Djokovic and Nadal's chances of winning Roland Garros are decreasing

A month ago, Novak Djokovic topped the list of many bookmakers' Roland Garros title contenders, followed by Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. But this week, some big bookies have put Alcaraz at the top of the list.

Djokovic is underestimated due to fitness and performance problems. He is being treated for an elbow injury and has not played well since the beginning of the clay season. Djokovic has a 2-2 win and loss record and has never reached a final on a red dusty field. The Serbian player had previously spent nearly two months without playing since the Dubai Championships - where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

In the last two seasons, Djokovic has played slowly in the clay season but still has a highlight. He won in Belgrade before winning Roland Garros 2021. Last year, Djokovic won the Rome Masters, then lost to Nadal in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros. If Djokovic does not play impressively in Rome this season, the question mark about his ability to conquer the 23rd Grand Slam will be larger.

Nadal is even in a more complicated situation than Djokovic. He has not been back since January, missing eight tournaments and certainly has very few matches to prepare for the second Grand Slam of the year. In the worst case scenario, the "King of Clay" may not be 100% fit when attending Roland Garros this year.

Nadal was also injured last year before the clay season. But then he played well for the first three months of the year on hard courts, then returned to Madrid and Rome to prepare for Roland Garros. Nadal still has a chance to return to Rome this year, but the chance is dwindling.

Nadal has not played Roland Garros without a clay warm-up before, since his debut in 2005. In the event that Nadal makes a full recovery, he faces a tough draw to have dropped out of the ATP top 10. Besides, he has to deal with Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and a group of young players who have flourished recently, including Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune.

Alcaraz is playing impressively since returning from injury. He has reached four finals and won three times. The only thing against Alcaraz is playing consecutive tournaments to protect the score. Alcaraz's Grand Slam experience also matters. He won the US Open last year, but has yet to fight the likes of Nadal and Djokovic in a five-set format.