ATP Monte Carlo: Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal from winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The top half of the Monte Carlo Masters draw holds the promise of being full of surprises and some marquee upsets.

Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal from winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

Rafael Nadal received a bye in the first and is expected to bully Bedene into total submission in the second. The king of clay has an easy path to a possible quarterfinal meeting with Dominic Thiem. That quarterfinal, if it comes to pass, would be the unofficial final of the tournament.

Novak Djokovic has a tough road ahead.

Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-0 win over Dusan Lajovic suggests that he has recovered from his elbow problem. Getting back with Marian Vajda will help him get back to the old Djokovic ways soon. However, Rafael Nadal stands tall in his path in the quarter, if he survives Borna Coric in the next and Dominic Thiem in the third round.

The draw seems loaded in the top half.

The draw is top-half heavy with Bautista Agut and David Goffin also bundled in there to make things more exciting. However, unless proven wrong, Nadal appears as the obvious choice to make and win the semi-finals.

The bottom half of the draw at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The bottom half of the draw suffered its first casualty with Tomas Berdych losing to Kei Nishikori in the first round. The lower half appears open and not as loaded as the top half of the draw. However, Diego Schwartzman versus Lucas Pouille in the fourth and the winner of that encounter against Alexander Zverev in the quarter could make for exciting tennis.

Winner: Either Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem