“Not Tested At All”: Patrick Mouratoglou On Rafael Nadal And Novak Djokovic’s Draw at French Open 2020

The French Open 2020 converges into the quarterfinals this week. The Roland Garros is left with 8 participants in the men’s segment who battle to clinch the coveted clay-court title. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are among the eight and are the favorites to go all the way to the final.

Even though Nadal and Djokovic have battled their way into the last 8 of the tournament, they are yet to face a proper resistance. In fact, they have had a comparatively easy path to the quarterfinals.

Patrick Mouratoglou agrees that the competition will be better now as most of them have been ousted. Even though Djokovic faced some resistance from Karen Khachanov in the fourth round, the Spaniard is untested. Personally, Patrick is excited about the duel between Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman.

“There’s a lot to look forward to. We’re happy because from the start of the tournament, I’m not extremely happy with the matches of the top seeds like Rafa and Novak. They had much too easy matches, they were not tested at all.

“A little bit more, maybe for Djokovic against Khachanov. But except that match, it was way too easy for both of them. Now we’re getting into the money time. We have way more interesting matches. I will look at the Thiem-Schwartzman which is extremely exciting,” Patrick Mouratoglou said.

Rafael Nadal faces unknown opposition

Twelve time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, will face Jannik Sinner of Italy for the first time in his career. After defeating Alexander Zverev, Sinner is brimming with confidence. Therefore, the quarterfinal tie won’t be easy for Nadal.

Dominic Thiem had to fight till the last breath to get a place in the quarterfinals. Undoubtedly, his match with Schwartzman will be iconic. Both the players will be looking for a semi-finals berth.

Another contender for the cup, Novak Djokovic, faces a comparatively easy opponent in the quarterfinals. Spanish professional Pablo Carreno Busta will be challenging the Serbian for a place in the semis.

Mourtaglou’s student, Stefanos Tsitsipas, will be up against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. It will also be a match to watch out for as both will hope to go closer to the Cup. Although Rafa and Djokovic are the favorites, all the other contenders have the talent to emerge as the champion.