American men leave Paris
Andy Roddick lost to qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, in the third round on Saturday.
Robby Ginepri defeated former French Open champion and former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero before losing in the fourth round to Novak Djokovic.
Nadal, Federer charge through
Rafael Nadal took out Lleyton Hewitt, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, in the third round and Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, in the fourth. Federer defeated his Olympic doubles partner and friend Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the fourth round to set up a quarterfinal clash that will repeat his 2009 final with Robin Soderling.
The 29-year-old Austrian Jurgen Melzer dismissed clay-court specialist David Ferrer in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, 7-6 (1), Saturday to earn his first fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam. Monday, he took out Gabashvili in the fourth round to set up a quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic.
Upset of the men's tournament (so far)
Thomas Berdych def. Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
The 24-year-old Czech who is famous for having beaten Roger Federer in the second round of the 2004 Olympics, hasn't dropped a set in the whole tournament. He took out American John Isner in the third round Friday (6-2, 6-2, 6-1) before his win against Murray on Sunday. His upcoming match against Mikhail Youzhny will be his second quarterfinal ever in a Grand Slam (his first was Wimbledon 2007).
Women
Justin Henin clashes with Maria Sharapova
Henin won the first set in the match that started Saturday, but Sharapova rallied back in the second with her consistent ground strokes. After that, the match was delayed due to darkness and continued Sunday morning. Sharapova lost the third set, falling in the only Grand Slam she hasn't won, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Nadia Petrova dismissed French hopeful Aravane Rezai, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-8, Saturday, to earn a spot in the fourth round.
Upset of the women's tournament (so far)
Nadia Petrova def. Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3.
Sunday was the last day fans could see the black and red, lingerie-like dress Venus wore at Roland Garros -- unless she brings it out in other tournaments. The No. 2 seed, who had never won a singles title at the French, couldn't keep up with Petrova, who earned a spot in the quarterfinals. Petrova hasn't made it past the third round since 2005 when she was a semifinalist. Petrova will have to beat fellow Russian Elena Dementieva to make it to her third semifinal at the French.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Commentary: Querrey's early exit
It wasn't too surprising to see Sam Querrey fall in the first round of Roland Garros to Robby Ginepri on Tuesday. After all, the third-ranked American player and 22nd overall on the ATP Tour has never won a match at the French Open.
What was surprising was Querrey's reaction to losing 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In a press conference following the match, the 18th seed announced he was going home to California the following day and withdrawing from the doubles, which he had entered with fellow American John Isner.
"The main thing is I didn't enjoy myself on the court - wanted off the court," Querrey said of his match.
"I just need to be in a better mood or just need to enjoy the competition and enjoy being out there more than I do," he continued. "Right now, I mean, I'll enjoy it, and as soon as one thing goes wrong, I'm done."
Americans have a recent history of doing poorly on clay, especially at the French, but Querrey's clay-court season has been the best of the American gang, and better than a lot of clay-court specialists this season. He won an event on the surface in Belgrade and made it to the final in Houston.
Querrey acknowledged when you get to a Grand Slam on clay, it's different than the ATP 250 events. The draw at Roland Garros is much bigger and has better competition, and the matches are best of five sets, not three.
"A tournament win is a tournament win," he said. "A final is great. It builds my confidence, but I won Belgrade and my ranking didn't move. I'm kind of past that point right now. Those 250s do nothing for me, ranking wise. It's all about the Masters Series and the Grand Slams."
Apathy on the court is a bigger problem than simply being a big-serving American player at Roland Garros. It's a problem Querrey will have to solve to elevate his game to the next level. And if he can't find the passion to win in Paris, he'll have to hope he can find it at Wimbledon next month and the U.S. Open in August.
Hopefully he'll use the time at home to take a vacation, regroup and prepare for Wimbledon. But even that wasn't reason enough to drop out of the doubles draw with John Isner. The pair were the No. 12 seed in the tournament and won the clay court event in Belgrade earlier this year.
Now it seems like he only entered into the doubles event for some practice while he was still alive in singles — something many good singles players have done. But this kind of attitude towards doubles isn't healthy for the game. Doubles players already have enough trouble, not getting paid nearly as much as singles and not getting the attention, and singles players using it as their side show makes it look even worse.
But faced with the choice of playing with the enthusiasm he displayed Tuesday in singles or going home, maybe his decision was right. Isner probably would have felt like a fool standing beside Querrey as he was "mentally not there," on his side of the doubles court.
The tennis world will know for sure if Querrey's mood improves when Wimbledon gets started at the end of June. Meanwhile, he will be warming up for the grass-court slam with the Queen's Club tournament in London... if he feels like it.
When asked if he thought he would make it there, Querrey answered: "I don't know. I'm going home tomorrow, and then, yeah, hopefully I'll be there."
Video of Querrey's press conference after the match.
What was surprising was Querrey's reaction to losing 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In a press conference following the match, the 18th seed announced he was going home to California the following day and withdrawing from the doubles, which he had entered with fellow American John Isner.
"The main thing is I didn't enjoy myself on the court - wanted off the court," Querrey said of his match.
"I just need to be in a better mood or just need to enjoy the competition and enjoy being out there more than I do," he continued. "Right now, I mean, I'll enjoy it, and as soon as one thing goes wrong, I'm done."
Americans have a recent history of doing poorly on clay, especially at the French, but Querrey's clay-court season has been the best of the American gang, and better than a lot of clay-court specialists this season. He won an event on the surface in Belgrade and made it to the final in Houston.
Querrey acknowledged when you get to a Grand Slam on clay, it's different than the ATP 250 events. The draw at Roland Garros is much bigger and has better competition, and the matches are best of five sets, not three.
"A tournament win is a tournament win," he said. "A final is great. It builds my confidence, but I won Belgrade and my ranking didn't move. I'm kind of past that point right now. Those 250s do nothing for me, ranking wise. It's all about the Masters Series and the Grand Slams."
Apathy on the court is a bigger problem than simply being a big-serving American player at Roland Garros. It's a problem Querrey will have to solve to elevate his game to the next level. And if he can't find the passion to win in Paris, he'll have to hope he can find it at Wimbledon next month and the U.S. Open in August.
Hopefully he'll use the time at home to take a vacation, regroup and prepare for Wimbledon. But even that wasn't reason enough to drop out of the doubles draw with John Isner. The pair were the No. 12 seed in the tournament and won the clay court event in Belgrade earlier this year.
Now it seems like he only entered into the doubles event for some practice while he was still alive in singles — something many good singles players have done. But this kind of attitude towards doubles isn't healthy for the game. Doubles players already have enough trouble, not getting paid nearly as much as singles and not getting the attention, and singles players using it as their side show makes it look even worse.
But faced with the choice of playing with the enthusiasm he displayed Tuesday in singles or going home, maybe his decision was right. Isner probably would have felt like a fool standing beside Querrey as he was "mentally not there," on his side of the doubles court.
The tennis world will know for sure if Querrey's mood improves when Wimbledon gets started at the end of June. Meanwhile, he will be warming up for the grass-court slam with the Queen's Club tournament in London... if he feels like it.
When asked if he thought he would make it there, Querrey answered: "I don't know. I'm going home tomorrow, and then, yeah, hopefully I'll be there."
Video of Querrey's press conference after the match.
French Open mid-week notebook
Iron Man
American Michael Yani was involved in an epic opening-round match, falling to Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 12-10. The match lasted 4 hours and 56 minutes and had 71 games, tying the French Open record set in 1973 for most games in a match after the tie break was implemented.
Grand Slam Fitness
The Andys
Andy Murray dropped the first two sets of his opening-round match against uber-talented and embattled Frenchman Richard Gasquet. This is a good sign for Murray who early in his career was criticized for his conditioning, and it's a testament to the combination of skill, endurance, and mental toughness it takes to stick around in Slams. Murray didn't play badly when he dropped the first two sets. Gasquet's backhand was nearly unstoppable, and his forehand was consistent as well. But after two hard-fought sets, he started relying on drop shots to alleviate his growing fatigue. Meanwhile, Murray kept consistent and looked as though he could have kept up his play for several more sets.
Andy Roddick's gutsy second serves and clay-court defense allowed him to pull off a five-set, first-round win against Jarkko Nieminen on Court Phillippe Chatrier. When A-Rod faulted on his first serves on big points, he put some extra muscle into his second, acing Nieminen several times instead of going for safety serves. Roddick took the first set 6-2 before dropping the next two, both 6-4. The two players held serve in the fourth set for 12 games, forcing a tie break. Roddick won that, 7-4, then proceeded to get an early break in the fifth. The American No. 1 broke Niemenin a final time to take the set and the match 6-3 in the fifth. Serving wasn't the only thing Roddick was doing well under pressure. He approached the net 50 times and won 74 percent of those points. Though his game wasn't always pretty, the American adjusted well to the clay. He'll have to improve his game to go much deeper, especially if he wants to compete with the likes of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
American Success
Last year, Roddick was the lone male Yank to win a first-round match. This year, four more are through to the second round (Taylor Dent, John Isner, Robby Ginepri and Mardy Fish). Five women (Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Varvara Lepchenko, Jill Craybas and Bethanie Mattek-Sands) also earned second-round berths this year. Last year, four women won their first round matches.
Team Williams
The only pairing on the women's tour that might come close to Venus playing against Serena is Venus playing with Serena in doubles. The sisters began their campaign for a second Roland Garros doubles title Tuesday (their only previous championship was in 1999).
The No. 1 seeded Williams sisters were delivering such a beat down that when Kirsten Flipkens and Tamarine Tanasugarn won their first game after they were losing 6-0, 3-0, they celebrated like they had won the match. The 6-0, 6-1 match took only 53 minutes.
Days 3 and 4
Maria Sharapova is currently playing with a new look. No, she didn't borrow Venus Williams' outfit, but she has indeed made notable changes to her attire. Gone are the shoulder bandages on her serving shoulder that seemed to act as a symbol of her recent health struggles. Gone too is her trademark Prince-labeled racquet. Noted by the announcers, Sharapova has been playing with an all-black stick that bares no sponsor label. Her official Web site still lists Prince as a sponsor. The French is the only Slam she has not won. Right now she is playing well and is on track to play Justine Henin in the third round — a match that if it is played up to the level of star power on the court should be a doozy.
Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looked very strong. The two of them lost a combined seven games in their first-round matches, both finishing in an hour and change.
Don't let the outfit distract you. Well OK that's probably impossible, but Venus Williams is ranked second for the first time in seven years and is playing amazing tennis right now. The French is her worst surface, but she made it to the finals of Madrid and looks locked in.
Speaking of Madrid....
The winner at Madrid and French hopeful Aravane Rezai won in the first round and impressed. In the second round after winning her first set convincingly, 6-2, with an impressive display of power and shotmaking, the ability was nowhere to be found in the second, which she dropped to German Angelique Kerber 6-2. When it looked like Rezai was falling apart she just simply blew by Kerber in the third set 6-3. Rezai's power at times had commentator Pam Shriver simply laughing at how a player of this stature can generate such punishing and unrelenting power. If Rezai's boom-or-bust style is on, watch for her to make a deep run with great French fanfare. While Rezai's game is really on full display this week, one person who will not be seeing it is her father. An Iranian immigrant, he was inspired to make his kids tennis champs after watching Yannick Noah win at the French in 1983. While he is still involved in Rezai's training and on site for all her tournaments, he cannot bare to watch her compete. A colorful character known for being outspoken and his fued with the French Tennis Federation, he has been rumored to have gotten into a fist fight in the parking lot of Roland Garros Tuesday night.
The Legend Grows: Fabio Fognini vs. Gael Monfils
This match has already been an epic. Tied 4-4 in the fifth set, an official walked on the court and gave both players the option to stop play because of darkness, Monfils with a racous Kids Day crowd behind him immediately voted to play on and began getting the crowd riled up. In a strange scene Fogini,whose whole box was motioning 'no' as much as possible, chose to play on. So after a bizzare six-minute stoppage in play, the match continued with Fogini being penalized a point for delay of game. Fognini had wild time holding serve to go up 5-4 and legitimately in pitch-darkness Monfils, cramping, fought back from three match points to win his game. In almost complete darkness the match was then postponed at 5-5 in the fifth set and will be continued tomorrow. Monfils was up 2 breaks in the fourth set and began showing off for the crowd, totally lost his rhythm and the set.
Do we need to mention that Nadal and Federer advanced?
American Michael Yani was involved in an epic opening-round match, falling to Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 12-10. The match lasted 4 hours and 56 minutes and had 71 games, tying the French Open record set in 1973 for most games in a match after the tie break was implemented.
Grand Slam Fitness
The Andys
Andy Murray dropped the first two sets of his opening-round match against uber-talented and embattled Frenchman Richard Gasquet. This is a good sign for Murray who early in his career was criticized for his conditioning, and it's a testament to the combination of skill, endurance, and mental toughness it takes to stick around in Slams. Murray didn't play badly when he dropped the first two sets. Gasquet's backhand was nearly unstoppable, and his forehand was consistent as well. But after two hard-fought sets, he started relying on drop shots to alleviate his growing fatigue. Meanwhile, Murray kept consistent and looked as though he could have kept up his play for several more sets.
Andy Roddick's gutsy second serves and clay-court defense allowed him to pull off a five-set, first-round win against Jarkko Nieminen on Court Phillippe Chatrier. When A-Rod faulted on his first serves on big points, he put some extra muscle into his second, acing Nieminen several times instead of going for safety serves. Roddick took the first set 6-2 before dropping the next two, both 6-4. The two players held serve in the fourth set for 12 games, forcing a tie break. Roddick won that, 7-4, then proceeded to get an early break in the fifth. The American No. 1 broke Niemenin a final time to take the set and the match 6-3 in the fifth. Serving wasn't the only thing Roddick was doing well under pressure. He approached the net 50 times and won 74 percent of those points. Though his game wasn't always pretty, the American adjusted well to the clay. He'll have to improve his game to go much deeper, especially if he wants to compete with the likes of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
American Success
Last year, Roddick was the lone male Yank to win a first-round match. This year, four more are through to the second round (Taylor Dent, John Isner, Robby Ginepri and Mardy Fish). Five women (Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Varvara Lepchenko, Jill Craybas and Bethanie Mattek-Sands) also earned second-round berths this year. Last year, four women won their first round matches.
Team Williams
The only pairing on the women's tour that might come close to Venus playing against Serena is Venus playing with Serena in doubles. The sisters began their campaign for a second Roland Garros doubles title Tuesday (their only previous championship was in 1999).
The No. 1 seeded Williams sisters were delivering such a beat down that when Kirsten Flipkens and Tamarine Tanasugarn won their first game after they were losing 6-0, 3-0, they celebrated like they had won the match. The 6-0, 6-1 match took only 53 minutes.
Days 3 and 4
Maria Sharapova is currently playing with a new look. No, she didn't borrow Venus Williams' outfit, but she has indeed made notable changes to her attire. Gone are the shoulder bandages on her serving shoulder that seemed to act as a symbol of her recent health struggles. Gone too is her trademark Prince-labeled racquet. Noted by the announcers, Sharapova has been playing with an all-black stick that bares no sponsor label. Her official Web site still lists Prince as a sponsor. The French is the only Slam she has not won. Right now she is playing well and is on track to play Justine Henin in the third round — a match that if it is played up to the level of star power on the court should be a doozy.
Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looked very strong. The two of them lost a combined seven games in their first-round matches, both finishing in an hour and change.
Don't let the outfit distract you. Well OK that's probably impossible, but Venus Williams is ranked second for the first time in seven years and is playing amazing tennis right now. The French is her worst surface, but she made it to the finals of Madrid and looks locked in.
Speaking of Madrid....
The winner at Madrid and French hopeful Aravane Rezai won in the first round and impressed. In the second round after winning her first set convincingly, 6-2, with an impressive display of power and shotmaking, the ability was nowhere to be found in the second, which she dropped to German Angelique Kerber 6-2. When it looked like Rezai was falling apart she just simply blew by Kerber in the third set 6-3. Rezai's power at times had commentator Pam Shriver simply laughing at how a player of this stature can generate such punishing and unrelenting power. If Rezai's boom-or-bust style is on, watch for her to make a deep run with great French fanfare. While Rezai's game is really on full display this week, one person who will not be seeing it is her father. An Iranian immigrant, he was inspired to make his kids tennis champs after watching Yannick Noah win at the French in 1983. While he is still involved in Rezai's training and on site for all her tournaments, he cannot bare to watch her compete. A colorful character known for being outspoken and his fued with the French Tennis Federation, he has been rumored to have gotten into a fist fight in the parking lot of Roland Garros Tuesday night.
The Legend Grows: Fabio Fognini vs. Gael Monfils
This match has already been an epic. Tied 4-4 in the fifth set, an official walked on the court and gave both players the option to stop play because of darkness, Monfils with a racous Kids Day crowd behind him immediately voted to play on and began getting the crowd riled up. In a strange scene Fogini,whose whole box was motioning 'no' as much as possible, chose to play on. So after a bizzare six-minute stoppage in play, the match continued with Fogini being penalized a point for delay of game. Fognini had wild time holding serve to go up 5-4 and legitimately in pitch-darkness Monfils, cramping, fought back from three match points to win his game. In almost complete darkness the match was then postponed at 5-5 in the fifth set and will be continued tomorrow. Monfils was up 2 breaks in the fourth set and began showing off for the crowd, totally lost his rhythm and the set.
Do we need to mention that Nadal and Federer advanced?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Roland Garros men's draw predictions
The draw for the 2010 French Open, announced Friday morning, should guarantee a deep run for some of the favorites, but early-round match-ups could derail several top players in the first week, if not the first day.
Rafael Nadal: The four-time Roland Garros champion should cruise through rounds one and two, but his first test looms in the third round, where he could meet up with French upstart Jeremy Chardy or two-time slam champion Lleyton Hewitt. His first real threat will likely be in the quarter finals, where Fernando Verdasco or Nicolas Almagro are the likely contenders.
Our Prediction: Nadal will defeat David Ferrer in the semis and remain undefeated for the year on clay with a 4-set victory over Roger Federer. OK, so it isn't a surprising educated guess, but considering Federer and Nadal have won 22 of the last 27 grand slams and all of the last five title's on Court Phillippe Chatrier, this is still the best bet.
Roger Federer: The No. 1 seed and last year's champion is 6-3 on clay this year. He could face Feliciano Lopez and Gael Monfils in the third and fourth rounds and Ernests Gulbis or Albert Montanes (who have both already beaten Federer on clay this year) before getting to the semi-finals. Federer has a tougher draw than last year. But even with a tough draw, he always brings his best game for the majors. He seems to take even more pleasure when he has to beat his closest contenders.
Our Prediction: Roger will beat Andy Murray in a semi-final match before losing to Nadal in the final.
The Dark Horse: Ernests Gulbis, ranked No. 27, won his first title of his career on hard courts in Delray Beach earlier this year, and he has amassed an 11-4 record on clay. Gulbis defeated Albert Montanes and Feliciano Lopez before falling to Federer in the quarterfinals at Madrid. A few weeks before, he beat Federer in the second round of Rome, Lopez in the third round, then lost to Nadal in a three-set semifinal match. The 21-year-old Latvian's run at the French won't be easy, but neither were any other clay tournaments he went deep in earlier. But a first-round encounter with Frenchman Julien Benneteau, and the accompanying French crowd, could cause trouble for Gulbis. Especially considering the veteran Frenchman Benneteau won a big match last fall in front of a home crowd in Paris, defeating Roger Federer in the second round.
Our Prediction: Gulbis will defeat Montanes in the round of 16 before falling to Federer in the quarters. But he does have a good shot to beat the world No. 1 and reach the final. If he does, Nadal will take him in four.
French Hopefuls:
Richard Gasquet is coming off a clay tournament victory in Bordeaux, his first title in nearly three years and second title on clay. After his notorious time off last year, Gasquet is trying to make a name for himself and needs more than a small tournament victory to do so. He hasn't defeated a top-ten player since beating his countrymen Jo Wilfried Tsonga over a year ago in Rome. And with Andy Murray awaiting him in the first round, his chances aren't looking good. We predict Gasquet will lose that first round match, and if he doesn't, he won't be in the draw long enough to see the second week.
Jo Wilfried Tsonga is not a clay court specialist, but his game can be dangerous. He hasn't reached a final on clay in his career, and this year he hasn't come close. Sitting at the bottom of the top half, he could go deep if he can take out some minor clay-court contenders, but you won't see him in the semis or the final. Tsonga is obviously a fiend on hard courts - the surface of all his titles and final appearances, but outside his comfort zone his game suffers.
Gael Monfils has only played four matches on clay this year, but he only lost one (Nadal - Madrid). The 23-year-old world No. 15 will be lucky to make it to the round of 16 and face Federer, and if he does, he'll lose, like he did last year to the Swiss. But even so, the second-highest seed of the Frenchmen made it the quarters last year and the semis in 2008. He is our pick to go the farthest out of his countrymen.
American Hopefuls:
There are none.
But just to be polite, we'll go through them anyway.
Andy Roddick is our pick for the best American man in Paris. Although he is still at the top of the American game, his feet haven't touched clay in any tournament this year, but he did make it to the round of 16 last year, losing to Monfils. Roddick's hard court results this year are very impressive, winning two tournaments and almost attaining the Miami/Indian Wells double. At this year's French, he doesn't have too difficult of a draw, but getting past potential match-ups with Juan Monaco and David Ferrer (fourth and fifth round respectively), won't be an easy task. And if he does somehow clear those and make it farther at Roland Garros than he ever has before, he's sitting on Nadal's side of the draw, which is filled with many other dirt specialists. Roddick's best result at the French was last year in the fourth round, but before that he had several years of losing in the first or second.
John Isner only played in Roland Garros in 2008, and his first-round exit doesn't give him a good history. Despite a losing record on clay so far this year, he did make it the final in Belgrade, losing to Sam Querrey. Querrey has proven his game is better on clay this year out of the two Americans, but Isner looks to have a slight advantage based on his draw.
Querrey won his first clay-court title of his career at Belgrade this year, and he won the doubles there with Isner. But a tough draw won't help. He plays fellow American Robby Ginepri in the first round.
Rafael Nadal: The four-time Roland Garros champion should cruise through rounds one and two, but his first test looms in the third round, where he could meet up with French upstart Jeremy Chardy or two-time slam champion Lleyton Hewitt. His first real threat will likely be in the quarter finals, where Fernando Verdasco or Nicolas Almagro are the likely contenders.
Our Prediction: Nadal will defeat David Ferrer in the semis and remain undefeated for the year on clay with a 4-set victory over Roger Federer. OK, so it isn't a surprising educated guess, but considering Federer and Nadal have won 22 of the last 27 grand slams and all of the last five title's on Court Phillippe Chatrier, this is still the best bet.
Roger Federer: The No. 1 seed and last year's champion is 6-3 on clay this year. He could face Feliciano Lopez and Gael Monfils in the third and fourth rounds and Ernests Gulbis or Albert Montanes (who have both already beaten Federer on clay this year) before getting to the semi-finals. Federer has a tougher draw than last year. But even with a tough draw, he always brings his best game for the majors. He seems to take even more pleasure when he has to beat his closest contenders.
Our Prediction: Roger will beat Andy Murray in a semi-final match before losing to Nadal in the final.
The Dark Horse: Ernests Gulbis, ranked No. 27, won his first title of his career on hard courts in Delray Beach earlier this year, and he has amassed an 11-4 record on clay. Gulbis defeated Albert Montanes and Feliciano Lopez before falling to Federer in the quarterfinals at Madrid. A few weeks before, he beat Federer in the second round of Rome, Lopez in the third round, then lost to Nadal in a three-set semifinal match. The 21-year-old Latvian's run at the French won't be easy, but neither were any other clay tournaments he went deep in earlier. But a first-round encounter with Frenchman Julien Benneteau, and the accompanying French crowd, could cause trouble for Gulbis. Especially considering the veteran Frenchman Benneteau won a big match last fall in front of a home crowd in Paris, defeating Roger Federer in the second round.
Our Prediction: Gulbis will defeat Montanes in the round of 16 before falling to Federer in the quarters. But he does have a good shot to beat the world No. 1 and reach the final. If he does, Nadal will take him in four.
French Hopefuls:
Richard Gasquet is coming off a clay tournament victory in Bordeaux, his first title in nearly three years and second title on clay. After his notorious time off last year, Gasquet is trying to make a name for himself and needs more than a small tournament victory to do so. He hasn't defeated a top-ten player since beating his countrymen Jo Wilfried Tsonga over a year ago in Rome. And with Andy Murray awaiting him in the first round, his chances aren't looking good. We predict Gasquet will lose that first round match, and if he doesn't, he won't be in the draw long enough to see the second week.
Jo Wilfried Tsonga is not a clay court specialist, but his game can be dangerous. He hasn't reached a final on clay in his career, and this year he hasn't come close. Sitting at the bottom of the top half, he could go deep if he can take out some minor clay-court contenders, but you won't see him in the semis or the final. Tsonga is obviously a fiend on hard courts - the surface of all his titles and final appearances, but outside his comfort zone his game suffers.
Gael Monfils has only played four matches on clay this year, but he only lost one (Nadal - Madrid). The 23-year-old world No. 15 will be lucky to make it to the round of 16 and face Federer, and if he does, he'll lose, like he did last year to the Swiss. But even so, the second-highest seed of the Frenchmen made it the quarters last year and the semis in 2008. He is our pick to go the farthest out of his countrymen.
American Hopefuls:
There are none.
But just to be polite, we'll go through them anyway.
Andy Roddick is our pick for the best American man in Paris. Although he is still at the top of the American game, his feet haven't touched clay in any tournament this year, but he did make it to the round of 16 last year, losing to Monfils. Roddick's hard court results this year are very impressive, winning two tournaments and almost attaining the Miami/Indian Wells double. At this year's French, he doesn't have too difficult of a draw, but getting past potential match-ups with Juan Monaco and David Ferrer (fourth and fifth round respectively), won't be an easy task. And if he does somehow clear those and make it farther at Roland Garros than he ever has before, he's sitting on Nadal's side of the draw, which is filled with many other dirt specialists. Roddick's best result at the French was last year in the fourth round, but before that he had several years of losing in the first or second.
John Isner only played in Roland Garros in 2008, and his first-round exit doesn't give him a good history. Despite a losing record on clay so far this year, he did make it the final in Belgrade, losing to Sam Querrey. Querrey has proven his game is better on clay this year out of the two Americans, but Isner looks to have a slight advantage based on his draw.
Querrey won his first clay-court title of his career at Belgrade this year, and he won the doubles there with Isner. But a tough draw won't help. He plays fellow American Robby Ginepri in the first round.
Roland Garros Preview
Welcome to the 2010 French Open. As we Michiganders are slowly defrosting and creeping outside to assess how bad our ground strokes have become after a stagnant winter, tennis pros from around the globe are peaking in conditioning and training in anticipation of the upcoming Slams. The fun begins on the clay of Roland Garros on the most equalizing and humbling of the Slam surfaces — surface that kept former great Pete Sampras from bringing his rich Grand Slam legacy full circle and almost broke Rodger Federer's sanity.
Men's Draw
While there is little doubt who the favorites are, the results at this year's tournament have the potential to answer a lot of questions:
1. Was last year a fluke for Roger Federer or Robin Soderling?
2. Even on clay, can Rafael Nadal's knee's handle five sets (if someone does take him that far)?
3. Will Roger ever beat Nadal at Roland Garros?
4. Can anyone make the French a three horse race? (Soderling was more of a spoiler than a threat last year in the final)
5. Who will give the tournament the magically insane trick shots offered up by the Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the wake of his retirement from the pro tour?
The only thing about the French Open this year not worth questioning is that the American men will breath a sigh of relief when their off the clay and on the soft grass for the Wimbledon warm-up events.
Women's Draw
While the men's game is currently locked in a prolonged two-man struggle pitting Great vs. Great, the women's game offers a decidedly different world view. The old guard on the female side (Henin and the Williams sisters) is constantly being tested and defeated by internal and external forces — retirement, side projects, health, family and motivational issues, along with an up-and-coming cast of well-trained, talented, and hungry players willing and able to dethrone the elites.
Questions for the Women's Draw
1. Will the three elites be able to keep their composure this year on the clay?
2. Out of the three elites, who is the best on clay?
3. Will Henin join the ranks of the more notable French Open champions of the past (like Steffi Graff, six titles, or Chris Evert, seven titles)?
4. Is the French a good barometer of success for the rest of the year?
5. Will a new grand slam winner be crowned on Court Phillippe Chatrier, and if she is, will she become anything more than a one-slam wonder?
Men's Draw
While there is little doubt who the favorites are, the results at this year's tournament have the potential to answer a lot of questions:
1. Was last year a fluke for Roger Federer or Robin Soderling?
2. Even on clay, can Rafael Nadal's knee's handle five sets (if someone does take him that far)?
3. Will Roger ever beat Nadal at Roland Garros?
4. Can anyone make the French a three horse race? (Soderling was more of a spoiler than a threat last year in the final)
5. Who will give the tournament the magically insane trick shots offered up by the Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the wake of his retirement from the pro tour?
The only thing about the French Open this year not worth questioning is that the American men will breath a sigh of relief when their off the clay and on the soft grass for the Wimbledon warm-up events.
Women's Draw
While the men's game is currently locked in a prolonged two-man struggle pitting Great vs. Great, the women's game offers a decidedly different world view. The old guard on the female side (Henin and the Williams sisters) is constantly being tested and defeated by internal and external forces — retirement, side projects, health, family and motivational issues, along with an up-and-coming cast of well-trained, talented, and hungry players willing and able to dethrone the elites.
Questions for the Women's Draw
1. Will the three elites be able to keep their composure this year on the clay?
2. Out of the three elites, who is the best on clay?
3. Will Henin join the ranks of the more notable French Open champions of the past (like Steffi Graff, six titles, or Chris Evert, seven titles)?
4. Is the French a good barometer of success for the rest of the year?
5. Will a new grand slam winner be crowned on Court Phillippe Chatrier, and if she is, will she become anything more than a one-slam wonder?
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