It is always premature to discuss dark horses before the draw comes out, but it is also exciting. Half of the fun of seeing the draw come out is looking for tricky matchups, potential pitfalls for the top players, and where the potential surprises come from. Without further ado, we’re going to look at the players who could come from outside the top 10 and shock us all in Paris.

Kei Nishikori—He’s technically not a dark horse because he’s in the top 10. In fact, with Del Potro’s absence, Nishikori will be the No. 9 seed. But he gets this spot because, unlike the players currently ranked #5-9 in the world, Kei can actually win it all. Everyone saw Nishikori dominate Rafael Nadal for most of the Madrid final. If not for a freak injury late in that second set, he might have won that title without much trouble. He has defeated Federer this year, and that level of play from Madrid could have taken out Djokovic as well. As long as Nishikori is fully healed before the tournament starts and can stay healthy, he will be tough for anyone to stop.

Grigor Dimitrov—Dimitrov isn’t really such a dark horse either, but nobody is sure how far they can expect him to go. He is 26-8 on the year, and none of his losses have come to poor players. In fact, everyone who has beaten him this year is currently a top-25 player in the world. Dimitrov has only ever been to one Grand Slam quarterfinal, which came this year in Melbourne. He is on the rise and is on the verge of breaking through, but he is not quite at the very top of the game yet. He can compete with anyone, though, and a deep run here should not surprise anyone.

Ernests Gulbis—Gulbis is, in a word, a conundrum. He can amaze with his stellar play, his insane antics, and his thoroughly disinterested attitude—all in the same match. He has been much more committed to tennis in the last few years, though, and is finally letting his talent shine through. He can compete with all of the top players now, even if he can’t beat them with any consistency.

Marin Cilic—Cilic’s comeback trail from his suspension last year has stalled a little in recent months, which is understandable because clay is not his best surface. Still, he is a dangerous player and has shown great fire in this comeback. Relatively calm, it’s obvious that Cilic wants to be back at the top of the game, where he could have been these past few years. His massive ground game can beat just about anyone as long as he can keep it under control.

Floating Seeds:

This is a term for players who can wreak havoc in a draw. These are players that should be among the top 32 threats to win the tournament but won’t be ranked in the top 32. Therefore, they will be unseeded and could fall anywhere in the draw. Here are three opponents whom the top players want to avoid early in the draw.

Lleyton Hewitt—The Aussie is the perpetual floating seed. He is less of a danger on clay than other surfaces, but he is still one of the greatest competitors in the game and one of the biggest talents. Age and fatigue have kept him out of the top 32, but he is someone that no one wants to see in the first round before the tournament can tire him out.

Denis Istomin—Here is a raw talent who has somehow never quite managed to break through. We have seen him push Djokovic to his limit last year, though. Istomin’s level heading into this Roland Garros has been less than stellar, and that is quite an understatement, but if he finds his form he could be a formidable opponent wherever he ends up in the draw.

Martin Klizan—This youngster has not yet found the consistency necessary to stay in the top 30. The Slovak’s talent is there, though. He is a dangerous lefty and just won his first clay title in Munich a few weeks ago, coming through qualifying to do so. He is in good form heading into this Roland Garros and could put a serious scare into some high seeds with the right matchup.