That defeat aside, the Serb’s form seems to have peaked in time for the May 26-June 9 tournament. Qualifiers begin long road to French Open gloryHe also named Austrian Dominic Thiem, the 25-year-old world number four, and 11th-ranked Italian Fabio Fognini, who is 31, as strong contenders. “Nadal (is) the number one favorite without a doubt, and then everyone else,” a serene Djokovic told reporters after he was beaten by the Spaniard at the Foro Italico. Djokovic has already achieved the rare feat of holding all four major honors at the same time, having won the 2015 Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles before clinching the Australian Open and French Open crowns the following year. After two difficult years dogged by an injury which required elbow surgery and a dramatic loss of form, Djokovic bounced back spectacularly to clinch the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open titles again in 2018 as well as this year’s Australian Open.

Source: The Express Tribune May 22, 2019 08:25 UTC