Ahead of Friday's draw for the 2015 French Open, there is one indisputable truth: Rafael Nadal is the king of clay until proven otherwise.
“Regardless of what anyone says to me he's the favorite,” Roger Federer told Tennis.com. “The guy’s only lost once in 10 years.”
Novak Djokovic agrees.
“He’s still one of the fittest guys on tour, he’s won Roland Garros nine times and he definitely deserves to be one of the favorites,” said Djokovic, this year's likely No. 1 seed.
Think about it: Nadal likely won't be among the top four seeds at Roland Garros, but when play starts May 24 he will be the guy everyone in the men's draw will use as a standard.
The men's tournament draw will follow ATP rankings. That means Nadal will be No. 7 in the field.
MORE: ATP rankings | WTA rankings
Canada's Milos Raonic is No. 6 in the men's rankings, but he announced Thursday he would withdraw because of a foot injury. John Isner at No. 17 is highest among American men.
On the women's side, Serena Williams is No. 1, Canada's Eugenie Bouchard is No. 6 and defending champion Maria Sharapova is No. 2. Also in the WTA top 20: Venus Williams, No. 15, and Madison Keys, No. 16.
Officially, the French Open is under way. But the headliners don't start until May 24. For now, qualifying matches are taking place.
Between Sunday and June 7, tennis fans will watch closely to see if anyone can beat Nadal.
Top storylines? Glad you asked.
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Men's draw. Djokovic vs. Nadal. Who will win the women's competition? Will a dark horse (or a French player) step into title competition? Can Andy Murray win on clay?
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Courtney Nguyen: This is Djokovic's French Open to lose.
Richard Deitsch: If young Aussie Nick Kyrgios gets comfortable matches early in the draw, watch out.
Jon Wertheim: Can slumping players Nadal, Bouchard, Agnieszka Radwanska and Ernests Gulbis find their games?
Drew Lawrence: Japan's Kei Nishikori won in Barcelona after Nadal crashed and burned, and he could do so again in Paris.
Stanley Kay: Stan Wawrinka hasn't quite emerged after his Australian Open title in 2014, but there's reason for optimism entering the Open.
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Nadal is 66-1 at Roland Garros. His only loss came on May 31, 2009 to Robin Soderling in the fourth round.
With nine titles, Nadal has nearly as many as the next two players on the champions list since 1925: Bjorn Borg, nine between 1974 and 1981; and Henri Cochet, four between 1926 and 1932.
Nadal also has more wins at Roland Garros than any other player in any other grand slam tournament. U.S.: Bill Tilden in the 1920s. Wimbledon: Roger Federer between 2003 and 2012, and Pete Sampras between 1993 and 2000. Australian Open: Roy Emerson, six times in the 1960s.
Nadal is 89-1 in best-of-5 matches on clay and has been extended to five sets four times, winning all four.
The only other time Nadal wasn't a top-three seed at Roland Garros was 2005, when he was No. 4.