A Preview to the French Open
Posted by Leosash on 29th May 2007
The contenders for the men’s singles title:
Rafael Nadal:
Till the Hamburg final it looked like dethroning the King of Clay would be next to impossible. But after a defeat in the Hamburg finals, it looks like there could be a serious rival for Nadal’s title defense in the form of Roger Federer. Nevertheless, taking the Spaniard’s supreme confidence on the surface, his custom-made game for the surface and his unbeatable record at Roland Garros, it would be unwise to not place the world no.2 as the title favorite. Rafa goes into the tournament without the burden of having to extend his 81-match winning streak. While his side of the draw is ridden with tenacious and top-notch competitors like Hewitt, Djokovic, Verdasco and Ferrer, Nadal is expected to rise to the occasion and clinch his third French Open title.
Roger Federer:
In his Hamburg triumph it looks like Federer has finally managed to implement all his “How-to-Conquer-Nadal†plans. He steps into French Open with his confidence at a real high level and he knows that this is the best year for him to clinch the one slam that has eluded him. While there are some tough clay courters like Canas, Ferrero, Safin and Volandri in his half of the draw. If he plays at the level he has managed to play in Hamburg, he should be able to put in some real strong performances in his path to the semi finals. His opponent there could well be the inform Gonzalez or the Russian fourth-seed Nilokai Davydenko.
Fernando Gonzalez:
Gonzalez lost to Nadal in the two clay court Masters tournaments in Rome and Hamburg. While in the first match he gets completely outplayed and manages just four games, in the second match the following week he won 8 games. He was able to point out his problem against Nadal – his inability to match Nadal shot for shot in long rallies on clay. Maintaining a high level of game for the span of 5 sets could pose a problem for Fernando. However, if he manages to play the brand of aggressive tennis that he usually does and if his giant forehand clicks, his chances cannot be completely ignored. If the form-book holds good, he should be facing Federer in the semifinals.
Nikolay Davydenko:
Last year’s French Open quarterfinalist and current World No.4 Nikolay Davydenko has so far been unable to replicate the kind of success he had last year, where he managed to win five titles and did consistently well in most of the tournaments he participated in. This year his start has been pretty good with him reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. But he has played his best match against Spanish World No.2 Rafael Nadal in the Rome semifinals. He matched Rafa consistently and was successfully in hitting clean winners in some keenly contested rallies. In that match he was the one who dictated the terms stepping well within the baseline while Nadal was pinned on the baseline or a few feet behind it in most of the rallies. Such tactics would pay off well against most of the clay-courters whose retrieving skills are at a level slightly less than that of Nadal. But his lack of experience on the big stage could be a factor that could hamper his chances. But anyone who has seen the wiry Russian take Nadal to three tough sets should not discount his chances.
The contenders for the Women’s singles title:
Justine Henin:
The two time defending champion and the three time winner of the French Open is the firm favorite for the title. Clay is Henin’s best surface and she has always been at home at the Roland Garros. In the tune-up to the French Open she just played two events. She won one and reached the semifinals at the other, not an ideal preparation by the Belgian world no.1’s standards. The Belgian is however in fine form and her past successes here should make her really confident about her chances.
Svetlana Kuznetsova:
Kuznetsova has not been able to replicate her 2004 Grand Slam success after winning that year’s US Open. She came close to that last year when she reached the final of the French Open, losing to Henin in straight sets. The Russian third seed is very comfortable on the surface, having trained on the surface for 5 years in Spain. In the final last year, she did try to overpower Henin on many occasions, a ploy that did not work too well on account of the Belgian’s superior retrieving skills. But she did beat Henin this year in the semifinals of the German Open in a tough three-setter and that win should boost her confidence for a second shot at the title.
Serena Williams:
The Australian Open this year underlined one line of thought – “never underestimate a Williams, especially if her first name is Serena.†Clay though not her favorite surface, the younger of the two Williams’ sisters did taste success on the surface in 2002, winning the title by defeating Venus in the finals. This year she is seeded 8th and is expected to meet Henin in the quarters. She is the only player in the draw who can actually beat Henin even on a day when the Belgian is playing her best tennis.
Jelena Jankovic:
The Serbian has been a revelation this year, winning two titles and reaching a couple of semifinals. Her strong backhand, excellent court-speed and physical strength should be her key strengths, while on the flipside her lack of big match practice and her supposed “nerves†might cause a problem or two. She is in Henin’s half of draw and if form permits she should be in the semifinals. But Jelena must first be focusing on a likely third-round showdown with Venus Williams.
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