There is no Player More Decorated or Celebrated At Roland Garros Than Rafael Nadal

There is no player more decorated or celebrated at Roland Garros than Rafael Nadal. His 13 French Open titles are beyond reproach and it is here where the King of Clay reigns supreme.

This year’s event is scheduled to run from May 17-June 6, 2021 in Paris, France, and in this one and only tournament, Joker will be the underdog.

But as accomplished as Nadal is at the French, there is one former player who sees a few cracks in his armor and believes that Rafi might not be the surefire lock this year that he has been in so many of his past appearances at Roland Garros. That man is Boris Becker, the three-time French Open champion and owner of nine Grand Slam titles.

Becker points to his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne as evidence and was concerned that Nadal didn’t have the same killer instinct to put his opponent away that has been his trademark, especially after taking a two-set lead.

“His five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas will sting for some time, and could even be a factor at the French Open.

“For the first time I can recall Rafael Nadal looked really tired in that fifth set, he was beaten physically, and the others will have seen that.

“The Spaniard’s style is so physical that it is going to take a toll.

“I am actually surprised that he has played to this incredibly high level for so long.

“While it would be foolish to bet against him for Paris when he gets that little step slower he will not be the same player.”

The odds over at SBR reveal that Nadal is the favorite to win the 2021 French Open at +120 while Djokovic is next at +240 followed by Dominic Thiem (+400), Daniil Medvedev (+1600), and Roger Federer (+1600) rounding out the top five.