Novak Djokovic’s early French Open exit among our bold Roland Garros predictions

The French Open is underway in Paris and the second Grand Slam of 2024 is set to be the most open men’s draw in two decades.

With Novak Djokovic’s era of dominance seemingly coming to an end, a host of his rivals are eyeing up glory at Roland Garros, with the women’s singles tournament appearing to be a shoot-out between some familiar names.

Here is your Tennis365 guide to the stories to look out for, with a few bold predictions along the way.

EARLY EXIT FOR DJOKOVIC

Writing off Novak Djokovic is a fool’s game, but it is also tough to back the 24-time Grand Slam champion to find his form when he needs it most at Roland Garros.

Djokovic is focusing all his attention on adding to his haul of 24 major titles, but he doesn’t appear to be in the kind of form to challenge for glory in Paris right now.

His defeat against Tomas Machac at the Geneva Open on Friday was another entry on a growing list of woeful performances for Djokovic in 2024, with his defeat against Luca Nardi at Indian Wells and a loss against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in Rome cementing the suspicion that his desire for more success in tennis is waning rapidly.

Djokovic will believe he can flick the magical switch and play his best tennis at Roland Garros and if he gets to the early rounds, he may well play himself into form.

Yet the evidence of the last six months suggests the Djokovic of old is either missing in action or gone for good and if he loses early in Paris, it will cement the suspicion that his reign as the king of men’s tennis is over.

VERDICT: Djokovic out before the semi-finals.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic ‘has to be jealous’ when he looks in on Rafael Nadal’s farewell tour

IGA THE QUEEN

Can anyone stop Iga Swiatek?

The world No 1 confirmed her dominance on clay courts by winning the Madrid and Rome titles to give her the perfect preparation for the defence of her French Open crown.

Her brand of tennis is hard to beat on clay courts and she is especially at home at Roland Garros, where she is a three-time champion.

Aryna Sabalenka will hope the conditions in Paris are a little more suitable to her power-packed game than the slow court in Rome, where she was well beaten by Swiatek in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament earlier this month.

The player to watch in the women’s draw is Elena Rybakina, who appears to have the code to beat Swiatek and could be her biggest rival in Paris.

VERDICT: Swiatek will be the champion once again.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alejandro Tabilo’s win against Novak Djokovic in Rome was backed up by his run to the semi-finals in the Italian capital and he will now look to build on that in Paris.

Alexander Zverev faces a tough opening match against Rafael Nadal, but a win against the 14-time Roland Garros could propel him towards the semi-finals of the tournament… and then anything is possible.

Zverev’s win at the Rome Masters confirmed this German giant is back to his best after the horrible ankle injury he sustained against Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022 and he should see this as his chance to win a first Grand Slam.

In the women’s draw, it will be fascinating to see if the Danielle Collins fairy tale can continue.

The American star has confirmed she will quit tennis at some point this year and since making that announcement, she hasn’t stopped winning.

VERDICT: Collins to be halted by Swiatek in the quarter-finals.

NEW CHAMPION CROWNED?

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may be the joint-favourite for the men’s title if they were both fit, yet the duo have confirmed they are not sure if they can get to the end of this year’s French Open.

Wimbledon champion Alcaraz is nursing a forearm injury that forced him out of the Rome Masters and there have to be real doubts about his hopes of getting through seven best-of-five-set matches over the next two weeks.

Alacraz looked good in his opening match in Paris and the brief nature of his win against JJ Wolf was a big boost to his hopes of lasting the distance at Roland Garros, but how will he hold up in an epic four or five-hour battle during week two of the tournament?

The same doubts hover around Sinner, who also missed the Rome Masters with a worrying hip problem.

Australian Open champions Sinner has admitted he doesn’t know if he is fit to compete for the title at Roland Garros and the only reason he is attempting to play is the fact that this is a Grand Slam event.

The big concern for Sinner would be inflicting further damage on his hip, with a second Grand Slam win likely to be put on hold for now.

VERDICT: Injuries will halt Alcaraz and Sinner’s ambitions at Roland Garros this time – so a new Grand Slam champion is set to be crowned.