The French Open always presents a unique test. The second major of the season is the only one contested on clay, which requires a different skill set. It also starts a very busy stretch that continues through Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Players are focused on setting a positive tone they can build from in the months ahead. Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams were the stars who accomplished that goal last year with triumphs at Roland Garros. It was Nadals eighth French championship and Williams second. Both the Spaniard and the American return with hope of defending their titles. There are 127 other players on each side looking to end those dreams. Where: Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France When: Sunday, May 25 - Sunday, June 8 Nadal is the unquestioned King of Clay. Hes won the French Open eight times in the past nine years, including the last four. The 13-time Grand Slam champion has defeated fellow top stars Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer in the last three finals. Yet, he enters the tournament with far more question marks than usual. He played in four warm-up events leading up to Roland Garros and emerged with just one title. Twice during that span he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Although hes obviously capable of finding another gear in the weeks ahead, his lack of top form opens the door for other contenders to make a serious bid for the championship. Interestingly, Sean Gregory of Time magazine passed along comments from Nadal in the days leading up to the tournament, and he was honest about the state of his troublesome knee: Considering both of those factors, Djokovic should see this years French Open as a golden opportunity to complete his career Grand Slam. Hes won the Australian Open four times along with one title apiece at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The other positive for Djokovic is the confidence boost he should have received from knocking off Nadal in the championship match of the Rome Masters last week. It would seem Djokovic and Nadal are on a collision course. There are some other players to keep in mind, though. It starts with Stanislas Wawrinka, who finally broke through to win his first major at the Australian Open earlier in the year. He reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year, a career-best finish, and won the Monte-Carlo Masters on clay last month. Then theres the group of usual contenders: Federer, Ferrer and Andy Murray. They are all a step behind Nadal and Djokovic heading into the event, but if they can catch a few breaks and play well its impossible to count them out. Federer in particular has a favorable draw. On the womens side, the same outlook thats held true frequently for more than a decade is in place once again. If Williams is playing at her absolute best, there isnt a player on tour capable of beating her. They all have to hope she endures an off day. That said, shes only won the French title once over the past 10 years. So if theres a major tournament where one of those poor performances is going to pop up, this one is a strong bet. Williams will also have to navigate a pretty tricky draw. Its highlighted by a potential quarterfinal against Maria Sharapova, as noted by Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times: The tournament is wide open outside of Williams. Yes, there are some stars like Li Na, Sara Errani and Sharapova who would be strong bets to step up if the favorite was surprisingly eliminated early, but the field of true title contenders is far larger than the mens side. Simona Halep, who recently reached a career-high ranking of No. 4, is one player to watch. Shes never advanced beyond the second round in Paris, but the 22-year-old rising stars performance has been on a steady incline over the past year. Another name to keep in mind is Ana Ivanovic. The 2008 French Open winner has been wildly inconsistent since that point but reached the quarterfinals in Australia to match her best major result in the past five years and has enjoyed success in the clay warm-up events. All told, on the mens side a rematch from the Rome Masters between Nadal and Djokovic is the most likely outcome. At that point, its nothing more than a toss-up, and fans would be in for quite a treat in the form of a potential five-set masterpiece. In the womens draw, its hard to make a strong case for anybody other than Williams. Thats not to say she will roll through the tournament without being seriously challenged a few times. But shes the best womens player in the world right now, and its not close.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 14:43:27 +0000
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