FRENCH OPEN ’18: Nadal hitting fewer aces than 98 of top 100
PARIS (AP) Men to watch at the French Open, where play begins Sunday:
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RAFAEL NADAL
Ranked: 1
Age: 31 (turns 32 on June 3)
Country: Spain
2018 Match Record: 23-2
2018 Singles Titles: 3
Career Singles Titles: 78
Major Titles: 16 - French Open ('05, `06, `07, `08, `10, `11, `12, `13, `14, `17), Wimbledon ('08, `10), U.S. Open ('10, `13, `17), Australian Open ('09)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-Won Championship, `16-3rd, `15-QF, `14-W, `13-W
Aces: Only one member of the top 100 averages fewer aces per match than Nadal's 1.7. ... Broke tour record by winning 50 sets in a row on one surface - clay, of course.
Topspin: Dominant again on the European clay circuit, with his 11th title in Monte Carlo, 11th in Barcelona and eighth in Rome. ... A big favorite to get No. 11 at Roland Garros, and rightfully so.
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ALEXANDER ZVEREV
Ranked: 3
Age: 21
Country: Germany
2018 Match Record: 30-8
2018 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 8
Major Titles: 0 - Best: 4th, Wimbledon ('17)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-1st, `16-3rd, `15-Did Not Play, `14-DNP, `13-DNP
Aces: Won 14 matches in a row on red clay, including title at Madrid Open, until loss to Nadal in Italian Open final. ... In Madrid, became the first man to win a clay title without being broken since stats were first kept in 1991.
Topspin: Talented as can be, the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev really should have made it past the fourth round of a major by now. This could be his turn to shine.
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MARIN CILIC
Ranked: 4
Age: 29
Country:
2018 Match Record: 18-8
2018 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 17
Major Titles: 1 - U.S. Open ('14)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-QF, `16-1st, `15-4th, `14-3rd, `13-3rd
Aces: Converting only 36 percent of the break points he earns in 2018, which puts him 60th on tour. Makes up for that by winning 86 percent of his service games, which is 10th-best.
Topspin: His big serve and big forehand don't get the same boost on clay that they do on faster surfaces, which is probably why the French Open is the only major tournament where he hasn't reached a final.
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DOMINIC THIEM
Ranked: 8
Age: 24
Country: Austria
2018 Match Record: 25-8
2018 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 9
Major Titles: 0 - Best: SF, French Open ('17, `16)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-SF, `16-SF, `15-2nd, `14-2nd, `13-DNP
Aces: Responsible for handing Nadal his past two losses on red clay, in the 2017 Rome quarterfinals and 2018 Madrid quarterfinals. ... Hasn't been past the fourth round at any major other than the French Open.
Topspin: Still deals with bouts of inconsistency, as evidenced by his opening-match loss at the Italian Open a week after his runner-up showing at Madrid.
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DAVID GOFFIN
Ranked: 9
Age: 27
Country: Belgium
2018 Match Record: 16-8
2018 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 4
Major Titles: 0 - Best: QF, French Open ('16), Australian Open ('17)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-3rd, `16-QF, `15-3rd, `14-1st, `13-1st
Aces: Winning 33 percent of his return games, which ranks No. 2 on tour this season, behind only Nadal. ... Just 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters), 150 pounds (68 kilograms).
Topspin: His 2017 French Open ended when he injured his right ankle by tripping on a tarp at the back of a court. ... Made his Grand Slam debut as a ''lucky loser'' at Roland Garros in 2012, reaching the fourth round before being eliminated by Roger Federer.
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Ranked: 22
Age: 31
Country: Serbia
2018 Match Record: 10-7
2018 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 68
Major Titles: 12 - French Open ('16), Australian Open ('08, `11, `12, `13, `15, `16), Wimbledon ('11, `14, `15), U.S. Open ('11, `15)
Last 5 French Opens: `17-QF, `16-W, `15-RU, `14-RU, `13-SF
Aces: Hasn't won a major trophy since collecting his fourth in a row at Roland Garros two years ago. ... His ranking is at its lowest point since 2006.
Topspin: Went through right arm problems and cycled through coaches, but after reuniting recently with Marian Vajda, seemed to have turned a corner recently.
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