Does Rafael Nadal have an easy path to the French Open Final?
The French Open draw was pretty kind to Rafael Nadal, allowing him to avoid a number of dangerous opponents in the early rounds.
It’s not like Nadal needs protection, as he has been virtually unbeatable at Roland Garros for his entire career. However, it doesn’t hurt that he will be able to ease into the tournament.
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French Open Upset Watch: Three Matches that could Spring an Early Surprise at Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal’s absurd dominance at the French Open has meant that it is often viewed as a predictable Slam, but Roland Garros is no stranger to shock upsets. Nadal’s loss to Robin Soderling (back in 2009) is certainly up there, and he nearly suffered the mother of all upsets when John Isner pushed him to the brink in 2011.
Many of the lower-ranked players on the tour are capable of competing with the big names on their day, but few can sustain it over five sets.
However, the following three matches could provide the tournament’s first major casualties on the men’s side.
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Seven Players at This Year’s French Open Who have Beaten Rafael Nadal on Clay
Rafael Nadal suffered a minor blip in an otherwise dominant clay season last week, losing in straight sets to Dominic Thiem. He’ll be disappointed to have surrendered the No. 1 ranking, but few would bet against Nadal picking up his 11th French open in a few weeks.
It’s hard to see anyone stopping the Spaniard in a best of five match at Roland Garros, especially when two of the few players on tour who have beaten him on clay, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, will not be competing.
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