French Open 2021 : Top 5 Youngsters who could win their Maiden French Open (Men’s Singles)

French Open 2021 is without a doubt the biggest Clay event of the year and as the tournament begins in less than a week, excitement for the event is building up amongst the fans.

However, the age-old question remains, who stands the chance to win the Grand Slam apart from the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal. Ever since Nadal won his 1st French Open title in 2005, only Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have been able to win the title apart from the Spaniard who comes to this year’s tournament defending his 13th title.

While the domination of Nadal is non-questionable, upsets can happen to anyone and anytime. This season particularly has seen youngsters stepping up and winning on Clay. While Nadal has still won 2 titles that includes the Rome Masters 2021, and the Barcelona Open 2021, youngsters have stepped up and won the other 2 major titles that includes the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 and the Madrid Masters 2021.

Let’s take a look at the some of the best youngsters who can win their maiden title at Roland Garros this year at the French Open 2021. The players have been listed according to their current ATP rankings.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the most in-form player who has been in some sensational form on Clay. He won the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 without dropping a set. He followed it up with another amazing performance at the Barcelona Open 2021 where he reached the finals only to lose to Rafael Nadal in 3-sets in one of the longest match of the season which went past the 3.5hrs mark. His Madrid Masters 2021 campaign was not great as he was knocked out in the Round of 16.

He went a step ahead at the Rome Masters 2021 reaching the last-8. He travelled to Lyon for the Lyon Open 2021 from Rome where he reached his 3rd Clay final of the season and also won his 2nd title of the year. He had reached the semi-finals of the 2020 French Open losing out to Novak Djokovic in a thrilling 5-setter, is surely one of the title contenders this year with a record of 16-3 on Clay in 2021.

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev, the World No. 6 from Germany is another top contender at the French Open 2021. He reached the Round of 16 at the 2020 French Open but has looked great on Clay this year. Zverev emerged as the winner at the Madrid Masters 2021 and reached the finals without dropping a set. He however won the finals in 3-sets.

Apart from his Madrid triumph, he has reached the quarter-finals on two different occasions out of his 4 tournaments on Clay this year. The 24-year old German has already defeated Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem this season on Clay, both of who are great players on the surface which certainly makes Zverev a strong contender for the title with a record of 9-3 for the season.

Denis Shapovalov

Denis Shapovalov is another youngster who can cause some upsets and challenge for the title at Roland Garros this year. The 22-year old Canadian achieved his season best Clay result at the ATP Geneva Open 2021 where he finished as the runner-up. While he has struggled to reach the later stages of the competitions, his gameplay has improved tremendously from his previous Clay performances.

He took Rafa Nadal to a gruelling 3-setter in the Rome Masters but failed to win the tie after the Spaniard saved 2 match points in one of his best performance of the season, but was full of praise for the young Canadian. He has a 7-5 record on Clay this season but given his impressive play, he has the potential to get a shot at the title.

Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud is on a roll on the Clay this season. The 22-year old Norwegian has reached semi-finals in all of his tournament appearances on Clay this season except for the Marbella Open where he was defeated in the quarter-finals. Apart from that he has made successive semi-final appearances.

He would go to the French Open 2021 from his victorious week at the ATP Geneva Open 2021 where he won the title defeating Denis Shapovalov in straight-sets in the final. Even Nadal in a recent interview talked about Ruud, citing him as one of the title contenders this year. Ruud will enter the Grand Slam with an impressive 15-4 record on Clay this season.

Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is one of the most talented of the lot but his luck has not been supportive of the young Italian. The 19-year old has faced some of the toughest draws this year, having draw with the likes of Djokovic, Nadal, Russians Andrey Rublev and the in-form Aslan Karatsev. His best run on Clay so far came at the Barcelona Open 2021 where he made it till the semis before losing to Stefanos.

The World No. 19 is 7-5 on Clay but let the numbers not fool you as Sinner has great potential and can surely cause upset, which led Nadal calling him a ‘toughest start‘ before their meeting in the Rome Masters. He will reach Paris with a 7-5 record on Clay for the season. He also reached the quarter-finals of the 2020 French Open where he was defeated by Nadal.

The French Open 2021 will begin from the 30th of May and will conclude on the 13th June, 2021 in what promises to be an exciting fortnight.

Also Read: French Open 2021: Top 5 Contenders for the Women’s Singles Title

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