Red-Hot Djokovic Highlights 2011 ATP French Open Preview

Fiery left-hander Rafael Nadal may still be the No. 1 ranked player in the world and the defending French Open champion, but after seeing the Spaniard get his ass absolutely kicked four times in a row by World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, I'm going on record right now to say that 'ËœRafa' is no longer the undeniable favorite to win the ATP Tour portion of the 2011 French Open.

The World No.1 and five-time French Open winner has been virtually unbeatable throughout his career whenever he steps on his favorite surface '" the same red clay that generally rules out any American player as a legitimate title contender at the French.

Nevertheless, Djokovic, has taken down Nadal in straight sets twice on clay in the last two weeks alone in winning Nadal's 'Ëœhome' tournament in Madrid before taking home the hardware at last week's Italian Open. The gifted Serbian will also bring his jaw-dropping 37-0 record into the French that includes a whopping seven titles this season alone.

Thanks to my fun-filled, but informative, tennis breakdown on the ATP portion of the upcoming 2011 French Open, tennis fans everywhere will get the scoop on just which players are most likely to walk away with this year's French Open trophy.

The Cream of the Crop
Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Robin Soderling
David Ferrer
Andy Murray

Analysis: I've got to believe that Novak Djokovic has gotten an absolutely huge boost in confidence from beating Rafa on clay in each of the last two weeks and now fully realizes he can beat any player in the world '" on any surface.

With an unblemished 37-0 record coming into the season's second grand slam and four consecutive wins over Nadal, the Serb is now the clear-cut favorite in my estimation even if Nadal has won this tourney five times before.

Despite his recent struggles against Djokovic, Nadal remains the favorite in a lot of people's minds because of his past conquests at the French. Still, I can't bring myself to rank him over the 'ËœDjoker' which is why Rafa's not my top pick to win the 2011 French Open.

While World No. 3 Roger Federer has clearly come back to the pack a bit over the last 18 months, I think it would be foolish to count out the 16-time grand slam champion. Yes, he's had some surprising unforced errors this season in several matches, but the 2009 French Open winner still has a very legitimate shot, particularly if one of the top two fall prematurely.

2009 French Open finalist Robin Soderling has tapered off after looking like he was closing in on a grand slam title two years ago. Soderling still has a big game, but something's clearly missing from the form he displayed two years ago.

Last but not least, I like Spain's David Ferrer and Scotland's Andy Murray to reach the quarterfinals at the very least. Ferrer has tireless legs and is one of the very best clay court players in the world. Murray looked fantastic in nearly pulling off the upset over Djokovic in the semis at the Italian Open a week ago.

DYK
Did You Know that Novak Djokovic has beaten Rafael Nadal seven times in the last nine matches between the pair?

Next in Line
Juan Martin Del Potro
Fernando Verdasco
Gael Monfils
Nikolay Davydenko

Analysis: Juan Martin Del Potro looked like he was rounding into form at a nice pace '" until he had to pull out of his scheduled match against Nadal at the Madrid Open. Fernando Verdasco has got a very nice game but hasn't played at the level he did when he made a deep run at three grand slams in 20009.

Gael Monfils is arguably the most athletically gifted player in the game today, but he's still got plenty of mental maturing to do before he can become a legitimate threat to win a grand slam while Nikolay Davydenko is a threat to win just about every tournament he plays in '" that is not a grand slam!

Sorry Charlie, but it's Not Gonna' Happen
Marin Cilic
Tomas Berdych
Jo Wilfried Tsonga
Andy Roddick

Analysis:Marin Cilic is one of my favorite players on the ATP Tour, but I'm sick of seeing the athletically-gifted former World No. 2 junior underachieve despite owning a boatload of talent.

Tomas Berdych is a big hitter, but doesn't move nearly as well as it takes to win on clay while French native Jo Wilfried Tsonga is now playing without a coach for the first time in seven years '" and enters with an uninspiring 15-10 record on the year.

Last but not least, I would have liked American Andy Roddick to get booted out in either the first or second round at best. Fortunately, the lead-footed former phenom pulled out of the tournament on Thursday night. If you've seen Roddick play at all this season, then you likely know the former superstar's career is starting to reach that, 'Ëœbeginning of the end' stage!

Overall Analysis: Maybe it's me, but I smell at least two or three huge upsets brewing involving at least three Top 10 players.

Rafa opens up against big-serving American John Isner, but could very well face Nikolay Davydenko in the third round and Fernando Verdasco in the fourth before possibly meeting Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals.

Andy Murray has what looks like a fairly easy route to the quarterfinals and I believe he's going to be one of the final four remaining players, along with Roger Federer and Djokovic. Admittedly, I have a strange feeling that Rafa may not reach this year's Finals.

Federer also has his work cut out as he opens against Feliciano Lopez with possible dates against Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round and either Ferrer or Monfils in the fourth.

In the end, I'm going with Djokovic to win his first French Open title by beating surprise finalist, Andy Murray.