10 things to take away from the 2021 French Open

                                              (Credit: USA TODAY Sports) 

Before I look ahead to Wimbledon (Round 1 starts Monday), I need to first look back on the two weeks that recently were in Paris at the 2021 French Open. Barbora Krejcikova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to win the women's singles title while Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to win the men's singles title. This was Krejcikova's first grand slam singles title while it was Djokovic's 19th grand slam singles title and second French Open title, with the first one coming in 2016. 

#1. Novak Djokovic is making a serious case for GOAT: I personally don't think the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate will really even be able to begin until Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are all done playing. Until then, all three guys have a strong case for being considered the GOAT with Pete Sampras being firmly in 4th place. 

That all said, I think if we're projecting at where things will eventually land, I think it's likely that when it's all said and done, the general consensus will be that Novak Djokovic is the greatest men's tennis player of all-time. He's only one grand slam title away from tying Nadal and Federer, which means if he wins Wimbledon, there will be a three-way tie for most grand slam singles titles on the men's side with 20. The fact that he's kept pace with them and is the youngest of the three I think gives him an edge for GOAT at the moment. Though once again we'll just have to wait and see where things all land once the dust finally settles and their careers are all over. 

One other feather in Djokovic's cap is that he beat Nadal to win this title. Nadal has won 13 French Open titles and is the undisputed King of Clay. To win his second French Open title and 19th grand slam title by getting past Nadal is definitely something that gives Djokovic a definitive boost in the GOAT debate. 

#2. Barbora Krejcikova is a threat in singles: Barbora Krejcikova was previously thought of as a doubles player who played singles on the side. That no longer can be said. Going into this year's French Open, she had won two grand slam doubles titles (2018 French Open and 2018 Wimbledon) and three grand slam mixed doubles titles (2019 Australian Open, 2020 Australian Open, and 2021 Australian Open) but never had much success on the singles side in grand slams. The furthest she's gone at the Australian Open in singles is the 2nd round (2020 and 2021), the furthest she's gone at the US Open is the 3rd round of the Qualifiers, and by qualifying for the 1st round of Wimbledon this year, that's automatically the furthest she's gone at Wimbledon. 

That all said, the one grand slam where she had found some success was the French Open. In 2020, she did reach the 4th round, so there was some reason for optimism coming in, though nobody expected her to be the one lifting the trophy at the end. 

It'll be interesting to see if she'll be able to build on this success at other grand slams in singles, something I'll address in my Wimbledon preview, but for the purposes of this French Open recap, it's suffice to say that she's at least figured out how to contend at the grand slam singles level on clay. 

#3. Stefanos Tsitsipas' time will come: While he wasn't able to close out Novak Djokovic after going up by two sets in the final, Stefanos Tsitsipas still has to feel good about the two weeks he had at the French Open and feel like he's knocking on the door. Djokovic ended up winning by digging a little deeper and using his experience to his advantage, but make no mistake, Tsitsipas is on track to win multiple grand slams and carve out a Hall of Fame career for himself. 

#4. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had a breakthrough: Even though she didn't win it all and lost in the final, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has to feel like she had a major breakthrough at Roland Garros. She had never gotten past the quarterfinals at any grand slam before, but this time she went all the way to the final. If she is able to turn lemons into lemonade and build on this, she could be winning a grand slam title very soon. She's 29 years old, turning 30 in a few days. Her best tennis may very well be in front of her and not behind her. 

#5. Rafael Nadal is mortal: I picked Rafael Nadal to win the French Open for obvious reasons. He's the best all-time at Roland Garros and so long as he remains an elite player, he should be the favorite to win it all. That said, he showed that he is mortal and that he can be beaten at this event. But if you are to beat him, you better bring your A-game and that's exactly what Djokovic did, calling it one of the best if not the best match he's ever played in his life. 

#6. Roland Garros just isn't Serena Williams' event: While she has won the French Open twice (2002 and 2013), it's clear that of all the grand slams, it is Serena Williams' weakest even by far. This year, she went out in the 4th round and she hasn't advanced to the quarterfinals since 2016 in which she reached the final. I think it's safe to say that if she is to tie Margaret Court's mark of 24 grand slam titles, it's not likely to come at Roland Garros. 

#7. Roger Federer's decision better pay off at Wimbledon: Roger Federer made a controversial decision to pull out of his 4th round match against Matteo Berrettini in order to rest up for Wimbledon, which is his top event. It was a controversial decision because (A) the fans wanted to see how far he could go and (B) it's just not a great look to pull out of a grand slam unless you are legitimately injured. One has to wonder if playing one more or two more matches would have really hurt his Wimbledon chances. So, if he wants to make this decision seem more justified, he better go deep at Wimbledon and ideally win it all. 

#8. Naomi Osaka needs to get her mind right: The big story from the first week of the French Open was Naomi Osaka withdrawing after winning her 1st round match due to not wanting to talk with the media. She was fined $15,000 and decided she would withdraw after all the grand slams came out and said they might default her going forward if she doesn't comply with her media duties. Osaka said she didn't want to be a distraction and that this is all about her mental health, etc. 

As far as where things sit right now, Osaka will skip Wimbledon, but she does plan to play in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics later this summer per her agent. It's clear that Osaka needs to get her mind right, recharge mentally, and figure out how to not be so worried about talking to the media. She has a bright career in front of her and hopefully this will just be a small bump in the road for her in the grand scheme of things. 

#9. Daniil Medvedev can win a match at Roland Garros: If you read my preview, you know that Daniil Medvedev had never gotten past the 1st round at Roland Garros coming into this event. So, it was of keen interest to see how far he could go. All things considered, he should be happy with how things went. He reached the quarterfinals, which is far better than the 1st round. Medvedev showed that he can find some success at this event and maybe this will propel him to even bigger things next year. 

#10. Iga Świątek was unable to defend her title: Iga Świątek came in as the defending champion on the women's side, but she was unable to defend her title. She didn't do terrible as she lost in the quarterfinals, but she was unable to recapture the magic from last October. It'll be interesting to see how she does next year and also how she does at the remaining grand slams this year. Wimbledon starting on Monday will give her a chance to show that she can win on surfaces other than clay. 

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10 things to look for at the 2021 French Open

 The 2021 French Open is set to begin on Sunday now that the qualifying rounds have concluded. That means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for as is custom with every grand slam! If you haven't yet checked out the draws, click here. 

#1. Can Iga Świątek defend her title? Iga Świątek won her first grand slam title at the 2020 French Open despite coming into the event ranked #54 in the world. She became the first Polish player to win a grand slam title, putting her country on the map as well as herself. This time around, she comes in as the #9 ranked player in the world and the #8 seed in the tournament. So, there's a lot more expectations for her to do well this time around.

The interesting thing will be to see how she handles the pressure early on and whether or not she'll succumb to an early exit. A lot of players struggle out of the gates early when they seek to defend a grand slam title. Especially when it's their first time doing so. If Świątek can survive the first three rounds, she very well could be on her way to another Roland Garros title. 

#2. Is Rafael Nadal destined for a 14th Roland Garros title? Rafael Nadal is the defending champion, having won 13 French Open titles overall and four in a row. Nadal is the Michael Jordan of clay tennis. The King of Clay. Whatever other superlative you wanna call him, nobody has done it better on the dirt than Nadal. 

As Nadal guns for his 14th Roland Garros title, he'll also be gunning for his 21st grand slam title, which will put him ahead of Roger Federer for most grand slam titles ever. Both are tied at 20 at the moment.  So, there's a lot on the line here. Personally, I got Nadal getting it done. He's the #3 seed and is coming in with a lot of confidence. 

#3. Can Ashleigh Barty defend her 2019 title? It kinda feels like there are two defending champions on the women's side. There's Iga Świątek, who won the 2020 French Open and then there's Ashleigh Barty, who won the 2019 French Open, but skipped the 2020 French Open due to COVID-19 concerns. Barty comes in as the #1 ranked player in the world, so on paper, she should be the favorite to win it all. That said, we've seen her struggle at times under the pressures of being #1. Most notably at her home grand slam in Australia. How Barty does out of the gates will be interesting to see as well. It would be particularly fun to see her and Świątek face off. If that were to happen, that would happen in the semifinals as they are on the same half of the draw. 

#4. How deep will Roger Federer go? Roger Federer is playing for his legacy in this tournament. As I said above, if Rafael Nadal wins it all, Federer is no longer #1 all-time in grand slam titles. Nadal will be. Now, there's of course the chance for Federer to even things up at Wimbledon and that's certainly an event that Federer has had a lot more success at. But even so, Federer can't be happy with seeing his record fall to Nadal. 

As for how far Federer will go, he's slated to face #1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals should all things hold. And then if he were to beat Djokovic, Nadal projects to be there waiting for him in the semis. To put it simply, Federer has a tough draw. That said, Federer is an all-time great and considered by many to be the greatest ever. So if there's anyone who can rise to the occasion, it's him. 

#5. Can Naomi Osaka win a non-hard court grand slam? Naomi Osaka is ranked #2 in the world and a major reason for that is her four grand slam titles: Two at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. However, she has never reached the 4th round at either Wimbledon or Roland Garros. The next step for Osaka will be to contend in Paris and London and show that she's capable of winning away from the hard courts. It'll be interesting to see if she's able to make strides at this year's French Open or if she'll once again bow out early. 

#6. Is this the year Dominic Thiem breaks through at Roland Garros? Dominic Thiem comes in as the #4 seed and he's also won a grand slam title (2020 U.S. Open). However, he's not been able to get over the hump at Roland Garros as he lost in the 2018 and 2019 final to Nadal. Should he reach the final again, Nadal in all likelihood will be waiting for him. 

I wish I could have more confidence in Thiem to knock off Nadal, but should they face again, I do see Nadal winning. Their first meeting in the 2018 final went Nadal's way in straight sets while the 2019 final went Nadal's way in four rather decisive sets. There's a first time for everything and maybe Thiem will prove me wrong. Time will tell. 

#7. Can Serena Williams make it to the second week? Serena Williams is still seeking to win her 24th grand slam title and tie Margaret Court, so that's something she's eying as she heads into this tournament. As for whether or not she'll get it done at this event, odds say it's unlikely to happen. In 2018, she lost in the 4th round; in 2019, she lost in the 3rd round; and in 2020 she lost in the 2nd round. So she's trending in the wrong direction at the moment. 

That said, if Serena can find a way to avoid an early exit and make into the second week, she should be a contender. She's the #7 seed and has won the French Open three times in her career (2002, 2013, and 2015) and also reached the final in 2016. So, she's proven to be dangerous once she reaches the second week. It's just a matter of getting there that has been a challenge for her. 

#8. Can Novak Djokovic win a second French Open title? Novak Djokovic comes in as the #1 ranked player in the world, seeking his 19th grand slam title and 2nd French Open title. On paper, his odds look good. However, when you learn that he's 0-4 in French Open finals against Rafael Nadal, you start to back off a bit. This year, if he were to face Nadal, it would be in the semifinals, which kinda sucks. As the #1 overall seed, you'd think they'd make him avoid Nadal until the final, but that's the nature of the draw. But anyways, Djokovic will be a major player to keep an eye on in this tournament. I do think he'll get past Federer in the quarterfinals should they meet. But, given his history with Nadal at this event, I just don't see him getting past him. 

#9. Will someone knew break through on the women's side? While picking the men's winner is super easy, the same cannot be said for the women's winner. A strong case can be made for both Świątek and Barty because they are the two most recent winners. A strong can also be made for Sofia Kenin (2020) and Marketa Voundrousova (2019) as they are the most recent runners up. If one is putting money on this event, one would be wise to not stray away from those four players when making a pick. But at the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that a lot of the recent winners have seemingly come out of nowhere. Nobody saw Świątek coming in 2020 and nobody saw Jelena Ostapenko coming when she won it all in 2017. 

So, it's hard to figure out whether to pick a consensus front runner or pick someone to break through and win it all. But in the spirit of not pushing and making a decision, I will pick Sofia Kenin to win it all. I think a new player will break through to win it all, but it'll be someone who has been knocking on the door. Kenin fits the description of such a player. She reached the 2020 final and won the 2020 Australian Open, so she knows what it takes to win a grand slam. 

#10. Can Daniil Medvedev win a match? You might be wondering why I'm asking this question when Daniil Medvedev is the #2 ranked player in the world. The reason is because he has never gotten past the first round at Roland Garros! He is 0-4 in first round matches. You know that this is on Medvedev's mind and that he's eager to silence his critics. So, it'll be interesting to see whether or not he'll be able to win a match and build on that to formulate some sort of deep run. If he fizzles out in the first round again, it'll be very disappointing. 

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