Just eight men remain in contention at Roland Garros. Four of them—Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka—have combined to win every French Open since 2005. Three of them—Dominic Thiem, Karen Khachanov and Alexander Zverev—are among the game’s brightest young stars, full of promise but yet to topple the sport’s hegemons at a Grand Slam. And then there’s Kei Nishikori, 29 and without a major title, who doesn’t really fall into either category.
For all the drama of the tournament’s first week, the ultimate outcome still almost seems a foregone conclusion: Nadal, the 11-time Roland Garros winner, defending his title against Djokovic, the clear best player in the world on anything but clay.