One week into the French Open, and it’s become increasingly clear that the three favorites before the tournament continue to be the three favorites into the round of 16. Nadal, Djokovic and Thiem are tearing through this draw with no mercy. None of them have dropped a set or have been in any sort of trouble in their first three matches.

As we head into the second week there doesn’t seem to be any serious tests for any of them other than Diego Schwartzman and Alexander Zverev lurking in Nadal and Thiem’s half of the draw. However, these two, as good as they are, don’t have the game to upset them on this surface.

This means that as we head into the second week, it is very likely that we’re going to see a Thiem vs. Nadal semifinal. The winner of that match will then likely meet Djokovic in a blockbuster final. The interesting thing about that scenario is that if the Nadal vs. Thiem matchup goes the distance, a fresh Djokovic awaits either player in the final. Add to that the fact that Schwartzman is Thiem’s quarterfinal matchup, while Zverev is Nadal’s potential quarterfinal matchup, and things look even better for Djokovic.

The way I see it, Nadal has a better chance at beating Djokovic after a physical match with Zverev and Thiem. If Thiem makes it through Schwartzman and Nadal, I expect Djokovic to handle him in the final and win his 18th Grand Slam. Either way you look at it, the draw looks to be nicer to Djokovic. Djokovic is most likely feeling very good about his prospects right around now.

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