Dark Horses who can create an impact at French Open 2021

The 2021 edition of the French Open is just a few days away. With the qualifiers already taking place in the French capital, and the draws to be disclosed on Thursday, the excitement is building towards the second Grand Slam of the year. While the favourites from both men’s and women’s section are known to most, the underdogs are the ones where we will be turning our attention to. Below are a few dark horses, who can cause quite a stir in the next two weeks.

Serena Williams

The 23 time Grand Slam winner might not have added to her kitty in the last couple of years, but the American is always a threat in the Majors, regardless of her form and surface. Today, Serena is the only female player to have won all the four Majors, at least twice. She has also won the French Open on three separate occasions. The 39-year-old hasn’t enjoyed a great time on the clay this season, owing to injuries and rustiness in the game. She only returned to action at in Rome, where she lost in the opening round to Nadia Podoroska. She was even beaten in the second round of Parma by Katerina Siniakova. Moreover, she has not been past the fourth round at Roland Garros since 2016. However, Serena can be a real danger, once she gets a couple of wins under her belt. The former top-ranked player has always won matches on reputation over the years and we have also seen her winning Grand Slams, when the odds have been stacked against her. Never count the super-mom out!

Alexander Zverev

The German is will enter the French Open brimming with confidence after a successful time on the clay this season. After winning the Madrid Masters, Alexander Zverev joined an elite list of men to have beaten the big-three—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on their favourite surfaces—Hard Court, Clay and Grass respectively. The US Open runner-up has finally discovered the recipe to go deep in Grand Slams and should certainly be seen as a threat in the men’s draw. The 24-year-old has also made the quarters of Rome and Munich this season, carrying a win/loss record of 9/3 on the dirt. Zverev is a two-time quarterfinalist at Roland Garros and it shouldn’t be a surprise if he starts running wild in Paris in time to come.

Petra Kvitova

The World No.12 will come into Paris as one of the threats, owing to her all-round game. The lanky Czech player possesses a big serve, coupled with booming ground strokes. Furthermore, she can also come to the net to finish points at will. Kvitova hasn’t won the French Open yet, but she is a two-time semifinalist in Paris, including the 2020 edition. The 31-year-old has made two quarterfinals on the clay this season in Stuttgart and Madrid, with a win/loss record of 7-4. As we have seen in the past, Kvitova can beat the very best players on any surface. There is no reason why she can’t make a deep run at Roland Garros in the next few weeks.

Andrey Rublev

The big-hitting Russian too has been enjoying his time on the clay this season. After beating Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters, Rublev reached the finals of the event, before going down to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Thereafter, the 23-year-old made two quarterfinals in Barcelona and Rome. Rublev is ranked seven in the world and has already beaten quite a few clay specialists in 2021. With a win/loss record of 9-4 on the dirt, he cannot be overlooked heading into Roland Garros. Rublev was also the quarterfinalist last year in Paris, and there is no apparent reason as to why he can’t repeat the feat, or even go beyond.

Casper Ruud

This young Norwegian has really made incredible progress on the clay this season. After making the semifinals in Monaco, he also made the semis of Madrid. The 22-year-old also ended up winning the title in Geneva last week after beating Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. With big names in Fabio Fognini, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Carreno-Busta already falling victim to Ruud, it is tough to not put him in the dark horse category for the French Open. Ruud has played 19 matches on the dirt in 2021, winning 15 of them. Although he is yet to get past the third round in Paris, it would be illogical to not back him this time around to make the second week.

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