The official seed list for the French Open holds positive prospects for both Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem.
Alexander Zverev let us know another thing at the end of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome: The fact that the Hamburg native will enter a Grand Slam tournament as number two for the first time in Paris has the advantage of only being able to meet Rafael Nadal at the last possible moment. Good: Zverev hasn’t landed the big coup with the majors yet – but if you take the performance of the last weeks as a basis, it’s only a matter of time.
Nadal leads the seed list, ahead of Zverev, Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov. Dominic Thiem is in seventh position, which sounds less advantageous than it is. Of course: As in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, Thiem could be drawn on the Nadal-Ast, theoretically already in the quarter-finals against the great clay court champion.
However, any other constellation is not unfavorable for the Lower Austrian: he is united with Juan Martin del Potro, Kevin Anderson and David Goffin in a group that could meet in the semi-finals at the earliest. All players against whom Thiem has rarely had positive experiences.
However, all those in the front are at risk from the depth of the seeded list, especially the number 21, which Novak Djokovic just won with his semi-final entry in Rome. The Serbian’s form curve points upwards again, also because Djokovic has almost completely reunited the old band with Marian Vajda and Gebhard Gritsch.
For Stan Wawrinka, the champion of 2015, the French Open are probably still too early. But if last year’s finalist plays his way into the tournament, Wawrinka could also become dangerous. Like perhaps Philipp Kohlschreiber, who after a strong spring has won the seed list position 23, a place ahead of Wawrinka.
Here is the men’s seed list for the French Open 2018
Rafael Nadal
Juan Martin del Potro