Roland Garros, aka: “The French Open”, is one of the prestigious four majors of the tennis season.  It is one of the four titles every player covets.  Rafael Nadal has nine.  Yesterday he was honored, receiving the “Grand Vermeil” Medal at Mairie de Paris.  Will Nadal make it ten?

As much as we would like to see that, Nadal fans who are realists know that if he makes it a tenth title, it would be a miraculous occurrence.  His game has been questionable since the latter part of last season.  His performance on clay, has been abysmal by his standards and he goes into Roland Garros with his lowest level of confidence ever.  The favorite has to be Novak Djokovic.

Serena Williams is aiming to capture her twentieth major title.  She has demonstrated in the past that she can be mentally fragile during periods of high stress.  Her performance going into this major has been erratic.  Is she mentally and physically prepared? There are doubts surrounding her game at the moment and although her fans would love to see her hoist another French Open trophy, she is not the overwhelming favorite.  Maria Sharapova has a slight edge going into Roland Garros.

Life is always full of surprises; therefore, don’t be surprise if someone totally unexpected rises to the occasion and plays phenomenal tennis to win the French Open. The likelihood of this happening is slim; however, it is more of a possibility on the women’s side.  Remember that Marin Cilic proved everyone wrong at the 2014 US Open.