Only time will tell if the 2019 French Open is Rafael Nadal’s and Novak Djokovic’s party, with no on else invited. Early returns, however, suggest that might be the case.
Nadal kicked off Monday’s slate of men’s singles action on Court Philippe Chatrier with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 rout of qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. Djokovic took the court immediately thereafter and disposed of an in-form Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
“I did a lot of things well,” Nadal noted. “Not many mistakes; being very solid all the time. Just, of course, [it’s] the beginning and the first round is more about talking about what I have to do better. What I did very well today is just about general feeling, and general feeling have been positive this afternoon. (I’m) happy to be through to the second round, and that’s the main thing today and with straight sets, positive feelings.”
Djokovic may have dropped more games in his straight-set victory, but he was arguably even more impressive. After all, Hurkacz has been one of the tour’s breakout stars in 2019–whereas Hanfmann mostly toils away on the Challenger circuit. The world No. 1 and 2016 winner at Roland Garros was way too solid for Hurkacz en route to a his romp.
“I like the fact that I had a very good, quality opponent in the first round because that gets me going with the right intensity from the start,” Djokovic explained. “I’m focused, I’m determined, and sharp from the blocks. That’s what happened. Even though I never played him, never faced him in official match, I still felt he can be a great threat if I allow him to play his tennis.
So I actually thought I played well. All the elements in my game worked well, so I’m very pleased.”
Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, has to be pleased simply to still be alive in Paris. Considered by the majority to be the top threat to derailing a Nadal vs. Djokovic title tilt, Thiem endured a considerable scare in his opener. Tied at one set apiece with Tommy Paul, the 2018 Roland Garros runner-up trailed 4-0 in the third-set tiebreaker. Nonetheless, Thiem righted the ship just in time to steal that set 7-5 in a tiebreaker. From there Thiem had all the momentum and coasted the rest of the way.
“It was definitely difficult, but I didn’t expect at all an easy match,” the fourth-ranked Austrian explained. “I wasn’t playing my best today, that’s for sure. But we all could see what happens if I don’t play my best tennis. He was playing amazing then. It was very, very close. And of course the key moment of the match was the tiebreak in the third set.”
Following that result, Thiem won’t get caught looking past anyone this fortnight.
“It’s a very long way to win a Grand Slam,” he explained. “That’s what I experienced last year here. The tough thing is that we young players, to win a Grand Slam, probably we have to beat two of these guys who won 15 or more Grand Slams. And, yeah, that alone says that it’s very, very tough.”
The respective performances turned in by Nadal and Djokovic on Monday say the exact same thing.
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good starts
Djokovic is the real challenger to Rafa. NOBODY else. The Serb’s return of serve, backhand CC and ability to spread the court with unprecedented ease makes him the only player capable of locking horns with a raging Rafa Nadal on clay. To me when Rafa is playing at/near his best at RG, he is too good for anyone and I am confident it will the case this time if he keeps building that momentum and improves that serve.
Thiem is also a contender and he is born to be a great champion on the red dirt . Ddjokovic and Nadal can’t be stopped though if they keep playing like this. I would actually think Del porto might have a better chance against Novak if the Argentine plays like he did in Rome.
I’m surprised you give Fed so little credit, VR. Fed playing his best tennis can beat Rafa or Novak on this surface. He should have done it in 2011. What I’ve seen from him so far suggests it is a real possibility in 2019. Time will tell…
Hey Joe, I am only talking about the current situation. I don’t think Fed’s tennis can beat Rafa at RG but he can do serious damage. His chances would be better against Novak but he hasn’t played best of 5 on clay in a long time and I think he won’t be able to win those long duels against Novak and Nadal over 5 sets. I don’t have enough evidence to conclude on Fed’s state of affairs on clay except for that one great match against Thiem.
Don’t agree with the 2011 comment I am afraid. That brand of tennis worked against Novak over 5 sets but it was different against Rafa in the final even when Rafa wasn’t having his best of runs at RG.
So, I maintain that Novak is the real challenger. His return is the biggest reason behind me saying this.
I agree that Novak is the biggest challenger. Indeed, I think he may be the favourite here just based on his slam streak. But I think thus far Fed’s clay tennis has been exceptional, much better than I had expected. Thiem played unbelievably well in that MC match and Fed still had a match point. And that’s been his only loss on the court.
I think had Roger continued with the attacking tennis he started with in the 2011 final (and which he displayed in the SF), he would have won. My view is that he lost his nerve. I’m very much hoping that he gets another chance here this year. It won’t be easy, and he will be the underdog just based on their clay history, but I think the mental dynamic between the two has changed since AO 2017 and Fed’s subsequent win streak. Imo, Fed will have excellent chances to win if Fedal happens in the SF.
I am just in awe of how Good this trio (Fed-Nadal-Djo) is! To be very honest, I am past that stage of being against Fed or Djo winning. Like a fan boy in the past, I was hoping these two wouldn’t win is Rafa wasn’t but the penchant for has declined.
Sur,e I strongly root for Rafa and want him to shatter all records but I have now come to a point where I can’t help but also admire how darn good Novak and Roger are. They have aspects which I have never liked but I openly concede I am in total awe of their abilities and achievements.
Fed playing this well almost 38, Novak going for his second Nole slam (insane!) and Rafa coming back from countless injuries to be in a position to win his 18th, I mean these guys are extraterrestrial. The talents they possess extend FAR beyond shot-making talent and they are all GOATs in their own rights.
A die-hard Rafa fan at heart and will always make a strong case for Rafa being the greatest of them all and hope he smashes all records left, right and centre. I just wanted to share my evolved perspective but not sure how others feel.
Great posts vr!! Lovely to see you here!😊😊
PS vr please stick around!
Vamosrafa great post,im a huge Rafa fan myself too, the players themselves i dont have a problem with, its just some of their fans lol ….
Hi Alison! Am back for Roland Garros!😊😊
Rafa played well.yesterday!!
Hey Amy, I’m seeing him tomorrow. Hope he plays even better!! Can’t wait!!!
VAMOS, Rafa!!
Are you at RG Mona??!!
Blow him some kisses please!💋💋💋💋
I shall be watching carefully so don’t forget!!
Hi Amy!! Yes I am!! Im going to see Rafa today. I am so excited about that!! I am looking forward to a great match!!
VAMOS Rafa!!!
I am just grateful that Rafa has found his form again and he is healthy. Winning the title in Rome against Novak was just what Rafa needed to propel him into RG with momentum and confidence.
He has a great draw. I hope he is able to continue to get to his best level. Then he is unbeatable, as he has shown here.
There are always surprises and you never know what can happen on a slam. But Rafa never takes anything for granted.
Nice to see some of the gang here – vr, amy and alison. We can enjoy this together. I have said that the 60’s was the Golden Age of tennis with Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Stan Smith, Tony Roche and others. But now I find myself thinking that this may be the real Golden Age of tennis. Rafa, Fed and Novak have set the bar extremely high. I respect Fed and Novak, but still want to see Rafa breaking records and building his legacy. He will always be first in my heart.
Good to see you nny!! I am back for Roland Garros so hope we can talk and catch up!☺
#12 is my favourite number!
Long may our darling Rafa reign here!👑👑👑
amy,
Lovely to see you here! If vr stays around then we will have some great discussions!
Rafa got the ideal draw. Now he just has to take advantage of it!
Vamos Rafa, the King!
😍
We shall not see their like again – well, at least I shall not. They have been excellent for so long, setting the bar incredibly high. They are awesome. Collectively they’ve cracked a bit at the Masters level but still have a stranglehold on the slams which may not end that soon.
Aww you lucky devil Amy, i have it on my bucket list to see Rafa live lol
Waves to NNY great to see all the old crew here, hope RC / Elizabeth is well too 🙂
Alison,
Love seeing you here! I hope RC shows up. We have Monalisa here. I hope ed joins in the discussion. All the great fans.
It should be fun!
🥰
Thanks Alison, NNY and Amy. I shall try to post. I know I have said in the past that I will be spending very little time here but always keen to share some thoughts and listen to the good posters here esp when RG is around!
I would like to see Rafa doing more damage with the first forehand. His backhand has been very aggressive since Barcelona and forehand getting better. His first serve had more precision in his last match so hoping this will continue.
^first forehand refers to Rafa’s first forehand strike after his serve. His backpedalling is still INSANE at 33. I ask where are all those who used to claim so vehemently that Rafa would be don’t before 30? He is still sending shivers down the spines of those critics with his brilliance on the court.
Heh. Rafa used to say he’d be done by 30! He and his team are working on “doing more damage” with his mid range forehand. Rafa has faced a ton of injuries over the last year and a half or so. Anyone else would be ranked well below 20 by now. He’s amazing.
Loved seeing him walk into the RG draw, with his Rome triumph still shining all over him. He was glowing.
To be fair, VR, wasn’t it fair at the time to think that anyone wouldn’t be able to have longevity after having so many injury problems at such a young age? Frankly, I think Rafa himself is surprised at how well his body has held up considering everything. According to Ramara, he IS surprised because he apparently said himself he didn’t think he’d play this long. I understand that when Rafa means the world to you, there is naturally going to be a feeling of validation by his longevity. But let’s not pretend like the concerns about the potential for him having a shorter career than he would like were just completely unfounded… Personally, I always had concerns about his health long-term, but I always believed that as long as he could be healthy, his tennis would always be at a high level. But there’s no question that anyone’s concerns about his longevity were certainy understandable, no?
vr,
As always, love reading your thoughts about Rafa. I am going to pay special attention to his first strike forehand.
Rafa has time to work on his game and get to his best level. His serve seems to be improving. I think he will get a better test from Goffin after two qualifiers who really did not have the game to challenge Rafa.
I am glad that you will be here to give your analysis and thoughts.
Ramara love your post 🙂