“Huge Difference”: 7-time Grand Slam Champion Picks Novak Djokovic Over Rafael Nadal at French Open 2020

The 2020 French Open will get underway soon, and there’s a lot of chatter going on about the tournament favorites. While one might think that Rafael Nadal is the obvious favorite for everyone, that is not the case. A number of people are backing Novak Djokovic to win his second Roland Garros crown this year, and one among them is Mats Wilander.   

Mats Wilander is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and has won at Paris thrice. Hence, the 56-year-old has immense knowledge about the clay courts at Roland Garros, and why it suits a player like Rafa.

 However, this year, the tournament is running on a different schedule due to the havoc caused by the pandemic. The 2020 edition is commencing in Autumn rather than Spring, which Wilander feels will have a major impact on the Major winner.

“I think the field has a much better chance this year than any year I can remember since Rafa started winning,” Wilander said. 

“It’s a huge, huge difference for Rafa. This is a huge challenge for him and he’s going to be praying for some kind of Indian summer. For Novak, I think it’s perfect. Novak nearly beat him that time when it was rainy (the 2012 final).”

“But even the field – I think the hard-court players are going to do better because it’s not as slippery when it’s a little wetter and colder, the balls don’t spin as much,” he added.

Mats Wilander hails Novak Djokovic as the GOAT 

We’ve seen how dominant Novak Djokovic has been over the years. He’s won 17 Majors in his career, but only one of them has come at Roland Garros. However, this year is the Djoker’s chance to win it all. Considering his unbeaten run this season, he stands out as the favorite over Rafa. 

“Novak might be the best player of all time and now we have an identity – he’s a little bit the bad boy,” Wilander said, citing his US Open disqualification. “I think he’s getting a lot of respect for caring as much as he does. I think it helps him.”

But even with two clay dominant players like Thiem and Rafa competing at the 2020 French Open, Wilander hands the edge to the 33-year-old Serbian. 

“I think it’s Novak, Rafa and Dominic who are the three favourites – I would put Novak slightly ahead of the other two. But this is perfect conditions for Thiem. He can hit through a heavy clay court. I think he’s going to be extremely dangerous,” Mats Wilander mentioned.

There’s plenty of predictions coming in for the Top 3 at Roland Garros. Thiem has reached back-to-back finals at this venue and can’t be counted out from the contention. 

However, it is Djokovic who is standing tall as the favorite at this moment, over 12-time champ Rafa Nadal. Can the Serb take advantage of the new conditions and clinch the title at Paris?