Top five players to watch out in French Open 2021

The 125th edition of the tournament will be beginning on May 30.

After being played under winter conditions in October 2020, the French Open is back to its normal spot in the calendar in May. Top players are ready to take part in the second Grand Slam event of 2021, which is set to begin on May 30, after a one week delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rafael Nadal is the defending champion in the men's singles. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek will defend her title in the women's singles. Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France will host the latest edition between May 30- June 13.

Let's take a look at the top five players to watch out for in the upcoming edition of the competition:

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the new generation tennis players who are being touted for greatness. He was the champion of the 2019 ATP Finals, becoming the youngest winner of the year-end championships in 18 years. Tsitsipas' Grand Slam performances have caught the eye, reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 and 2021 Australian Open as well as the French Open last year.

The current World No. 5 and the youngest player in the top 10, Tsitsipas is considered as one of the leading stars to take over the mantle after the Big Three. His run in the French Open last season ended after losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets in the semis. He will open his campaign against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, with the Greek star desperate to go at least one step further this time around.

4. Cori Gauff

The 17-year-old will be the dark horse to claim the women's singles title this year. In her recent clay outing in the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, she displayed an impressive performance by winning with a margin of 6-1, 6-3. She finished off the contest against China's Qiang Wang in just 74 minutes to clinch her second WTA title. Her emphatic recent performances have helped her jump five spots in the latest WTA rankings, currently occupying the 25th spot in the list.

During the presentation ceremony in Parma, she said that she hopes to carry her momentum into the French Open. Gauff's improvement on clay have been rapid and she will be looking to add the biggest feather of them all at the Roland Garros, which would be quite an achievement for the teenage sensation.

3. Novak Djokovic

The World No.1 remains the last player to have beaten Rafael Nadal in the French Open. He had got the better of him in 2016. Hence, Novak Djokovic will be the best bet to stop Nadal from claiming yet another Roland Garros crown. However, this time, all of the 'Big Three' have been paired in the same half of the draw. This rules out a potential clash in the final, however, Djokovic Vs Nadal could well be on the cards in the semi-finals.

The Serbian won the season-opening Australian Open to make it 18 Grand Slam titles to his name. He will be hoping to inch closer to Nadal and Roger Federer, although the task would be far from straightforward. Djokovic will face American Tennys Sandgren in the first round. The 34-year-old will hope to stop Nadal in his tracks and replicate his performance from five years ago.

2. Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek was one of the highlights of the French Open in 2020. She romped to her first career Grand Slam title without dropping a single set. Her dominant performance in the final, where she won by a margin of 6-4, 6-1 against Sofia Kenin, suggested that she would be a force to reckon with in the coming years.

Earlier in 2021, Swiatek triumphed 6-0, 6-0 in the Italian Open final over Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic. Her wide array of skills in Rome underlined her status as one of the most exciting clay players around. She will begin her title defence against her close friend, Slovenia's Kaja Juvan. In Paris, there will be high expectations on the 19-year-old but it is safe to assume that Swiatek will be the favourite to retain her crown.

1. Rafael Nadal

The Spaniard has been recently immortalized with a statue at the Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal is the most successful player to have set foot in the Paris clay court, having claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. Unsurprisingly, the defending champion is once again the favourite for the men's title and will start his journey versus Australian youngster Alexei Popyrin.

Nadal has recently stated that the upcoming Roland Garros is the most important in his career. Tied with Roger Federer on the most career Grand Slam titles, the King of Clay has an added impetus going into the French Open in 2021. The biggest question remains if anyone can stop Nadal from clinching a record 21st Grand Slam or not.

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