As the tennis audience worldwide awaits the kickoff of one of the most anticipated tennis events of the year, the French Open, we all know what the main question running through our minds is: Who could potentially end Nadal’s three-year reign at Roland Garros?
Top Contenders: The Three-Way Rivalry
Heading the list of top contenders to capture the French Open title this year, is three-time defending champion, Rafael Nadal. The Spanish phenomenon, who has a clean 21-0 record in Paris, maintained his dominant form on clay for yet another season, defending his clay titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and adding a new Masters Series shield to his collection when he overcame Roger Federer in the Hamburg final one week ahead of the Open.
Nadal’s only loss on clay this year came to his compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round in Rome, where he was suffering from blisters and fatigue.
However, Nadal, who turns 22 midway through this year’s French Open, will not be as comfortable as he would have hoped this year in Paris, given the strong pressure he is facing from the world’s number one and three players, Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal’s rivalry with Federer is nothing new to discuss, however this will be the fourth straight year the Swiss ace will be trying to derail Nadal at Roland Garros. The French Open title remains the sole Grand Slam that has eluded Federer and every time he feels closer to capturing the title, Nadal viciously denies him his dream.
Federer, who had a positive start to the clay season winning his first title of the year in Estoril, failed to capitalize on his triumph as Nadal bested him in the finals in both Monte Carlo and Hamburg.
Besides failing to defend his Hamburg title, Federer also crashed out of Rome a couple of weeks ago, when he fell to Radek Stepanek in the quarterfinals.
Nevertheless, Federer remains to be a strong candidate to winning the French Open, as his recent matches against Nadal on clay showed us some ruthless form that saw him actually lead Nadal 5-1 in the first set in Hamburg, and 4-0 in the second set in Monte Carlo, before the world number two miraculously turned the matches around.
Serbian sensation, Djokovic, is another one to watch this year in Paris. The world number three continued to show his stunning form that saw him win his first Grand Slam title in Australia earlier this season, as he made a strong statement on clay by lifting the shield in Rome and inching ever so closer to Nadal in the rankings.
Djokovic, who has reached the semifinals or better in the last four Grand Slams, has a strong chance of ending Nadal’s three year residency as world number two. The 21-year-old Serb is currently number one in the ATP 2008 Race and his tight semifinal against Nadal in Hamburg bodes nothing but good signs for his chances against the Spaniard.
Real Threats to the Top Three
World number four, Nikolay Davydenko, is always a threat at any Grand Slam. The Russian’s consistency over the past few years is uncanny and he will be heading to Paris with a fresh title from Austria. He also reached the final in Estoril and made the semifinals in Monte Carlo, where he lost to the eventual champions on both occasions.
World number five, David Ferrer, also deserves our attention this year. The Spanish star, known as one of the best returners on circuit, has won the Valencia title, and reached the Barcelona final and Monte Carlo semifinals in his build up to the French Open.
World number eight, David Nalbandian, returning Croat, Mario Ancic, big-hitting Chilean, Fernando Gonzalez, and rising Scott Andy Murray, are also amongst the possible shockers these coming couple of weeks.
Potential comebacks could also be expected from former world number ones, Marat Safin, Carlos Moya and Lleyton Hewitt.
Rising Up and Comers
Swiss number two, Stanislas Wawrinka, is definitely amongst the list of dangerous up-and-comers. Wawrinka, who is one of the latest additions to the world’s top ten, reached the final in Rome, where he lost to Djokovic, and made the Barcelona semifinals.
Juan Monaco, a recent finalist in Austria, is also a threat on clay. The Argentine, who is seeded 13th this year at Roland Garros, reached the final in Vina del Mar during the South American clay season and made the quarterfinals in Valencia last month.
French hope, Gilles Simon, who has just been crowned in Casablanca defeating his countryman, Julien Benneteau, could also be a potential trouble maker.
Absentees
The list of absentees includes world number 6, Andy Roddick, Germany’s Tommy Haas and Australian Open finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The French Open kicks off on Sunday, May 25th, with the likes of Djokovic, Nalbandian and Murray highlighting the field on the opening day.
