BEVERLY HILLS, May 26, (THEWILL) – The 2021 French Open will commence in four days, less than eight months after it was last played. At the time, it was played in chilly conditions in October due to the coronavirus pandemic that pushed it towards the year’s end.
This year, Roland Garros returns to its normal spot in May in the annual Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) calendar, though, with just a delay of a week due to COVID-19 restrictions in the French country.
As has been the case in recent years, the familiar name of Spaniard Rafael Nadal will ring across Roland Garros again. However this year might be slightly different as it will reflect a hint of vulnerability after a few jitters in the clay season leading up to France.
He may have powered to victory against arch-rival Novak Djokovic recently but it will not eliminate the feeling that this may be the year Nadal is dethroned at Roland Garros. It is true that that is the same sentiment that leads into every French Open and the Spaniard has dismantled everyone on his path to victory each time, but it is only a matter of time before it comes to pass.
Whatever the final result brings at the conclusion of this year’s Open in the French capital, whether another trophy goes home with Nadal in his incredible career haul from this specific Open, his reputation as the King of Clay will never be in question, after all he has accomplished on the surface.
A question many fans of professional tennis will however seriously ponder is whether we have seen the last of two of the greatest players of the men and women game to have played the best tennis in modern history: the Swiss Roger Federer and American Serena Williams.
They have come to the prime old age of 39, by Tennis standards and it becomes increasingly unlikely that the two legends will play the tournament too many more times in the years ahead. Federer has only entered the Clay Slam once in the last five years and, similarly, Williams has not enjoyed much success on the surface as she is also finding wins tough to come by these days.
In his last appearance, which was in 2019, Federer lost to Nadal in straight sets at the semi-finals. His lengthy recovery process and lack of preparatory competitive action ahead of the tournament are not the optimum preparations for the Open and will not do him any favours.
Yet, while Federer has lost his only clay match of the season so far at the Geneva Open, Williams has only one win in three so far. She is finding it tough to properly adapt to the surface ahead of the Slam.
It does not bode well for both veterans for the fortunes for the rest of the year. The second week of the French Open overlaps with the start of the grass season. They have had more success on grass than clay and will welcome the switch but early exits from Paris may deny them the tough readiness that competitive victories confer on players, mentally and physically.
Yet, the fighters that both Federer and Williams are, it is unwise to immediately rule them out of any outcomes except they do decide to rule themselves out by themselves.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
