There is a lot of tennis to be played in the months ahead following the conclusion of the 2017 Australian Open. This weekend there will be Davis Cup action with some smaller 500-series tournaments on the near horizon. In March, Indian Wells and Miami will both be played before the 2017 clay-court season starts. Monte Carlo, Rome, and Madrid are the big clay-court tournaments ahead of the next Grand Slam, the 2017 french open.

Roland Garros historically Federer's worst major

The French Open is the worst major for Federer from a historical point of view.

The Swiss Maestro has made several finals in Paris, however, he was only able to win the final once, beating Robin Soderling in the classic Roland Garros finale in 2009. Rafael Nadal has been the player that has blocked Federer the most over the years. The Spaniard and Novak Djokovic are the top two favorites to win the 2017 French Open at this point, immediately following the results from Melbourne Park.

Djokovic returning champion

Presently BetVictor make Djokovic a 7 to 4 outright favorite to win the French, odds that might be tough to swallow given everything that the Serb has gone through in the last year. Since winning at Roland Garros, Djokovic has not been his old self, rarely winning titles on tour and losing the No.

1 ranking. Furthermore, Djokovic parted ways with Boris Becker recently and the Serb's stunning defeat at the Australian Open will certainly cause some to wonder if the parting has affected his playing level. Questions are always answered on the court, but heading into February and beyond Djokovic doesn't look as scary as he used to.

Nadal does look scary and he is an 11 to 4 second favorite with Betfair to win the 2017 French Open. The Spaniard seems like a much more plausible champion than the heavier favored Djokovic. Nadal hasn't won the event since 2014 and that does constitute a major drought by his standards. But otherwise, he has nine titles at the venue.

If his playing level at the Australian Open is any indicator then there is no reason to doubt Rafa's abilities to win the French Open this season - with the exception of injury concerns.

French Open doesn't start until May

Fans of Grand Slam tennis are in for a bit of a wait before the next major starts. The 2017 French Open won't begin play until May 22nd qualifying begins. In the months ahead, perhaps look for both Federer and Nadal to rest up and play a little sparingly. They will certainly be looking to peak for the French Open as they both seem to live and die with their Grand Slam results.
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