The French Open begins Sunday, and though 14-time champion Rafael Nadal and defending champion Novak Djokovic are both playing, questions abound on whether either will challenge for the title. On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek has been looking unstoppable, but can she close the deal? We asked our experts to weigh in.
Who will win the men’s singles title?
Pam Shriver: Rafa Nadal. I am picking the 14-time champion because for one more time I can pick the greatest clay-court player in history, and because there are too many question marks surrounding the real favorites on the men’s side. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Djokovic all have too many questions to feel comfortable picking any of them.
Do I really think Nadal can win his 15th Roland Garros title? No, but Nadal for 20 years has done countless things I thought not possible. Even with an impossibly hard first-round match versus Alexander Zverev, I still have to write in Nadal’s name one more time as my winner. Nadal’s first-round opponent is probably your real favorite on paper, before the draw starts.
Brad Gilbert: Feels like the men’s field, for the first time in 20 years, is very open, and it’s extremely difficult to pick a winner, whereas in past years, Nadal has absolutely dominated. Djokovic…
