Andy Roddick has been previewing Roland Garros, ahead of its official commencement next week.
The tournament, which he could never get past the fourth round in, is one of the most famed competitions on tour, most notably due to the relationship it shares with Rafael Nadal.
His return, in what promises to be his final appearance there, will certainly dominate the headlines.
However, it might just paper over the cracks of what is set to be a hugely hampered draw.
Andy Roddick makes bold Roland Garros prediction
Speaking to the Tennis Channel, the former world number one sought to assess the potential line-up ahead of Roland Garros later this month.
The second Grand Slam of the season promises to be an intriguing one, namely because it is simply impossible to predict who might win it.
This is actually something he touches on when glossing over the odds for the favourites to win the competition, remarking on how high Carlos Alcaraz ranks despite his outstanding injury.
Roddick noted: ‘The odds are weird because every single person in the top four has some sort of injury concern going in. I don’t know that we’ve had a lot of Grand Slams, especially on the male side, in the last 20-25 years where we’re going ‘Oh this is actually wide open.’ Right?
‘We haven’t had that conversation for such a long time, and so it’s a little weird. Our favourite at 2-1 is a guy who’s dealing with a forearm injury and hasn’t played two out of the three Masters events going in.’
Roland Garros could have a weak draw
As Roddick details, we are seemingly set for a hugely weakened draw at Paris for the first time in years.
It is also worth noting that only Stan Wawrinka outside of the big three has won this tournament since 2004, a near-20-year stranglehold that was only broken by the brief majesty of the Swiss star in 2015.
However, it would likely stun many if that is to be a trend that persists in 2024, given how far from his best Nadal looks, and how tough Novak Djokovic seems to be finding things of late.
This would not matter were Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner fully fit, but both have had to miss the ongoing Rome Open due to separate complaints, with Roddick even outlining his concerns with the latter.
Even Daniil Medvedev, whilst he is managing to still play, had to retire in Madrid through injury.
The five most hotly-anticipated players going into Roland Garros are all hamstrung in their own unique ways. This could be the weakest, and therefore the most open Grand Slam we have seen in decades.
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