Paris.

#9. Can Stanislas Wawrinka repeat? Stanislas Wawrinka is the defending champion and looks to once again shock the tennis world. Stanislas Wawrinka has a way of crashing the party and winning grand slams in ways that nobody would expect. I have a hard time seeing Stanislas Wawrinka winning at Roland Garros in back-to-back seasons, but he is a very good clay player that is certainly capable of winning the title. I feel weird calling the defending champion a "dark horse", but considering what Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have on the line as well as Andy Murray's recent success on clay, I really believe that at best, Stanislas Wawrinka has a 15% chance of winning this event. Don't get me wrong; he'll be in the quarterfinals and probably the semifinals. It's just that I don't see him repeating. He'll have to once again play his very best tennis in order to do so.

#10. Look for Serena Williams to win it all: Even though she's never won back-to-back titles in Paris, I'm going to say that Serena Williams does it this time. She is coming off a title at Rome and is playing excellent tennis on the dirt as of late. I expect Serena Williams to play like the best player in the world over these next two weeks and win her 22nd grand slam title.