With Nadal out, who will take the French Open throne—starting Aug. 28?

Rafael Nadal (#15-Spain), who has won 14 of his last 18 tournaments with only three losses, will be absent. The battle for the vacant ‘claycourt throne’ begins. The second major of the season, the French Open, kicks off today at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France.

With Nadal, the “King of Clay,” unable to compete토토사이트, the number one favorite to win the men’s singles title is current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), who is considered Nadal’s heir apparent. Alcaraz won his first major trophy at the US Open last September at the age of 19 years and four months, making him the youngest player ever ranked No. 1 in the men’s ATP singles world.

Despite missing the first major of the season in January with a leg injury, he has already won four ATP Tour titles this year. However, his momentum was halted last week when he lost in the third round of the Rome Open, a precursor to the French Open, to then-No. 135 Fabian Marozan (Hungary).

Two-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic (#3-Serbia) is also on a roll. With his win at the Australian Open, Djokovic moved into a tie with Nadal for the most men’s singles titles at a major (22) and will be looking to add to his tally at this event. The key will be how much he can regain his form since returning from a right arm injury.

Danil Medvedev (left) and runner-up Roger Federer at the Rome Open, a pre-French Open event. Getty Images

2021 US Open winner Danil Medvedev (2nd-Russia) shook off a longstanding clay-court jinx at the Rome Open last week. Medvedev has always struggled at the French Open, but his first clay-court victory gives him a lot of confidence heading into the tournament.

Holger Lune (No. 6 DEN), who has been compared to Alcaraz on his recent meteoric rise, Kasper Lourdes (No. 4 NOR) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 5 GRE), who have both lost in the finals of majors, including the French Open, are other favorites. Top seeds Andrei Rublev (7th-Russia) and Yannick Cigner (8th-Italy) are also in contention for the title.