On the men’s tournament
Do you think there is anyone who can beat Rafa Nadal this year in Paris?
We have this discussion every year, and every year I am thinking there is no way Rafa can back up this title once again and win it again. He is looking strong, obviously you cannot rule out a Novak Djokovic or a Tstisipas who is playing extremely well at the moment. But then if you look at the facts and how many matches he has won, how many titles he has won at the French Open, and how he players every year – it’s basically it’s living room. You have to say, no, nobody is going to beat him.

Do you think Novak Djokovic is the main threat to the title?
I think so. I think he will be Rafa’s main rival, I don’t see Roger ready on clay, I don’t see Dominic Thiem creating big damage, I don’t think someone like Zverev has the game style to beat someone like Rafa on clay. And then there are not many left – Medvedev hates clay, Rublev is inconsistent. Novak is definitely the biggest rival for Rafa and it will be interesting to see the draw when it comes out as well.

Which version of Rafa Nadal are we going to see – the version from Paris or the version from Madrid?
I think Rafa is going to be super-aggressive again, we have seen he has changed his game style a little bit with less rallies and trying to go for it a little more, coming into the net more as well. I think when Rafa steps out on Philippe-Chatrier he just knows he is not going to lose, he has no doubt – that makes s big difference mentally already. Tennis-wise we know it is the perfect game-style on this surface. Even though he usually says he is not the favourite coming into Roland-Garros, but I think deep inside he steps outside there and almost plays a level better. Remember last year he barely lost a set or even a game – he was so convincing. I think he will step out there like that again this year. When you play against Rafa in Paris, it’s a nightmare and a lot of players know that. Players think it can be an honour to play against him but it can get ugly, very, very ugly and not a lot of players believe they can beat him in Paris on clay.

Rafa, like Novak and Roger, they have experience in playing their best tennis at the Grand Slams, they know exactly what they have to do and how to bring the best out of them. I don’t think Novak will be too worried he lost that final against Rafa at all – a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam – and all three in the back of their mind have the idea that they want to go down in this history books with the most Grand Slam titles. The motivation is high.

Looking ahead to Roland-Garros, are there any other contenders for the men’s title?
Novak and Rafa have played some outstanding tennis. Tsitsipas as well won the tournament in Monte Carlo and in Lyon as well. I would think the two from the old guard are definitely in the mix, entering Roland-Garros as favourites but then they have to watch out for Stefanos Tstisipas. Don’t forget that Tstistipas is one of the players to have beaten both of them and he can do some damage. Is he mature enough to win a Grand Slam in Paris where he can face someone who has won the title 13 times? It’s hard to believe. Novak, Rafa and Tstistipas have shown the best form so far.

What would be a good tournament for Roger Federer at Roland-Garros this year?
Clay has never been his favourite surface, especially when you have to play against someone like Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic. And especially now that he has only played a couple of matches in Doha and Geneva, I don’t think he’s too worried about it. His main focus will be Wimbledon, his goal is to have as many matches as possible because we all know practicing and playing practice matches is completely different to playing a match in a tournament or a Grand Slam event. I think he will be looking to win as many matches as possible and get in some good practice in. His main focus will be Wimbledon where he thinks, and we know, that is his best chance of winning another Grand Slam title. But it will be interesting to see how hid body holds up, over the past year-and-a-half he hasn’t played more than two matches in a row. It is different when you practice or play a match because nerves come in as well, you get tighter, you get tired and it will be interesting to see how he pulls up after a few matches physically. 

On the other contenders
Alex Zverev seems to have taken his game to the next level – is he now ahead of a player like Dominic Thiem?
I think at the moment Alex is just dealing with the situation of bubbles a lot better, at the moment Zverev is more confident and feeling more at ease with the whole situation. That’s why at the moment I would rate him higher than Dominic Thiem. I think Zverev is ranked sixth and Dominic fourth so not much separates them. Overall, for me, Sascha is still a little too defensive on a clay court, he always has to force himself to be aggressive and I think when he plays against the big guns in Paris for example he falls back into his patterns. Having said that, he’s entering Roland-Garros full of confidence so we’ll see how he goes. I do favour him more than Dominic Thiem at the moment, because Dominic is just not himself at the moment. When Dominic lost that match to Norrie he said that was a step backwards – I don’t think his self-confidence is overly high.

On the women’s tournament
What can we expect from the women’s tournament?
The big favourites to me are Ash Barty and Iga Swiatek, it’s a shame Simona Halep had to pull out. But it’s going to be exciting. I don’t see Naomi Osaka winning the title because she doesn’t feel comfortable on clay. Same with Serena Williams – I think for her it’s just important for her to play matches. I don’t think she is counting on winning on title in Paris, if she makes it through the first week then it’s been a success. Barty and Swiatek are my favourites. Iga has peaked in her form, Ash Barty has won a couple of titles including one on clay – I’d love to see the two competing against each other in the later stages of the Grand Slam, maybe even the final. I don’t see any new name popping up who could do major damage. It would be interesting to see Sofia Kenin too I guess, she hasn’t been overly convincingly, made a lot of changes in her team, so I think she hasn’t played her best tennis just yet. For me, it’s Barty and Swiatek.

I don’t want to rule out someone like Sabalenka as well because she has actually had a pretty solid clay court season – she was a finalist in Stuttgart, she won in Madrid and she is dangerous. Over the course of two weeks, I am not sure Sabalenka has the stability, she gets carried away sometimes and has lots of ups and downs. She can cause some damage though.

Personal memories
What was your best moment as a player at Roland-Garros, and as a spectator?
My best moment as a player was definitely when I beat Venus Williams in the first round. She was seeded two, we played on Suzanne-Lenglen, I had a horrible time before moving to Roland-Garros – I think I lost in the first round three or four times, I didn’t play well. Then I draw against Venus Williams but I was just so relaxed, I played really well. That was my favourite moment from my point of view – there have been so unbelievable moments

When Roger won the title, that was spectacular. But the 13 titles of Rafa Nadal – and to have seen all of them except last year – and see how he has evolved as a person and player, seeing him how he has worked on himself – has just been phenomenal. There are too many highlights to pick one particular match. I look back at the match Hingis against Graf, Chang when he won, Mats when he won, there is so much history in the walls of Roland-Garros and Philippe-Chatrier especially. Every year there is something extra-ordinary and unforgettable.

Barbara Schett is a tennis expert for Eurosport. Watch every match from Roland-Garros on Eurosport and Eurosport App from Sunday 30 May 2021.