Right now for the men's side of the net as I will cover the men's matches from the first four days of 2014 French Open, the second grand slam of the tennis season on red clay courts at Roland Garros. And without further ado let's get cracking...
So starting with day 1 we had Roger Federer on court first as he took on the Slovak player, Lukas Lacko, and Roger had no trouble whatsoever in getting past the almost Rafa lookalike-esque player and he put out Lacko in straight sets in 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, the French No.2, also put in a convincing first round display against his fellow countryman, Eduardo Roger-Vasselin, as after two tight sets, which saw Tsonga take a two set lead, Tsonga secured a double break in the 3rd and won the match in 7-6, 7-5, 6-2. Milos Raonic of Canada, the big server, also secured his way into the 2nd round as well as he defeated the Australian player, Nick Kyrgios with a straight set 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win. And lastly John Isner, the big Yank with just as meaty a serve, also managed to get into the 2nd round as he took down the Frenchman, Pierre Hughes Robert in a tight straight set match with a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 scoreline.
Moving onto day 2, Novak Djokovic opened up his quest to try and win a maiden French open title and complete his career slam, and he played Joao Sousa of Portugal, who he dismissed with ease and secured a straight set 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win. Rafael Nadal, the eight time RG champion started off his campaign as well and he made a very impressive start as he faced the American player, Robby Ginepri and he lost only three games as he raced past the American in 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. Gilles Simon, the Frenchman, also got off to a solid start as he defeated the Croatian player, Ante Pavic in just 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. However all was not happy with the seeds on day 2 as Kei Nishikori, the 9th seed crashed out in his first round match in straight sets, which was possibly due to injury. But the biggest upset of the day was Stanislas Wawrinka who took on the Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and the reigning Australian open champion was far from his best and Stan could not deliver as Garcia-Lopez put in a fine performance to stun the World No.3 with a four set 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 surprise victory. This was a real shock given Wawrinka's form this year, and although he has had a few losses on the tour, I would have expected him to have a delivered a more consistent performance at the French open, given that clay is his best overall surface and his recent performances in the slams which have been excellent. And it was almost a surprising coincidence that both the ladies and mens singles Australian open champions have both gone out in the first round as that is Li Na and Stan Wawrinka both out now. However with them gone it certainly does open up the draw a bit for some of the other players which makes things that bit more intruiging.
And lastly the match of the day was between Julienne Benneteau and Argentine qualifier, Facundo Bagnis as the two of them battled it out as Bagnis was playing in his first grand slam main draw match and as both men levelled the scores at two sets all, they played an epic 5th set which matched the scoreline of the longest 5th set in the history of RG in terms of games played. And in the 5th set despite the odds, it was Bagnis that finally broke Benneteau's serve and went on to win his first ever grand slam match with a remarkable 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 victory.
Now onto day 3 we started with last year's finalist, David Ferrer, who is easily the 2nd best clay court player on the tour just now (next to Rafa and Djokovic) and he put in a very solid performance in dismissing Igor Slijsling of the Netherlands in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Gael Monfils, the popular French player had a tougher time of it but still came through his match in four sets, defeating Victor Hanescu with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 score. Richard Gasquet on the other hand started off his campaign in fine style and he breezed past the Aussie, Bernard Tomic, whom he beat in 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. And lastlty Andy Murray started his first French Open since 2012, as he was forced to withdraw last year due to his back injury and Andy was up against the Kazahkstan player, Andrei Golubev. This promised to be a tricky opener as Golubev so far has alrady had a good season and help his team mates in reaching the quarter finals of the Davis cup and he defeated Stan Wawrinka in the process. But Andy made a very good start as he played some excellent tennis to take the first two sets, despite trading breaks in the 2nd. However in the 3rd set, Andy's level dipped and Golubev broke to go ahead and take the set to take a foothold in the match. But in the end it was short lived and Andy broke Golubev again in the 4th set and served out the match to reach the 2nd round in 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
This wasn't a bad start from Andy at all but his serve once again brought his game into question and he was up a break early in the 3rd set and should have closed out the match in straight sets, but in the end he wasn't able to. But all things considered Andy played a pretty good match in very tricky conditions as the court was damp and it was very windy on court also. So next up Andy will faced Marinko Matosevic, the Australian player and thankfully for Andy their last meeting saw the Brit beat Matosevic convincingly and hopefully Andy can do so again tomorrow when they are set to meet, so maybe Andy can get a straight sets win there.
Now we move onto day 4 which saw some routine wins for the top seeds, starting with Novak Djokovic who wasted little time in beating another Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy with a very efficient straight set win 6-1 6-4, 6-2. So far Nole is looking pretty good in the tournament and as he is yet to drop as set this bodes well for him in saving his energy for the more demanding rounds ahead. And Novak's next clash with Marin Cilic, the big Croatian player, might prove to be his first test and should be one to watch out for, but I think Novak will come through in either 3 or 4 sets. After that we had Roger Federer who also had an easy time of it as he played Diego Sebastian-Schwartzman and he put the Argentine player through his paces and Rog produced a very efficeint and clinical performance to win the match in just under 1 hour and 45 minutes in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Roger so far is also looking very good in the tournament and confident as he should as he is making very good progress so far in the early rounds, although tougher tests lie ahead with Dimitri Tursunov up next and either the in form Ernest Gulbis or Radek Stepanek in the 4th round.
In other day 4 matches we also Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Jurgen Melzer and he also had an easy time of it against the Austrian and Tsonga raced to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tsonga so far is looking very good in the tournament however he will have his work cut out soon as he could very well face Novak Djokovic in the 4th round, and if its anything like their incredible 2012 encounter, it will be one to watch. And Gilles Simon continued his progress as a home favourite by beating Alejandro Gonzalez in just 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round. Tomas Berdych who won his first round match with ease, had to fight hard in his second round match against another Kazahk player, Aleksander Nedoyesov and came from a set down to win in four sets 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. And lastly John Isner managed to battle his way into the 3rd round as well as he defeated the Kazahkstan player (quite alot of them here!), Mikhail Kukushkin in a four set scrap with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 win. As for the losing seeds, Alexandr Dolgoplov is out as he was beaten by the Spaniard Marcel Granollers, who won in 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 and Mikhail Youzhny lost to Radek Stepanek who won in four sets 6-0, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Right so that's me caught up with the tennis so far at the French Open I will be back in a couple of days with more results of the men's and ladies 2nd and 3rd round matches.
Till then bye for now!
Wednesday 28 May 2014
2014 Roland Garros Ladies Part 1: Upsetting the champions and the odds
Rrrrright welcome to my first post on the 2014 French Open, the second grand slam of the tennis season and I will cover the first four days of the tournament on here for the men's and ladies. Now as this is quite a task I will need to condense down the results quite alot this time and I will prvoide a few paragraphs for the key matches of the day. So let's get on the red dirt and have a look at the action so far and first up I'll look at the ladies in this post....
OK so starting with the ladies and day 1 we had Agnieszka Radwanska open the proceedings as she played the first match on Philippe Chatrier of the tournament and she had little trouble in getting past Zhang Shuai of China i 6-3, 6-0. Then we had the defending champion Serena Williams take on the French wildcard, Alize Zim, whom after a slight wobble in the first set dismissed easily in 6-2, 6-1 to secure her place in the second round. Venus Williams also managed to negotiate her way past her opponent Belinda Bencic, dropping just five games on the way and securing her 2nd round place with a 6-4, 6-1 result. And lastly Angelique Kerber also had an easy time of it against the Polish player, Katarzyna Piter as she raced to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
On Day 2 we had Maria Sharapova the fomer champion from 2012 open her campaign against Ksenia Pervak and she had no trouble at all to beat her Russian compatriot (although you would never guess given Sharapova's accent) in 6-1, 6-2. The French No.1, Alize Cornet who has been in good form lately also pulled out a good victory against the Aussie, Ashleigh Barty and routed the lass from Oz winning in 6-2, 6-1. Dominika Cibulkova however had a slightly tougher time of it as she went up against the former conqueror of Serena Williams two years ago at the French, Virginie Razanno, but after a tough first set, the pint sized Slovak player dismissed the French woman in 7-5, 6-0. And lastly Petra Kvitova made it through as she faced off against the Kazhak player, Zarina Diyas and came through 7-5, 6-2.
Onto day 3 this is where the drama began as the last 1st round matches were played and the former 2011 champion, Li Na became one of the biggest casualties of the tournament so far as she was stunned by the French player, Kristina Mladenovic, who beat the No.2 seed, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. Given that Li Na was the No. 2 seed and a hot favourite to win the title, this was a puzzling defeat, but it just shows the unpredictability of tennis. Simona Halep on the other hand made light work of her opponent, the Russian, Ailsa Kleybanova, as she went right through her dropping just two games on her way to victory in 6-0, 6-2. Ana Ivanovic also made a solid start to her campaign, also a former champion in 2008 and she defeated Caroline Garcia of France in 6-1, 6-3. Sara Errani on the other hand had a tough time of it in securing her first win of the tournament as she battled it out against the talented American player, Madison Keyes, but after play went a set all, Errani dug deep and ended up securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 scoreline to reach the 2nd round. And lastly Heather Watson, who made her way through qualifiers to reach the 1st round, made an impressive start in the main draw as she beat the temperamental Barbora Zalahova-Strycova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to make the 2nd round. This is a great start for Heather although her next opponent could see that run come to an end as she will be up against Simona Halep of Romania, the World No.4, however they had a tough three set match in Melbourne, so there if Heather plays aggressive she will have a chance, but overall I'd favour Halep on that one.
So now onto day 4 which had even more drama and opened up with Venus Williams who was on the losing end of a real fight against Anna Schmiedlova who came from a set down to beat the American former No.1 in 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maria Sharapova had a tricky test against the Bulgarian player, Tsetvana Pironkova as she had to fight from a break down in the first set to level and then broke herself to take the 1st set, but the 2nd was easier as Maria got a double break to win the match in 7-5, 6-2. And another seed was upset, the French No.1 and 20th seed, Alize Cornet who took on the very promising and upcoming American player, Taylor Townsend, and despite Cornet being the favourite, it was Townsend who upset the odds and at one point she was a set and a double break up, but Cornet broke back to level the scores to a set all. And the 3rd set had a similar pattern as Townsend went 5-1 up, but Cornet yet again broke back again to a single break. But Taylor finally held her nerve and served out the match to claim a big win and reach the 3rd round of the French Open with a terrific 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Its great to always see a new face emerge on the tour and Taylor Townsend like Sloane Stephens before her, is one to watch out for on the tour in future.
And now last but far from least we had the biggest upset of the tournament so far as Serena Williams faced the Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza, who on paper didn't stand much of a chance against the 17 time slam champion and two time French Open champ. However Muguruza pulled off the near impossible as she played superb aggressive tennis and left Serena flat footed, who barely managed to get herself going and was left frustrated and helpless against the powerful game Muguruza has. And after going a double break down in the 1st set, Serena did the same in the 2nd and there was no way back as Garbine Muguruza served out the match for the win of her career with a remarkable 6-2, 6-2 upset victory. This was a terrific result for Muguruza who pulled of an incredible upset here and after the match Serena congratulated her and said that if she continues to play like that she could win the tournament! Can she??? Not so sure about that, however given this form Muguruza could well go on and have a great run at Roland Garros and if she get's herself into the 2nd week, she will have a good shot at going deep.
Right so that's it for the ladies next is the men's.
See you in a bit...
OK so starting with the ladies and day 1 we had Agnieszka Radwanska open the proceedings as she played the first match on Philippe Chatrier of the tournament and she had little trouble in getting past Zhang Shuai of China i 6-3, 6-0. Then we had the defending champion Serena Williams take on the French wildcard, Alize Zim, whom after a slight wobble in the first set dismissed easily in 6-2, 6-1 to secure her place in the second round. Venus Williams also managed to negotiate her way past her opponent Belinda Bencic, dropping just five games on the way and securing her 2nd round place with a 6-4, 6-1 result. And lastly Angelique Kerber also had an easy time of it against the Polish player, Katarzyna Piter as she raced to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
On Day 2 we had Maria Sharapova the fomer champion from 2012 open her campaign against Ksenia Pervak and she had no trouble at all to beat her Russian compatriot (although you would never guess given Sharapova's accent) in 6-1, 6-2. The French No.1, Alize Cornet who has been in good form lately also pulled out a good victory against the Aussie, Ashleigh Barty and routed the lass from Oz winning in 6-2, 6-1. Dominika Cibulkova however had a slightly tougher time of it as she went up against the former conqueror of Serena Williams two years ago at the French, Virginie Razanno, but after a tough first set, the pint sized Slovak player dismissed the French woman in 7-5, 6-0. And lastly Petra Kvitova made it through as she faced off against the Kazhak player, Zarina Diyas and came through 7-5, 6-2.
Onto day 3 this is where the drama began as the last 1st round matches were played and the former 2011 champion, Li Na became one of the biggest casualties of the tournament so far as she was stunned by the French player, Kristina Mladenovic, who beat the No.2 seed, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. Given that Li Na was the No. 2 seed and a hot favourite to win the title, this was a puzzling defeat, but it just shows the unpredictability of tennis. Simona Halep on the other hand made light work of her opponent, the Russian, Ailsa Kleybanova, as she went right through her dropping just two games on her way to victory in 6-0, 6-2. Ana Ivanovic also made a solid start to her campaign, also a former champion in 2008 and she defeated Caroline Garcia of France in 6-1, 6-3. Sara Errani on the other hand had a tough time of it in securing her first win of the tournament as she battled it out against the talented American player, Madison Keyes, but after play went a set all, Errani dug deep and ended up securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 scoreline to reach the 2nd round. And lastly Heather Watson, who made her way through qualifiers to reach the 1st round, made an impressive start in the main draw as she beat the temperamental Barbora Zalahova-Strycova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to make the 2nd round. This is a great start for Heather although her next opponent could see that run come to an end as she will be up against Simona Halep of Romania, the World No.4, however they had a tough three set match in Melbourne, so there if Heather plays aggressive she will have a chance, but overall I'd favour Halep on that one.
So now onto day 4 which had even more drama and opened up with Venus Williams who was on the losing end of a real fight against Anna Schmiedlova who came from a set down to beat the American former No.1 in 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maria Sharapova had a tricky test against the Bulgarian player, Tsetvana Pironkova as she had to fight from a break down in the first set to level and then broke herself to take the 1st set, but the 2nd was easier as Maria got a double break to win the match in 7-5, 6-2. And another seed was upset, the French No.1 and 20th seed, Alize Cornet who took on the very promising and upcoming American player, Taylor Townsend, and despite Cornet being the favourite, it was Townsend who upset the odds and at one point she was a set and a double break up, but Cornet broke back to level the scores to a set all. And the 3rd set had a similar pattern as Townsend went 5-1 up, but Cornet yet again broke back again to a single break. But Taylor finally held her nerve and served out the match to claim a big win and reach the 3rd round of the French Open with a terrific 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Its great to always see a new face emerge on the tour and Taylor Townsend like Sloane Stephens before her, is one to watch out for on the tour in future.
And now last but far from least we had the biggest upset of the tournament so far as Serena Williams faced the Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza, who on paper didn't stand much of a chance against the 17 time slam champion and two time French Open champ. However Muguruza pulled off the near impossible as she played superb aggressive tennis and left Serena flat footed, who barely managed to get herself going and was left frustrated and helpless against the powerful game Muguruza has. And after going a double break down in the 1st set, Serena did the same in the 2nd and there was no way back as Garbine Muguruza served out the match for the win of her career with a remarkable 6-2, 6-2 upset victory. This was a terrific result for Muguruza who pulled of an incredible upset here and after the match Serena congratulated her and said that if she continues to play like that she could win the tournament! Can she??? Not so sure about that, however given this form Muguruza could well go on and have a great run at Roland Garros and if she get's herself into the 2nd week, she will have a good shot at going deep.
Right so that's it for the ladies next is the men's.
See you in a bit...
Monday 26 May 2014
2014 French Open ladies contenders
Right so the first day of the French open is already over however I thought I would do this post before its too late and here is my pick of contenders for the title at Roland Garros.
Serena Williams
Right at the top of the list is of course Serena Williams who is the defending champion from last year and this year she could well be on course to repeat her incredible victory, which saw her win every grand slam more than once, as it was her second French open title. So can Serena win again this year??? Well its a bit of a no brainer, absolutely, however it will depend purely on how well she plays and the only player that can really beat her is herself. So far Serena has avoided the first round jitters as she successfully defeat her opponent Alize Lim in 6-2, 6-1. From here however it doesn't get much easier and Serena could very well go on to face Maria Sharapova in the quarter finals, so Serena's draw will be far from serene (crap I know!) which could well be followed by Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis and a potential final with Li Na, the former champion. But Serena is still leagues ahead of the rest of the competition given her powerful and accurate serve and powerplay game, if she is at her best over the fortnight, she will be virtually impossible to stop. So I think its a safe bet that Serena will at least reach the final, unless an upset is likely on the cards. Prediction: champion, finalist or semi finals.
Li Na
Li Na has to be the next favourite as she is the current World No.2 and also a former champion at RG as she won her first grand slam title in Paris, so Li promises to do very well again this year. Li Na also won her second grand slam this year in Melbourne so by doing that she proved that she is no one trick pony and there is a fair chance she can go on to win another at the French open. However Li Na's downfall can be here inconsistency on serve and while she has a big game and can threaten the very best players, she can also threaten to come off the rails as well and she may well find it tough to negotiate her way past the likes of Serena Williams. However next to Serena I can't really see anyone else stopping Li Na from reaching the final or beating her in it, apart from maybe Sharapova, so I think there is a fair chance that Li can battle her way into the final, she might not win it, but she is a safe bet to be in the last two. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Maria Sharapova
Next is Maria Sharapova, now given that Serena Williams could be a potential quarter final opponent and that Maria has struggled to find a solution to beat the American for years, her draw could very well open up if Serena is upset before they are due to meet in the last eight. And Serena and Li Na aside there really aren't any other players that can live with Sharapova in the draw, also her clay court game has improved considerably over the last few years as well, as she is a former champion in Paris as well. This year Maria has also won in Stuttgart (as pictured holding the trophy) and Madrid on clay so her clay court season so far has been excellent and to win a second RG title would cap it off perfectly. However it remains to be seen how Maria will get on in Paris and she too can have her lapses of concentration with her high risk game coming undone at times, given her erratic serve and unforced error count which can really pile up. But she is also one of the great warriors in the game and she is tough as nails and I think given a good draw and Serena out of the equation, Maria has a good chance of claiming another title in Paris. Prediction: quarter finals, finalist or champion.
Sara Errani
Next we have Sara Errani, the pint sized Italian No.1, who was a former finalist at the French two years ago. Errani's best overall surface is clay and it is a surface she is very comfortable on and last year she also made the last four at RG before she was crushed by Serena Williams. The trouble for Errani is that she could potentially face Serena in the final again as they are in opposite sides of the draw and if she does well it could very well be one-way traffic for the American. But Errani on the plus side has great variety in her game, great net skills (as she is the world's best doubles player along with her partner Roberta Vinci) and she has the footspeed to trouble many a player and give them a real headache. So I can see Errani do very well again at the French and I definitely can see her reach the last four or maybe even the final, will she win it? Doubtful as she would really need a very kind draw to do so, but she will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Simona Halep
Simon has to be my next choice as she is by far and a way the most improved player over the last year or so in the ladies game as her rise in 2013 was meteoric, which saw her win a remarkable six titles in one year and on all three surfaces. Halep is now sitting at a career high ranking of No.4 in the world and she looks set to put in a very good run at Roland Garros and I'm sure she can go pretty deep here. Halep also is quite an aggressive player and her footspeed and agility to reach any ball as well as to hit winners from anywhere on the court will make her a real threat to the other players out there. However I'm not quite certain if Halep will win the title, she certainly has the talent and skill to do so and is full of confidence this year, but she still has to contend against the big hitters such as Li Na and Serena Williams and both of them will be pretty big obstacles for the 5ft 6inch Romanian. Nonetheless Halep still has all the ability to go real deep in Paris I definitely think she has a good shot at reaching the last four. Prediction: semi finals.
Agnieszka Radwanska
After Simona we have Agnieszka Radwanska who it has to be said is one of my favourite players on the ladies tour, as her game is a real breath of fresh air and is built on guile, ingenuity and constructing the points rather than relying on brute force, Radwanska uses her wits to outfox her opponents. Radwanska however has said that clay is her least favourite surface but despite that she still managed to make the quarter finals last year before falling to Sara Errani in a very entertaining straight set encounter. So I think Aga (her nickname) has a good chance to do well her again this year and make it to the 2nd week and maybe the last eight anyway. However I don't know if Radwanska can go any further and while her results have been certainly consistent this year she has failed to reach many finals of the WTA events, with the exception of Indian Wells where she played with an injury and lost to Flavia Pennetta. But if Aga can reach the final it would be great to see her there and it would be really refreshing to see a crafty counterpuncher win a slam for a change rather than a big hitter who bludgeons the balll from the baseline as Radwanska offers so much more than that. But I have to say that Radwanska might get as far as the semis but with a possible meeting with Serena there, I can't see her get further unless her draws opens up then who knows. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Jelena Jankovic
Up next is Jelena Jankovic who has made a real resurgance in the last year or so as she was a former World No.1 and at the top of the game for years, however in recent times she fell back down again and lost her confidence. That is until last year when Jankovic started to find her form again and she put together some impressive and fairly consistent results and she even reached the quarter finals at the French last year as well as well as the semi finals of the WTA championships. Jankovic however quite often has also struggled with consistency and her game is also prone to errors, which may cost her from getting to the final and making the big step to lift the title. But on the other hand Jankovic is a natural clay court player and she is also one of the great defensive players and movers on the tour and given that she is now firmly back in the Top 10, ranked as No.6 in the world, I'm sure Jelena can put together a decent run in Paris, but she might find it hard to get past the final eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Ana Ivanovic
Then we have Ana Ivanovic, a former French Open champion back in 2008, however Ivanovic for years was in a wilderness as she struggled for ages to get anywhere near a final again in a slam, although in the last year or so she has made up for that, reaching the last 16 out in three of the four slams in 2013, which isn't too bad and this year she already has reached the quarters in Melbourne. Ivanovic also is knocking on the door of the top 10 again as she is currently ranked No.12 in the world and she already won two titles this year in Monterrey and Auckland and reached the final of Stuttgart where she narrowly lost to Sharapova. So Ana's form coming into the French is excellent and I also think she can do pretty well here, given that she has quite a big serve and a really potent forehand, she can do some damage in Paris. Ivanovic however still has her struggles against the players right at the top such as Sharapova and Serena, although this year she has actually managed to beat Serena in the Australian open 4th round so she might stand a chance to cause some upsets here as well again and she just might go on a killer run and lift a second French open title. However I don't quite think Ivanovic will get there as she could face the in form Simona Halep in the quarters and maybe Li Na in the semis before a final showdown with Serena, but anything is possible, so I predict Ana will have a good year at RG. Prediction: quarters or semi finals.
Angelique Kerber
And last but far form least is Angelique Kerber, the German No.1 who announced herself on the tour during the US open of 2011 and she went on to break into the top 10 in 2012 and has remained there since. Kerber however hasn't quite put together the stellar results since her efforts in 2012 as last year she managed to reach the 4th round of three out of the four slams which is not bad, and also this year in Melbourne as well, but she will need to do a bit better to go further this year. But I still think that Angelique could do potentially well in Paris as she has already reached the quarter finals here in 2012 and she might be set to do the same again this year. Kerber is also an excellent athlete as she has really good movement and can cover the court very well and is also quite an aggressive counterpuncher, which goes well in her favour against the big hitters. However she does lack the mental edge needed to make the final leap and that is where she has come up short in the past so I don't see her with a real chance to win the title. But I still think that Angie can make the second week in Paris and at the very least will be in the last 16 and possibly the final 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Right so that was a bit later than expected to post up but its done now and with day 2 coming up of the French we will see how my predictions pan out and I will report back with the results as the tournament carries on.
So until the next one bye the now.
Serena Williams
Right at the top of the list is of course Serena Williams who is the defending champion from last year and this year she could well be on course to repeat her incredible victory, which saw her win every grand slam more than once, as it was her second French open title. So can Serena win again this year??? Well its a bit of a no brainer, absolutely, however it will depend purely on how well she plays and the only player that can really beat her is herself. So far Serena has avoided the first round jitters as she successfully defeat her opponent Alize Lim in 6-2, 6-1. From here however it doesn't get much easier and Serena could very well go on to face Maria Sharapova in the quarter finals, so Serena's draw will be far from serene (crap I know!) which could well be followed by Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis and a potential final with Li Na, the former champion. But Serena is still leagues ahead of the rest of the competition given her powerful and accurate serve and powerplay game, if she is at her best over the fortnight, she will be virtually impossible to stop. So I think its a safe bet that Serena will at least reach the final, unless an upset is likely on the cards. Prediction: champion, finalist or semi finals.
Li Na
Li Na has to be the next favourite as she is the current World No.2 and also a former champion at RG as she won her first grand slam title in Paris, so Li promises to do very well again this year. Li Na also won her second grand slam this year in Melbourne so by doing that she proved that she is no one trick pony and there is a fair chance she can go on to win another at the French open. However Li Na's downfall can be here inconsistency on serve and while she has a big game and can threaten the very best players, she can also threaten to come off the rails as well and she may well find it tough to negotiate her way past the likes of Serena Williams. However next to Serena I can't really see anyone else stopping Li Na from reaching the final or beating her in it, apart from maybe Sharapova, so I think there is a fair chance that Li can battle her way into the final, she might not win it, but she is a safe bet to be in the last two. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Maria Sharapova
Next is Maria Sharapova, now given that Serena Williams could be a potential quarter final opponent and that Maria has struggled to find a solution to beat the American for years, her draw could very well open up if Serena is upset before they are due to meet in the last eight. And Serena and Li Na aside there really aren't any other players that can live with Sharapova in the draw, also her clay court game has improved considerably over the last few years as well, as she is a former champion in Paris as well. This year Maria has also won in Stuttgart (as pictured holding the trophy) and Madrid on clay so her clay court season so far has been excellent and to win a second RG title would cap it off perfectly. However it remains to be seen how Maria will get on in Paris and she too can have her lapses of concentration with her high risk game coming undone at times, given her erratic serve and unforced error count which can really pile up. But she is also one of the great warriors in the game and she is tough as nails and I think given a good draw and Serena out of the equation, Maria has a good chance of claiming another title in Paris. Prediction: quarter finals, finalist or champion.
Sara Errani
Next we have Sara Errani, the pint sized Italian No.1, who was a former finalist at the French two years ago. Errani's best overall surface is clay and it is a surface she is very comfortable on and last year she also made the last four at RG before she was crushed by Serena Williams. The trouble for Errani is that she could potentially face Serena in the final again as they are in opposite sides of the draw and if she does well it could very well be one-way traffic for the American. But Errani on the plus side has great variety in her game, great net skills (as she is the world's best doubles player along with her partner Roberta Vinci) and she has the footspeed to trouble many a player and give them a real headache. So I can see Errani do very well again at the French and I definitely can see her reach the last four or maybe even the final, will she win it? Doubtful as she would really need a very kind draw to do so, but she will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Simona Halep
Simon has to be my next choice as she is by far and a way the most improved player over the last year or so in the ladies game as her rise in 2013 was meteoric, which saw her win a remarkable six titles in one year and on all three surfaces. Halep is now sitting at a career high ranking of No.4 in the world and she looks set to put in a very good run at Roland Garros and I'm sure she can go pretty deep here. Halep also is quite an aggressive player and her footspeed and agility to reach any ball as well as to hit winners from anywhere on the court will make her a real threat to the other players out there. However I'm not quite certain if Halep will win the title, she certainly has the talent and skill to do so and is full of confidence this year, but she still has to contend against the big hitters such as Li Na and Serena Williams and both of them will be pretty big obstacles for the 5ft 6inch Romanian. Nonetheless Halep still has all the ability to go real deep in Paris I definitely think she has a good shot at reaching the last four. Prediction: semi finals.
Agnieszka Radwanska
After Simona we have Agnieszka Radwanska who it has to be said is one of my favourite players on the ladies tour, as her game is a real breath of fresh air and is built on guile, ingenuity and constructing the points rather than relying on brute force, Radwanska uses her wits to outfox her opponents. Radwanska however has said that clay is her least favourite surface but despite that she still managed to make the quarter finals last year before falling to Sara Errani in a very entertaining straight set encounter. So I think Aga (her nickname) has a good chance to do well her again this year and make it to the 2nd week and maybe the last eight anyway. However I don't know if Radwanska can go any further and while her results have been certainly consistent this year she has failed to reach many finals of the WTA events, with the exception of Indian Wells where she played with an injury and lost to Flavia Pennetta. But if Aga can reach the final it would be great to see her there and it would be really refreshing to see a crafty counterpuncher win a slam for a change rather than a big hitter who bludgeons the balll from the baseline as Radwanska offers so much more than that. But I have to say that Radwanska might get as far as the semis but with a possible meeting with Serena there, I can't see her get further unless her draws opens up then who knows. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Jelena Jankovic
Up next is Jelena Jankovic who has made a real resurgance in the last year or so as she was a former World No.1 and at the top of the game for years, however in recent times she fell back down again and lost her confidence. That is until last year when Jankovic started to find her form again and she put together some impressive and fairly consistent results and she even reached the quarter finals at the French last year as well as well as the semi finals of the WTA championships. Jankovic however quite often has also struggled with consistency and her game is also prone to errors, which may cost her from getting to the final and making the big step to lift the title. But on the other hand Jankovic is a natural clay court player and she is also one of the great defensive players and movers on the tour and given that she is now firmly back in the Top 10, ranked as No.6 in the world, I'm sure Jelena can put together a decent run in Paris, but she might find it hard to get past the final eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Ana Ivanovic
Then we have Ana Ivanovic, a former French Open champion back in 2008, however Ivanovic for years was in a wilderness as she struggled for ages to get anywhere near a final again in a slam, although in the last year or so she has made up for that, reaching the last 16 out in three of the four slams in 2013, which isn't too bad and this year she already has reached the quarters in Melbourne. Ivanovic also is knocking on the door of the top 10 again as she is currently ranked No.12 in the world and she already won two titles this year in Monterrey and Auckland and reached the final of Stuttgart where she narrowly lost to Sharapova. So Ana's form coming into the French is excellent and I also think she can do pretty well here, given that she has quite a big serve and a really potent forehand, she can do some damage in Paris. Ivanovic however still has her struggles against the players right at the top such as Sharapova and Serena, although this year she has actually managed to beat Serena in the Australian open 4th round so she might stand a chance to cause some upsets here as well again and she just might go on a killer run and lift a second French open title. However I don't quite think Ivanovic will get there as she could face the in form Simona Halep in the quarters and maybe Li Na in the semis before a final showdown with Serena, but anything is possible, so I predict Ana will have a good year at RG. Prediction: quarters or semi finals.
Angelique Kerber
And last but far form least is Angelique Kerber, the German No.1 who announced herself on the tour during the US open of 2011 and she went on to break into the top 10 in 2012 and has remained there since. Kerber however hasn't quite put together the stellar results since her efforts in 2012 as last year she managed to reach the 4th round of three out of the four slams which is not bad, and also this year in Melbourne as well, but she will need to do a bit better to go further this year. But I still think that Angelique could do potentially well in Paris as she has already reached the quarter finals here in 2012 and she might be set to do the same again this year. Kerber is also an excellent athlete as she has really good movement and can cover the court very well and is also quite an aggressive counterpuncher, which goes well in her favour against the big hitters. However she does lack the mental edge needed to make the final leap and that is where she has come up short in the past so I don't see her with a real chance to win the title. But I still think that Angie can make the second week in Paris and at the very least will be in the last 16 and possibly the final 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Right so that was a bit later than expected to post up but its done now and with day 2 coming up of the French we will see how my predictions pan out and I will report back with the results as the tournament carries on.
So until the next one bye the now.
Monday 19 May 2014
2014 French Open preview: men's contenders
Right well the French Open is just under a week away, the second grand slam of the season, and I thought it was time I did a preview of who I think might be the favourite contenders to claim the title in Paris on the men's side and I then I will get to the ladies. So let's get started!
Rafael Nadal
Well I have to start with Rafa as he is the clear favourite ever year at the French given his incredible winning record there as he has won the title more than any other player, surpassing Bjorn Borg's record of six titles two years ago, and having won eight titles at Roland Garros, which is more than any players has won one single grand slam title (surpassing Sampras and Federer at Wimbledon with seven each). However all has not been rosy for Nadal this year as he has been struggling with his confidence on court as he lost out in the final of the Australian open to Stan Wawrinka, having suffered a back injury, he wasn't able to compete at his best, which hurt him badly. And Rafa's clay court season hasn't been the strongest and in fact it has been arguably the worst he's had, as he has suffered three losses on the European clay season alone, with losses to fellow Spaniards, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, and most recently to Djokovic in Rome. And even though Rafa won the title in Madrid it was in fact part due to his opponent, Kei Nishikori retiring from a back injury, who looked quite convincing at a set and a break up before his injury kicked in and Rafa turned the match on its head. However despite these losses, I still see Rafa as the favourite to win the French again as his dominance is so strong there and no matter how bad his clay court season might have been by his standards, once he steps on that Philippe Chartrier court, he feels at home. Whether or not he does remains to be seen, but I think its a fairly safe bet that he will reach the final once again and he might just claim his 9th title there. However that might depend on the next man in the list. Prediction: champion or finalist.
Novak Djokovic
Well next in line has to be the one man who has been battering on the doors at Roland Garros for the last couple of years and that is Novak Djokovic. Nole has so far had a pretty good season, after a slow beginning and suffering a shock loss to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka at the Australian open, he's turned things around very well and went on to win back to back Masters titles in Indian Wells and Miami, where he stunned an in form Federer in the former and an under par Rafa in the latter. Novak however has had a bit of an injury scare as well with his wrist, which forced him to withdraw from Madrid, but it turned out to be less serious than initially feared and Nole went on to win the title last week in Rome (as pictured here as Novak holds the trophy for the Italian open) beating Rafa in the process. And with another clay court title victory over his main rival in Rafa, Novak will go into the French Open as a firm favourite and as he came mighty close to beating the man from Mallorca last year, he might just take that one step further this year. And if Novak does then he will return to the World No.1 spot and also complete his career slam, which will further cement his reputation as one of the greats in the game, so something tells me that this could be Nole's year. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Stanislas Wawrinka
Well I've put Stan Wawrinka quite high up in this list for a good reason, as for one he is the World No.3, and so far this year he really has proven it, given that he has won his first grand slam in Melbourne and also last month he won his first 1000 Masters series title in Monte Carlo. And despite some lapses in form with losses at some tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and even in Madrid and Rome this year, Stan still has proven when it comes to the big matches that he has got what it takes to go all the way. Not only that Stan's best overall surface is clay and he reached the quarter finals at the French last year, before getting crushed by Rafa. But Stan is not the same player he was a year ago, he is mentally stronger and has more belief in himself and has proven himself on the biggest stages and he claimed his biggest win against Rafa, so its a fair assumption that he can do it again here. However whether or not Stan can pull off another surprise grand slam success at the French Open remains to be seen and will depend on his draw and his form and can he replicate what he did in Australia. Will he? I'm not entirely sure he will, but I think he can go really deep and maybe reach the last four. Guess we'll find out. Prediction: semi finals.
David Ferrer
I put David Ferrer up as the next contender simply because most people might forget just how good this guy is on a clay court. Ferrer has often been classed as a clay court specialist, but that in itself is a bit of an insult as Andy Murray himself once said in a press conference "he's not a clay court specialist, he can play great on all surfaces" and that is a solid fact. And its no mistake that Ferrer reached the final of the French open last year as he truly proved what a remarkable player he was at Roland Garros last year as he managed to reach the final without even dropping a set, before failing to win a single one in the final against Rafa. But outside Djokovic and Federer's transcendent qualities on every surface, Ferrer is undoubtedly the second best clay court player in the world just now and has been for quite some time. And if Ferrer has a good draw then I think there is a fair chance he can work his way into the final again, although he might not make it this year, I can definitely see him reach the last eight at a minimum or the last four. Either way Ferrer won't win it however, as Rafa and Djokovic are both just that bit too good for him in Paris, but he will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Andy Murray
OK next up is Andy Murray who is naturally pegged further down this list given that he isn't the most natural clay court player, yet he has strung together some decent results in Paris, the best being three years ago when he reached the final four and lost to Nadal in a tight straight set match. This year, Andy has not had a kind season so far and his return from his back surgery last year has seen him make slow progress in 2014, where he has failed so far to even reach the final of a tournament so far. However things are starting to look more encouraging for Andy as after a poor show on the clay in Madrid two weeks ago, he put in an excellent performance last week in Rome, where he reached the quarter finals and played a superb match against Rafa, which was their first clash in almost three years and already is a contender for one of the best matches of the year. So on that basis I'd dare say Andy has got the opportunity to do very well in Paris this year, especially after missing out playing last year, due to his back injury, he will want to make up some points and try and go as far as he can in the tournament. Has Andy got a real chance of winning the French??? Honestly, no. Andy has proven he's got the talent and skill to play well on clay, given enough practice and form, but it still remains the one surface that he has yet to even to reach a final on, and I don't think the French open is one final he will reach. But I think Andy still has a good chance to get into the second week and make a decent run at RG. Prediction: quarter finals.
Tomas Berdych
Next is the big Czeck fella, Tomas Berdych, who has been a very consistent player in the slams lately and he reached the final four in Melbourne earlier this year, where he lost a close match to Stan Wawrinka, so his record in the big events are quite impressive. Berdych however can be quite an erratic player and while he has a big powerful game, including a booming big serve and tremendous groundstrokes, he can lack the mental edge needed to win the big events. Nonetheless I think Berdych can, given a good draw, do pretty well at the French Open and he may well get into the second week and give a good account of himself. But can he win the title? No, don't think so, but he's a safe bet to reach the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Roger Federer
Now you might wonder why Roger Federer is this far down the list, well the reason why is because he has been out of the game for a wee while given the birth of his twins, its left him off the tour and not match sharp, which was proven in his 2nd round loss to Jeremy Chardy last week in Rome. Federer however has shown much better form in 2014 so far with a semi final appearance at the Australian Open, where he fell to Rafa, but put in a convincing display to beat Andy Murray in the quarter finals. Roger also went on to win his first title in quite a while in Dubai, by beating Tomas Berdych in the final and he also reached the finals in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. However I just think that Roger's lack of preparation and time spent away from the tour lately might just go against him, however you can never write off the Swiss maestro. So while I don't think Roger will win the title, I still think he can make the 2nd week, but its going to be a pinch to see him get any further than the last eight. I might be wrong but we'll see. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Kei Nishikori
So next up is Kei Nishikori, who has made a real breakthrough this year as he broke into the top 10 after reaching the final of Madrid, where he very nearly could have taken out Rafa in the final as he was a set and a break up before he was forced to retire with a back injury. So Kei has been looking very good this year especially on clay as he also won the Barcelona open as well so his performance on the red dirt bodes very well for Roland Garros. So does Kei stand a realistic chance of winning the title? Nope, but I do think he can go pretty far in the tournament and I'm fairly sure he will make the 2nd week and we could be looking at the Japenese No.1 reaching the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Grigor Dimitrov
And last but far from last is the rising Bulgarian star, Grigor Dimitrov, who really has announced himself in the last year or so on the tour. Dimitrov has been nicknamed "Baby Fed" as there has been many comparisons between his game and Federer's (although Grigor insists that he wasn't actually that influenced by Roger's playing when he grew up) but Dimitrov really has shown that he has the makings of a great player. Dimitrov also scored his best result so far in the slams this year by reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open where he played a tight match against Rafa before losing out in four sets, which shows his increasing mental toughness and grit. Dimitrov has also scored big wins in his career so far as well, such as beating Djokovic, Murray and also Berdych and he will have the opportunities to build on that as the year goes on. As for Grigor's chances at the French??? Well let's face it, he's not going to win the title, but I do think he has a fair chance of going pretty far into the event and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in the 2nd week. Prediction: quarter finals.
Right so that's it for my look at the men's contenders for the French Open title and I will be back soon with the ladies
Till then bye the now!
Rafael Nadal
Well I have to start with Rafa as he is the clear favourite ever year at the French given his incredible winning record there as he has won the title more than any other player, surpassing Bjorn Borg's record of six titles two years ago, and having won eight titles at Roland Garros, which is more than any players has won one single grand slam title (surpassing Sampras and Federer at Wimbledon with seven each). However all has not been rosy for Nadal this year as he has been struggling with his confidence on court as he lost out in the final of the Australian open to Stan Wawrinka, having suffered a back injury, he wasn't able to compete at his best, which hurt him badly. And Rafa's clay court season hasn't been the strongest and in fact it has been arguably the worst he's had, as he has suffered three losses on the European clay season alone, with losses to fellow Spaniards, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, and most recently to Djokovic in Rome. And even though Rafa won the title in Madrid it was in fact part due to his opponent, Kei Nishikori retiring from a back injury, who looked quite convincing at a set and a break up before his injury kicked in and Rafa turned the match on its head. However despite these losses, I still see Rafa as the favourite to win the French again as his dominance is so strong there and no matter how bad his clay court season might have been by his standards, once he steps on that Philippe Chartrier court, he feels at home. Whether or not he does remains to be seen, but I think its a fairly safe bet that he will reach the final once again and he might just claim his 9th title there. However that might depend on the next man in the list. Prediction: champion or finalist.
Novak Djokovic
Well next in line has to be the one man who has been battering on the doors at Roland Garros for the last couple of years and that is Novak Djokovic. Nole has so far had a pretty good season, after a slow beginning and suffering a shock loss to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka at the Australian open, he's turned things around very well and went on to win back to back Masters titles in Indian Wells and Miami, where he stunned an in form Federer in the former and an under par Rafa in the latter. Novak however has had a bit of an injury scare as well with his wrist, which forced him to withdraw from Madrid, but it turned out to be less serious than initially feared and Nole went on to win the title last week in Rome (as pictured here as Novak holds the trophy for the Italian open) beating Rafa in the process. And with another clay court title victory over his main rival in Rafa, Novak will go into the French Open as a firm favourite and as he came mighty close to beating the man from Mallorca last year, he might just take that one step further this year. And if Novak does then he will return to the World No.1 spot and also complete his career slam, which will further cement his reputation as one of the greats in the game, so something tells me that this could be Nole's year. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Stanislas Wawrinka
Well I've put Stan Wawrinka quite high up in this list for a good reason, as for one he is the World No.3, and so far this year he really has proven it, given that he has won his first grand slam in Melbourne and also last month he won his first 1000 Masters series title in Monte Carlo. And despite some lapses in form with losses at some tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and even in Madrid and Rome this year, Stan still has proven when it comes to the big matches that he has got what it takes to go all the way. Not only that Stan's best overall surface is clay and he reached the quarter finals at the French last year, before getting crushed by Rafa. But Stan is not the same player he was a year ago, he is mentally stronger and has more belief in himself and has proven himself on the biggest stages and he claimed his biggest win against Rafa, so its a fair assumption that he can do it again here. However whether or not Stan can pull off another surprise grand slam success at the French Open remains to be seen and will depend on his draw and his form and can he replicate what he did in Australia. Will he? I'm not entirely sure he will, but I think he can go really deep and maybe reach the last four. Guess we'll find out. Prediction: semi finals.
David Ferrer
I put David Ferrer up as the next contender simply because most people might forget just how good this guy is on a clay court. Ferrer has often been classed as a clay court specialist, but that in itself is a bit of an insult as Andy Murray himself once said in a press conference "he's not a clay court specialist, he can play great on all surfaces" and that is a solid fact. And its no mistake that Ferrer reached the final of the French open last year as he truly proved what a remarkable player he was at Roland Garros last year as he managed to reach the final without even dropping a set, before failing to win a single one in the final against Rafa. But outside Djokovic and Federer's transcendent qualities on every surface, Ferrer is undoubtedly the second best clay court player in the world just now and has been for quite some time. And if Ferrer has a good draw then I think there is a fair chance he can work his way into the final again, although he might not make it this year, I can definitely see him reach the last eight at a minimum or the last four. Either way Ferrer won't win it however, as Rafa and Djokovic are both just that bit too good for him in Paris, but he will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Andy Murray
OK next up is Andy Murray who is naturally pegged further down this list given that he isn't the most natural clay court player, yet he has strung together some decent results in Paris, the best being three years ago when he reached the final four and lost to Nadal in a tight straight set match. This year, Andy has not had a kind season so far and his return from his back surgery last year has seen him make slow progress in 2014, where he has failed so far to even reach the final of a tournament so far. However things are starting to look more encouraging for Andy as after a poor show on the clay in Madrid two weeks ago, he put in an excellent performance last week in Rome, where he reached the quarter finals and played a superb match against Rafa, which was their first clash in almost three years and already is a contender for one of the best matches of the year. So on that basis I'd dare say Andy has got the opportunity to do very well in Paris this year, especially after missing out playing last year, due to his back injury, he will want to make up some points and try and go as far as he can in the tournament. Has Andy got a real chance of winning the French??? Honestly, no. Andy has proven he's got the talent and skill to play well on clay, given enough practice and form, but it still remains the one surface that he has yet to even to reach a final on, and I don't think the French open is one final he will reach. But I think Andy still has a good chance to get into the second week and make a decent run at RG. Prediction: quarter finals.
Tomas Berdych
Next is the big Czeck fella, Tomas Berdych, who has been a very consistent player in the slams lately and he reached the final four in Melbourne earlier this year, where he lost a close match to Stan Wawrinka, so his record in the big events are quite impressive. Berdych however can be quite an erratic player and while he has a big powerful game, including a booming big serve and tremendous groundstrokes, he can lack the mental edge needed to win the big events. Nonetheless I think Berdych can, given a good draw, do pretty well at the French Open and he may well get into the second week and give a good account of himself. But can he win the title? No, don't think so, but he's a safe bet to reach the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Roger Federer
Now you might wonder why Roger Federer is this far down the list, well the reason why is because he has been out of the game for a wee while given the birth of his twins, its left him off the tour and not match sharp, which was proven in his 2nd round loss to Jeremy Chardy last week in Rome. Federer however has shown much better form in 2014 so far with a semi final appearance at the Australian Open, where he fell to Rafa, but put in a convincing display to beat Andy Murray in the quarter finals. Roger also went on to win his first title in quite a while in Dubai, by beating Tomas Berdych in the final and he also reached the finals in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. However I just think that Roger's lack of preparation and time spent away from the tour lately might just go against him, however you can never write off the Swiss maestro. So while I don't think Roger will win the title, I still think he can make the 2nd week, but its going to be a pinch to see him get any further than the last eight. I might be wrong but we'll see. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Kei Nishikori
So next up is Kei Nishikori, who has made a real breakthrough this year as he broke into the top 10 after reaching the final of Madrid, where he very nearly could have taken out Rafa in the final as he was a set and a break up before he was forced to retire with a back injury. So Kei has been looking very good this year especially on clay as he also won the Barcelona open as well so his performance on the red dirt bodes very well for Roland Garros. So does Kei stand a realistic chance of winning the title? Nope, but I do think he can go pretty far in the tournament and I'm fairly sure he will make the 2nd week and we could be looking at the Japenese No.1 reaching the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Grigor Dimitrov
And last but far from last is the rising Bulgarian star, Grigor Dimitrov, who really has announced himself in the last year or so on the tour. Dimitrov has been nicknamed "Baby Fed" as there has been many comparisons between his game and Federer's (although Grigor insists that he wasn't actually that influenced by Roger's playing when he grew up) but Dimitrov really has shown that he has the makings of a great player. Dimitrov also scored his best result so far in the slams this year by reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open where he played a tight match against Rafa before losing out in four sets, which shows his increasing mental toughness and grit. Dimitrov has also scored big wins in his career so far as well, such as beating Djokovic, Murray and also Berdych and he will have the opportunities to build on that as the year goes on. As for Grigor's chances at the French??? Well let's face it, he's not going to win the title, but I do think he has a fair chance of going pretty far into the event and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in the 2nd week. Prediction: quarter finals.
Right so that's it for my look at the men's contenders for the French Open title and I will be back soon with the ladies
Till then bye the now!
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