Roland Garros 2015: Past Champion Nadal No Longer Favored

The 2015 French Open, played at Roland Garros, will begin this weekend with a bit of a change at the top of the men’s bracket.

According to the Bleacher Report, Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and winner of the Roland Garros event nine of the past 10 years, is no longer considered the favorite. Nadal has struggled on clay this year, posting a 25-7 record on clay surfaces. For Nadal heading into Roland Garros, this record indicates his struggles this year.

Nadal has struggled so much, he goes into the French Open this year as the seventh seed, hardly a ringing endorsement for the defending champion. The only year of the past ten that the Spaniard Nadal lost was in 2009, when he lost in the fourth round. This year’s favorite is top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who has never won the championship at Roland Garros. Also lurking in the wings is tried and true Roger Federer, whose game has slipped a bit in the last few years, but has continued to play quality tennis.

Other notables who are in the field are Britain’s Andy Murray, who won Wimbledon two years ago. You have the Serbian Djokovic, looking to complete his career Grand Slam. Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, Croatia’s Marin Cilic, and Czech Tomas Berdych, considered one of the best players never to win a tournament, will be looking to rise up if Nadal cannot regain his Roland Garros touch.

The Daily Mail is reporting that the man who beat Nadal at Roland Garros in 2009, Swiss Robin Soderling beat Nadal in the fourth round of the French Open back in 2009, Solderling would lose to Roger Federer in the finals. Soderling would make the finals in 2010, but lost to Nadal on Roland Garros’ final day that year.

Soderling, now 30, reflects back on his four-set victory over Nadal at Roland Garros and thinks that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Nadal did indeed lose this year.

“Maybe it’s better that Rafa loses again, then everybody will stop asking me about it,” he says. “It’s become a sort of legend, and people often get it wrong: some think that I am the only person ever to beat him in a tennis match.”

Soderling, who ended up reaching No. 4 ranked player in the world, was a 66-1 underdog to the multi-champion Nadal at Roland Garros. Unfortunately, Soderlings’ tennis career was cut short by chronic fatigue syndrome. Soderling is working his was back to playing professionally, but now will watch and see if Nadal can add another Roland Garros championship to his credentials.

Perhaps, this year, it will be someone else.

[Image courtesy of Tennis Stop 10]