"Only Djokovic can stop Nadal at Roland Garros," claims Goran Ivanisevic

Former World No.2 Goran Ivanisevic believes Rafael Nadal is still the favorite to win the title at Roland Garros, but is also of the opinion that Novak Djokovic is the only player who can beat him at the Spaniard's favorite Grand Slam event.

Ivanisevic, who has been a part of Djokovic's coaching team since 2019, claims the World No.1 will need to play near-perfect tennis in order to defeat his rival, otherwise Nadal would walk away with another easy victory.

“In my opinion, Nadal is number one favourite to win the French Open and there’s only one person who can beat him to that number 14 title – and that’s Novak,” Ivanisevic said in an interview with BBC Sport.

“But he has to be 100%. We saw last year he did not show up for the final. He showed up too late. You cannot give Nadal too much space, otherwise he eats you.”

The duo last met in the final of last year's French Open, with Nadal pulling off a 6-0 6-2 7-5 victory. With the draw released this Thursday, the two could potentially meet in the semifinals at this year's tournament.

The main draw of the French Open kicks off on May 30, 2021.