French Open R1 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Gerasimov, Monfils vs. Bublik

Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a 13th French Open title when he goes up against Egor Gerasimov on Monday. First-round also continues with a showdown between entertaining characters Gael Monfils and Alexander Bublik.

Egor Gerasimov vs. (2) Rafael Nadal

Nadal is by no means a slam dunk for a 13th title at Roland Garros as he heads into his 2020 campaign that will begin on Monday. Late September conditions are less conducive to his game than those of late May and early June, and in his only clay-court warmup event he lost to Diego Schwartzman in the Rome quarterfinals. Of course, Nadal was also a question mark heading into last year’s French Open (he lost in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid) and that only ended with a convincing romp to a third consecutive title on the red clay of Paris.

Up first for the second-ranked Spaniard is Gerasimov, whom he has never faced. The 83rd-ranked Belarusian was playing the best tennis of his career in February but has been a disaster since the coronavirus hiatus. Gerasimov attempted to qualify at three recent tournaments and failed to do so on any occasion. The 27-year-old earned direct entry into the French Open, but he will be going directly out and doing so in a hurry.

Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 8-10 games



(8) Gael Monfils vs. Alexander Bublik

Not unlike the case with Gerasimov, the break from tennis could not have come at a worse time for Monfils. The ninth-ranked Frenchman was 16-3 prior to the stoppage with titles in Montpellier and Rotterdam. Since returning, though, Monfils is 0-2 with losses to Dominik Koepfer in Rome and to Yannick Hanfmann in Hamburg. By his own admission following the Hamburg exit, he is not feeling good on the court right now.

Bublik, on the other hand, is riding high after reaching the Hamburg quarterfinals as a lucky loser (lost in three sets to clay-court specialist Cristian Garin). This is a showdown between two of the most entertaining, unpredictable, and unreliable players in tennis. For the time being, it is the 49th-ranked Kazakh who is more reliable. That is not saying a lot, of course, but it does say that an upset is possible and even probable.

Pick: Bublik in 4