Roland Garros / French Open 2023 [Men] - Grand Slam

[Moxie]

Moxie,

It is not what you would call a 'balanced draw' pretty top heavy if you ask me, oh it is what it is I guess, as a Rafa fan I can sit back and be with 'colm' though I will be barracking for Alcaraz to win the title, a special young man, who ticks all the boxes for me

@PhiEaglesfan712 mentioned this right out of the gate. (See above.) With Rafa out, (or even with his current ranking,) always a chance for an imbalanced draw. Especially once Medvedev took over the #2 at the last minute. Might have been more interesting if Tsitsipas were in the bottom half, but I doubt it. I don't think he'll get out of the top half, and frankly I'd rather see any of several guys in the bottom half over him. Because, speaking of "over him," I am well over him.

 

[Nadalfan2013]

Can Djokovic’s draw get any easier? What a joke.

 

[Jelenafan]

Can Djokovic’s draw get any easier? What a joke.

Well sure , compared to LAST year…….

 

[Moxie]

Can Djokovic’s draw get any easier? What a joke.

I've laid out why I think it's actually complicated. Tell me why it's a joke draw. In front of him, and coming in feeling not at the top of his clay game, he's got a lot of players who have beaten him on clay, or at least on HC. If he has an elbow injury, he might have needed a soft draw to work himself into the second week. Tell me how this is a "soft-draw."

 

[Nadalfan2013]

I've laid out why I think it's actually complicated. Tell me why it's a joke draw. In front of him, and coming in feeling not at the top of his clay game, he's got a lot of players who have beaten him on clay, or at least on HC. If he has an elbow injury, he might have needed a soft draw to work himself into the second week. Tell me how this is a "soft-draw."

I actually thought that Novak has a few Djokovic-specific speed bumps in his. A few guys in there who have beaten him, on clay, even. Fucsovics could be his second round, and, while he's never beaten Novak, he's a tough customer. I don't expect anything from Cecchinato, should they meet, but he is the guy who upset Novak at RG in 2018 (when ND was still coming back from his walkabout.) Then, as was mentioned above, Foki looms, and he beat Novak last year in MC, his calling card upset. RBA is in there, and if he gets Rublev, Andrey beat Novak in the final in Belgrade (clay) last year. Not saying he won't get through all this, which is all presumptive, but as has also been mentioned, Novak is looking more vulnerable than usual coming into this Roland Garros, and there are a fair few guys in there early that might feel some confidence facing him.

I thought Alcaraz's section looks very friendly, though, at least until and if he meets Novak.

The 1st round is a nobody, I'm not even sure how he looks like.
The 2nd round Fuscovic and on clay he is not a threat.
The 3rd round Cecchinato is a has been. Fokina could be interesting match.
The 4th round Hurkacz even I can beat him on clay, and Bautista is much better on hardcourt.
The QF round Rublev could be interesting on clay but he probably will choke mentally as usual, or even lose before the QF.

So basically Djokovic avoided very dangerous players like Vesley, Musetti, Evans, Goffin, Zverev, Lajovic, Rune in a potential QF, I don't know where to begin or stop. This is definitely a great draw for him. If you'd offer Nadal this Djokovic draw he would have played RG even if he has a cast on his leg.

 

[Fiero425]

Well sure , compared to LAST year…….

The whining never stops even if they have to psycho-analyze the draw! Last season Novak was just coming back after hiatus, missing the AO, IW, & Miami Masters! Due to the pt. deficiency he matched up w/ Nadal in the QF instead if the SF or Final! That was bad luck for him and the tournament as he was getting better & better w/ each match! If he had gotten another match under his belt, maybe he could have won his 3rd FO! By Wimbledon he was back and won it easily! W/ any luck he got enough practice and isnt upset early! The draw was a gift, but as we've seen recently, anybody can beat anybody these days!

 

[tented]

 

[Moxie]

The whining never stops even if they have to psycho-analyze the draw! Last season Novak was just coming back after hiatus, missing the AO, IW, & Miami Masters! Due to the pt. deficiency he matched up w/ Nadal in the QF instead if the SF or Final! That was bad luck for him and the tournament as he was getting better & better w/ each match! If he had gotten another match under his belt, maybe he could have won his 3rd FO! By Wimbledon he was back and won it easily! W/ any luck he got enough practice and isnt upset early! The draw was a gift, but as we've seen recently, anybody can beat anybody these days!

Hold on...because you criticize Nadalfan2013 for whining about Novak's draw, and then proceed to whine about his draw last year. Whine about how he might have won last year had he not see Rafa in the QF. As if. H2H is 7-2 there. No matter which round, unlikely.

 

[Jelenafan]

Hold on...because you criticize Nadalfan2013 for whining about Novak's draw, and then proceed to whine about his draw last year. Whine about how he might have won last year had he not see Rafa in the QF. As if. H2H is 7-2 there. No matter which round, unlikely.

Stop it both of you!! We all know without a doubt that Zverev was going to win last year’s French Open. He said so! ; )

 

[Nadalfan2013]

Hold on...because you criticize Nadalfan2013 for whining about Novak's draw, and then proceed to whine about his draw last year. Whine about how he might have won last year had he not see Rafa in the QF. As if. H2H is 7-2 there. No matter which round, unlikely.

8-2

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Top half of the draw will be played across Sunday and Monday
The bottom half of the draw played across Monday and Tuesday

 

[Moxie]

Stop it both of you!! We all know without a doubt that Zverev was going to win last year’s French Open. He said so! ; )

Speaking of Zverev, he just lost in straights to Jarry in Geneva.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Speaking of Zverev, he just lost in straights to Jarry in Geneva.

Jarry is on my watch for upsets at RG this year he also defeated Ruud in Geneva the other day

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I never in my wildest dreams would be thinking of a Medvedev vs Alcaraz in a RG final?
Can Medvedev back up his Rome win and make it through to a RG final
Usually Rome is a good indicator, for RG, though the heavy, wet conditions didnt really help anyone's cause this year.
Also if Novak is going to lose, to me, he will lose in the first couple of rounds, after that he should find his rhythm,

 

[Moxie]

The 1st round is a nobody, I'm not even sure how he looks like.
The 2nd round Fuscovic and on clay he is not a threat.
The 3rd round Cecchinato is a has been. Fokina could be interesting match.
The 4th round Hurkacz even I can beat him on clay, and Bautista is much better on hardcourt.
The QF round Rublev could be interesting on clay but he probably will choke mentally as usual, or even lose before the QF.

So basically Djokovic avoided very dangerous players like Vesley, Musetti, Evans, Goffin, Zverev, Lajovic, Rune in a potential QF, I don't know where to begin or stop. This is definitely a great draw for him. If you'd offer Nadal this Djokovic draw he would have played RG even if he has a cast on his leg.

1st round? Alcaraz, Medvedev and Dimitrov, for example, got qualifiers.

I see where you're going with your list of people you're calling "dangerous players." Because they have ever beaten Novak. (Which is actually my point about the draw that he DID get.) But If you're going to call Cecchinato a "has-been," I'm not sure why Vesley should be on your list. He hasn't won a match on the ATP tour this year. When he beat Novak on clay it was in 2016. And Goffin...seriously? Evans? Lajovic is 33, btw. And, as I pointed out above, Zverev just lost in Geneva.

This reminds me of a former member of the Frontier, a Federer fan, who some years back designed his "perfect" draw-from-Hell for Rafa prior to that year's RG draw. It was well-thought out, (some might say obsessively so,) and rankings-appropriate by rounds. That wasn't at all the draw that Rafa got, and he did win RG again that year. I still think you are under-selling the draw that he did get as too easy. There are guys in there that have beaten him, on clay, and as recently as last year.

 

[Moxie]

Jarry is on my watch for upsets at RG this year he also defeated Ruud in Geneva the other day

Jarry is in a section he could have opportunities in. Tommy Paul and Struff in there. If he did get through, he'd meet Ruud, potentially, in the 3rd round.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Jarry is in a section he could have opportunities in. Tommy Paul and Struff in there. If he did get through, he'd meet Ruud, potentially, in the 3rd round.

Struff is another one of my upseters, hey is that a word lol! one to watch at RG

 

[Moxie]

Struff is another one of my upseters, hey is that a word lol! one to watch at RG

Ha, not sure it's a word, but you could coin it. Sadly, though, two of your "upsetters" could meet each other, so only one makes the 3rd round.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Ha, not sure it's a word, but you could coin it. Sadly, though, two of your "usetters" could meet each other, so only one makes the 3rd round.

Yep just saw that, I think Struff's best results have come at RG, so I will pick him to go through

 

[Nadalfan2013]

1st round? Alcaraz, Medvedev and Dimitrov, for example, got qualifiers.

I see where you're going with your list of people you're calling "dangerous players." Because they have ever beaten Novak. (Which is actually my point about the draw that he DID get.) But If you're going to call Cecchinato a "has-been," I'm not sure why Vesley should be on your list. He hasn't won a match on the ATP tour this year. When he beat Novak on clay it was in 2016. And Goffin...seriously? Evans? Lajovic is 33, btw. And, as I pointed out above, Zverev just lost in Geneva.

This reminds me of a former member of the Frontier, a Federer fan, who some years back designed his "perfect" draw-from-Hell for Rafa prior to that year's RG draw. It was well-thought out, (some might say obsessively so,) and rankings-appropriate by rounds. That wasn't at all the draw that Rafa got, and he did win RG again that year. I still think you are under-selling the draw that he did get as too easy. There are guys in there that have beaten him, on clay, and as recently as last year.

Vesley even at only 1% of his form would still beat Djokovic.

In fact if Djokovic had drawn Velsey in the 1st round then I doubt Djokovic would even show up for the match.

Thank you for reading.


Anyways, I agree that at the end of the day sometimes a draw can seem easy but end up being tricky, while sometimes a draw can look difficult but then opens up with many upsets...

Either way hopefully one of the new guys will win the title like Alcaraz, Rune, FAA, Musetti... Tennis needs the new generation to start establishing themselves and become big names.