French Open 2017 men’s form guide: the players to watch at Roland Garros | Jacob Steinberg

Top five

1) Andy Murray

Murray arrives in Paris badly out of form and with his hopes of winning his first title at Roland Garros looking slimmer than ever after last year’s breakthrough run to the final. The world No1, who turned 30 earlier this month, has been out of sorts since rising to the top of the rankings for the first time last November. He has not recovered from the shock of his fourth-round defeat to Mischa Zverev in the Australian Open, since when he has struggled with injuries and illness and suffered further setbacks against players he would normally eat for breakfast. Losing heavily to Fabio Fognini in Rome last year was another worrying sign. But Murray has been strong on clay since 2014 and while he will be vulnerable in the first week, he will be a threat if he can build some momentum.

2) Novak Djokovic

The world No2 returns to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs with doubts hanging over him after a troubled 12 months. When Djokovic completed the calendar slam by beating Murray in last year’s final, he was untouchable, as dominant a figure the sport had ever seen. But that victory was the prelude to an astonishing dip. It began with that defeat to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon, continued when he lost his No1 ranking to Murray and threatened to spiral out of control when he was vanquished by Denis Istomin in Melbourne. Bidding to restore order to his game, Djokovic has opted for the shock therapy of parting company with his longtime coaching team and making the intriguing decision to link up with Andre Agassi on a short-term basis, but the defending champion has plenty to prove after turning 30 last week.

3) Stan Wawrinka

The reigning US Open champion has been in scratchy form in recent weeks, losing to Pablo Cuevas in Monte Carlo and Benoît Paire in Madrid. Yet using warm-up tournaments as a way to assess Wawrinka’s level before a grand slam is inadvisable. The Swiss is a man for the big occasion, a player who thrives under pressure. The 32-year-old often sails close to the wind in opening rounds, but Wawrinka is always dangerous in the second week. He pushed Roger Federer to five sets in their Australian Open semi-final in January and his blistering shotmaking saw him defeat Djokovic in the French Open final two years ago. He can be erratic. He can also be unstoppable, especially when that single-handed backhand purrs.

4) Rafael Nadal

The king of clay wants his crown back. Fit again after a wrist injury wrecked his 2016 campaign, Nadal began the year by reaching the Australian Open final, only to lose a wonderfully nostalgic battle with Federer. But his old rival has decided to skip the clay season, removing one sizeable obstacle from Nadal’s path, and the Spaniard has been back to his best on his favourite surface, storming to three titles on the dirt while also ending a seven-match losing streak against Djokovic with a convincing performance in their Madrid semi-final. Can anyone stop the owner of a record nine French Open titles from completing La Decima?

5) Milos Raonic

The Canadian’s seeding received a boost thanks to Federer’s decision to sit this one out, but will that be enough on its own to help him end his wait for a first major? Indeed if Raonic is going to win one, it is unlikely that it will be at Roland Garros, where his best result is a run to the last eight three years ago. Knocked out in the fourth round by Spanish hustler Albert Ramos Vinolas last year, Raonic remains uncomfortable on clay, while he has been plagued by fitness concerns since the Australian Open. His huge serve gives him a chance in any setting, though.

Three to watch

Dominic Thiem

Up to seventh in the rankings after a fine run featuring a gutsy three-set win over Murray in their Barcelona semi-final, the rising Austrian has grown in belief during the clay season. The 23-year-old couldn’t quell Nadal in either of their finals in Barcelona or Madrid, but he ended the Spaniard’s run on clay in their Rome quarter-final. His increasing consistency offers encouragement about his chances of bettering last year’s semi-final appearance.

Grigor Dimitrov

The Bulgarian continues to hover outside the top 10 and the sense persists that he is not making the most of his vast talent. But after a couple of indifferent years, he came desperately close to beating Nadal in an epic five-setter in their Australian Open semi-final. Has the penny finally dropped? Fans of the Bulgarian’s natural ability will hope so, although he has never done well at Roland Garros. Is the 26-year-old powerful enough to prosper on this surface?

Alex Zverev

The 20-year-old German is tipped by many to rule the men’s game in the future and although his time hasn’t come yet - Nadal handed him a harsh lesson in Monte Carlo - he provided a display of his awesome potential by picking up his first Masters title with a swaggering victory over Djokovic in Rome.

Others to watch

After recording two hard-court wins over Djokovic, it would be a shame if the unpredictable Nick Kyrgios is ruled out by the hip problem that forced him to miss the Italian Open. But there are no shortage of dark horses. Juan Martín del Potro, the romantic’s choice after his recent injury nightmares, did well in Rome, while David Goffin has been playing some good tennis recently. Kei Nishikori cannot be ruled out of contention either despite the world No9’s flakiness and Marin Cilic’s power game can be formidable in the right circumstances. It’s Nadal’s year, though, isn’t it?

• French Open women’s form guide will go online on Friday morning