Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal - ATP update (Photo : Getty Images)
The prospect of another quarterfinal showdown featuring the King of Clay Rafael Nadal and the world's no.1 player Novak Djokovic has become even more possible after the French Open men's singles seedings were released on Monday.
Nadal, who is looking to reclaim his throne at Roland Garros this year, got the no.5 seed in the tournament where he won nine times in his career and cemented his legacy as the undisputed best clay-court player of all time.
While the complete picture of the bracket won't be determined until Friday's official draw, the 29-year old Nadal is facing the likelihood of playing Djokovic as early as the quarterfinal round once again based on the seedings.
Last year, Nadal was seeded outside the top-5 for the first time, getting the no.6 seed. It set up a quarterfinal clash with Djokovic, a match he lost in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. A year later, the no.5 seed Nadal could be on collision course to take on the world's top player once more.
Over the last five French Open championships, the no.1 seed played no.5 seed three out of five times, all which the top seed emerged as the victor.
Although there's a chance for Nadal to dodge an early round confrontation with Djokovic (if lady luck smiles upon him at the night of the draw), the safest way to eliminate such possibility is to benefit from a late withdrawal of a top-4 seed contenders.
There have been rumors circulating the last few days that Federer is considering the option of skipping Roland Garros due to a lingering back problem. In fact, there are reports the Swiss will undergo a fitness test on Tuesday before he decides on his participation for the said tournament.
A Federer's withdrawal could only mean Nadal will move to no.4 seed, thus avoiding the possibility of a quarterfinal clash with Djokovic.
To make things very clear, Nadal has improved tremendous over the last four weeks. In his latest match with the Serb, Nadal showed that can already go toe-to-toe with the Serb and even had chance to win the match should he converted several missed opportunities.
Still, avoiding an early round match with the like of Djokovic is a must if he wants to reclaim the French Open crown. Throughout the years, Nadal proved to be the strongest in the finals where he can transform into a menacing force for anyone. Moreover, avoiding a tourney favorite early does make sense after all.
