Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. They are the two names that appear in all the pools and that no one doubts in pointing out as top favorites for the title in Roland Garros. As if their tennis were little argument to affirm this sentence, they also maintain a titanic struggle for the historical hegemony of tennis that fuels his motivation: the Balearic would win his 20th major (equaling Roger Federer's record), while the Serbian would add 18th.
But is there life beyond these two titans at this Roland Garros? Incredible as it may sound, the answer is yes. Apart from the main alternative, consolidated as a reality in recent years, of Dominic Thiem, Another tennis player presents numbers this season that are only surpassed by Djokovic's incredible season. We talk about Andrey Rublev (22 years old), who slowly and with good handwriting has planted himself in the quarterfinals (he is measured today with Tsitsipas, around 4:00 p.m.) signing a brilliant tennis under the tutelage of the Spanish Fernando Vicente, former tennis player and his coach.
And it is not by mere chance. The Russian is the player with the best winning streak today, equaling the nine that Djokovic accumulates. He has won everything in the last two weeks, including the clay court title at Hamburg (five games) and the four qualifying rounds that he accumulates in Paris. It is also the second player with the most wins this season (29), only surpassed, of course, by the 35 of the number 1 in the world. And last but not least, its immaculate statistics: he has won all the finals he has played this year (Doha, Adelaide and Hamburg). Precisely in the German tournament he beat Tsitsipas, his rival in the quarterfinals …
There is reason to believe in him more than enough in a decisive week in which could face Djokovic in the semi-finals, with whom he has not yet seen the faces, and with Nadal in the grand final. His promising career is consolidated this year (he is number 12 ATP and aspires to the top-10) after leaving behind seasons of injuries and who knows if he will reach higher heights at Roland Garros. Rublev is the 'covered' …