We’re back at the French Open, in September mind you! In this pandemic edition though, as in every other edition, there’s only one name that matters: Rafa Nadal. He is the best clay court player that has ever lived. He holds 12 titles, a record that will never be broken. EVER. He is hungry enough, fit enough, and young enough to win his 13th, 14th and 15th title. So, in this edition of the predictions, we’ll simply talk about the top seeds he may meet and beat in the final.

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas: Stefanos has not looked very sharp in the few tournaments played since the restart of the tour. Also, aside from his semifinal appearance at the 2019 Australian Open, he has not performed very well at Grand Slams. Don’t expect Stefanos to move deep in this draw. Expect him not to get past the fourth round.

4. Daniil Medvedev: Although Daniil is a force to be reckoned with on hard courts, on clay he’s a complete disaster. Aside from a Semifinal appearance at Monte Carlo, Medvedev routinely loses in the first round out at most Masters level clay events and at the French Open. Expect him to lose in the first or second round.

3. Dominic Thiem: Now let’s talk about the one person who actually has a shot at beating Nadal at the French Open. Dominic has lost two straight finals to Nadal at the French Open. Will this be his third straight loss to Nadal? It’s very likely. However, in 2018 he didn’t take a set from Nadal. In 2019 he took one set from Nadal. Maybe in 2020 he takes Nadal to a fifth set? Look for Thiem in the final.

1. Novak Djokovic: Novak has posted one win against Nadal at the French Open, in the 2015 quarterfinals. Other than that, his record against Nadal on clay is pretty dismal. Nadal holds a 17-7 edge on clay. While that is better than most, consider that his record is 1-6 at the French against Nadal. Not very reassuring if you’re a Novak fan. What this means is that Novak has an outside chance of beating Nadal on red clay. Don’t count on it though, Nadal is still Nadal on the red clay. I see Novak bowing out in the semis.

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