Djokovic is considered the number one candidate at Roland Garros.

Tennis player Holger Rune rates Novak Djokovic as the biggest candidate for the clay Grand Slam title, after Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal.

"I rate Djokovic the highest," Rune said when asked about the competition at Roland Garros next week. The Dane believes no one has as much experience and character as Djokovic at this year's Grand Slam in Paris. The tournament will be without record champion Rafael Nadal, who announced his withdrawal due to injury.

Djokovic lifted the 2021 Roland Garros title, after defeating Nadal in the semi-finals and Tsitsipas in the final. Photo: ATP

Rune has been in good form this season and has climbed to world number six. He believes Carlos Alcaraz is the second favourite at Roland Garros, ahead of Daniil Medvedev. "The chances of winning the title will be better with Nadal's absence, that's for sure," Rune added.

As one of the top seeds, Rune is expected to go deep at Roland Garros this year. The 20-year-old was a dark horse last year when he reached the quarterfinals. He has been in good form, winning 13 of his 16 matches on clay this year. During this run, Rune won the BMW Open, reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters and the Rome Masters.

Djokovic's former coach Boris Becker also believes the Serbian will be a top contender at Roland Garros this year. He said: "Clay is not Djokovic's favourite surface, but as long as he plays, he will always be a Grand Slam contender."

Asked about Djokovic's drop to world number three this week, Becker said it was not a big deal for the veteran title-hunter. "Djokovic is a tennis machine. If he is fit, he always knows how to overcome difficulties in Grand Slams. His opponents are Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune. The Russians can do it too," he said.

As the third seed, Djokovic will have to wait until the draw on May 25 to find out which bracket he will be in. Of the men competing this year, only Djokovic has won the title, in 2016 and 2021. If he wins for the third time, the Serbian will claim a record 23 Grand Slam titles.

Vy Anh

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