The ATP circuit is having the biggest gathering on clay of the season as the french open is about to start in Paris. Yesterday, the main draw schedule emerged fueling those inevitable debates of how things will evolve over the next two weeks. The main draw puts Andy Murray (1 ATP) in the upper half of the board in what may be considered an easier one compared to the second pack. The world no. 1 shares the draw with Stan Wawrinka (3 ATP) who remains a constant danger despite not having some of his finest days lately. After all, he won the title here two years ago when no one saw that coming.
The bottom half is dominated by the projected duel of Djokovic and Nadal.
The clay court swing of 2017 has been less fruitful compared to that of last season. For Murray, the French Open provides the last chance to improve some of the stats and maybe to have that final breakthrough on the Parisian clay.
Andy Murray trajectory has no major threat in the opening stages
The first up in Paris, Andy Murray will start his adventure by playing against Andrey Kuznetsov (85 ATP) in the opening round. The 26-year-old Russian player is on a 2-0 deficit against Murray in head to head stats. Their previous encounters both occurred on a hardcourt so it's going to be interesting to watch how Murray will handle his opponent on clay.
Struggling with injuries and poor shape, Murray had a poor delivery on this surface lately. The second round could bring either Martin Klizan (49 ATP) or Laurent Lokoli (281 ATP) onto the other side of the net. Normally, the round of 32 would put Murray against Juan Martin del Potro but there are some question marks around the Argentine's level of commitment as he is struggling with shoulder and back injuries.
Moving forward, the round of 16 may have either John Isner or Toma Berdych emerging from the draw.
If he gets through the quarterfinals, Murray's path could cross to that of Kei Nishikori or perhaps Alexander Zverev. To have a Murray vs Zverev clash in the last eight stages might be quite an interesting show to watch given the latest results the young German produced.
Given the magnitude of the main draw, Murray's trajectory seems to be one that could give him plenty of room to work on finding a way to win the title. The semifinals have multiple scenarios. Stan Wawrinka is first on the list but Marin Cilic, Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could step up from the herd.
The focus is on Djokovic or Nadal so Murray can benefit from the lack of attention
Before the official schedule arrival, the debate was mostly focused on two names, Nadal and Djokovic. But the draw puts them on a collision course for the semis. That is the best scenario Murray could have hoped for. The worst would have been to have either Djokovic or Nadal for the semis and the other emerging in the final.
Having an accessible route towards the higher stages, Murray could prepare himself for having one single decisive battle, and that one would be in the final. If he gets past the health issues and his sharp game works well, two weeks from now he might be playing another French Open final. Last year, he was a runner-up in Paris losing to an indestructible Novak Djokovic.
