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Beneath the
surface
Can anyone beat Nadal at
the French Open?
By
Wyman Meers
Outsports.com
The
French Open, professional tennis’s second of four major
championships, is set to begin at Stade Roland Garros
in Paris, France. The spring tennis season is contested on
clay courts, resulting in longer rallies that favor a
counter-punching or aggressive baseline style. The
culmination of this arc in the tennis year comes on the
French Open’s slow red clay; the toughest, most prestigious
clay event in the world undoubtedly tests the patience,
endurance, strength, and strategy of the game’s very best
players.
Therefore, the trials inherent to playing on clay inevitably
becomes as much of a story as the combatants themselves. In
Paris, the surface is as much a story as the scoreboard. So
challenging is the red dirt, in fact, that a host of tennis
legends have been unable to conquer it. Countless greats
suffered heartache under mounting pressure to win the French
Open, crushed by expectations as heavy as the force that
pulverizes brick into the orange-red powder beneath their
feet.
Yet for
all those who have suffered on the red clay, there is
nonetheless a legion of players who enjoy their greatest
success on the dirt. More so than any other surface, the
red clay encourages a specialized mastery that makes
otherwise average players extremely dangerous, all the while
transforming elites who understand its intricacies into
indomitable forces.
Yes,
over the next two weeks in Paris, much will be written and
said about the clay underfoot. Its challenge is one
player’s detriment and another player’s decided advantage.
For all the drama the surface provides, however, the real
intrigue at this year’s French Open lies within a different
rouge; one perhaps less obvious but no less crucial to
success. The real intrigue will unfold in the players’
hearts. In a city of romance such as Paris, there is truly
no other way.
Roger
Federer: A Heart Unrequited
Is there
any heart more motivated than that of the lover daunted?
The
latest in the long line of champions whose glory turns to
frustration in Paris is Roger Federer. The undisputed world
number one has collected ten major championships from the
last fifteen Grand Slam events he’s played, but Roger has
gone 0-8 at Roland Garros. Federer is four Slam titles shy
of tying the record for most majors that is currently held
by Pete Sampras, a player who also famously failed to win
the French Open. Roger Federer is more equipped to win on
the dirt that his predecessor, however, and is hungry to
complete a career Slam in capturing the only illustrious
title to elude him. As if that weren’t pressure enough,
Roland Garros is also the biggest stumbling block in
Federer’s quest to win a calendar year Grand Slam.
There is
no doubt that Federer wants it. The typically stoic Swiss
is open in press conferences about his goal to win in Paris,
yet in recent months he has endured his worst slump since
obtaining the number one ranking just over three years ago.
He has suffered surprising defeats, such as back-to-back
losses to resurgent Argentine Guillermo Canas on hard courts
or his uninspired, routine fall to unheralded Italian
Fillipo Volandri on the red clay of Rome. With the
frustration mounting and Paris inching ever closer, Federer
made the drastic decision to part ways with his coach and
enters Roland Garros on his own terms. A warrior battling
alone, racquet by his side and his heart pounding in his
chest, Federer will hope to fell the competition in classic
style. And there is reason to believe, thanks to a
last-minute triumph on clay at the prestigious Masters
Series event in Hamburg, Germany. Federer’s demeanor in
taking that title was even more forthright that his
pressroom admissions. The victory was a statement that he
is still to be feared and more than capable of winning the
French Open. A bold proclamation, but one made stronger by
the opponent he vanquished to earn that title: the world
number two and his chief rival, Rafael Nadal, who went into
the final with a record 81 consecutive clay-court match win
streak before succumbing to Federer 0-6 in the
deciding set.
Fate has
not been kind to Federer, however, as his path to the title
includes some very dangerous potential opponents: former
French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero; former number one
Marat Safin; capable Russian Mikhail Youzny; top-ten ranked
Spaniard Tommy Robredo; and the aforementioned Volandri all
inhabit Federer’s quarter of the draw. Should Roger manage
to advance to the semifinals, he could face fourth-seeded
Nikolay Davydenko; talented and overdue French hope Richard
Gasquet; Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez; or the
troublesome Canas.
Rafael
Nadal: A Heart Unquestioned
Is there
any heart surer than one proven true?
Two-time
defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal is the most
physically punishing player in the game and one loss to
Federer will not temper his confidence. His clay court
prowess remains unmatched. Moreover, Nadal is not
stagnant. His game is improving, becoming even more
ferocious and all-court aggressive as he uses his endurance
and strength – the pillars of a masterful clay-court game –
as foundation for a relentless attack from all points on the
court.
After
suffering a dismal season following last year’s surprise run
to the Wimbledon final, a return to clay could not come soon
enough for Nadal. He has taken every advantage, restoring
the aura and fear factor that surrounds the unenviable task
of competing against him. His energy on court is boundless
as he pumps his fist in triumph like an intensely measured
heartbeat. Every step and stroke Nadal takes on court is
raw, oxygenated, and pounding. He will not give up his
double crown in Paris to anything less than a Herculean
effort capable of matching his own nearly impossibly high
standards. And it seems there are few hurdles standing in
his way, although a seemingly favorable draw on paper does
include a few potential spoilers. Little known Argentine
Juan Martin del Potro is not a cakewalk in the first round,
while Australian Lleyton Hewitt has shown recent signs of a
return to form and Czech powerhouse Tomas Berdych has proven
difficult for Nadal in the past.
Scattered Hearts
Although
the Federer-Nadal rivalry will take key focus as the rounds
progress in Paris, a litany of dangerous players are keen on
breaking up the Federer/Nadal mutual admiration society.
Skyrocketing teenager Novak Djokovic is the most likely
candidate. Currently ranked sixth in the world,
Djokovic is the de facto world number three and he plays
with the fearlessness of youth. Clay is not his best
surface, but Djokovic did take a warm-up title in Estoril on
the strength of his all-court fluidity.
Former
champions in the draw include not only Ferrero, but also
Spain’s Carlos Moya and Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio. These
players are not much of a threat to return to the winner’s
circle, but they have tasted glory on the red clay before
and could be dangerous opponents for unsuspecting
contenders. A host of clay-court specialists will also lie
in wait for vulnerable top-ranked players, such as Nicolas
Amalgro of Spain or Argentina’s Jose Acasuso and Juan
Ignacio Chela.
Justine
Henin: A Heart Broken
Is there
any heart more prepared than one freshly healed?
Women’s
tennis is in yet another state of transition, where younger
players have not yet found a way to factor into events
consistently while veterans fight injuries and ennui.
Current world number one Justine Henin has won three of the
last four titles in Paris, yet she comes into the event with
an aura of being number one by default. She is certainly
the most consistent performer when she does compete, but
health scares curtail her training and lately she has been
known to run out of steam in the latter stages of events.
Regardless, Henin possesses the most potent combination of
footwork, power, and court-savvy flair in the women’s game
and can render opponents to spectator status on clay. As
the women’s game continues to evolve towards greater but
wildly unharnessed power, few players can control their
mighty strokes on the slow surface. This affords Henin
repeated opportunities to exploit their go-for-broke style.
Nowhere is she more of a threat to win than in the City of
Lights.
Henin
will also be looking to mend personal disappointment through
professional accomplishment, as she was forced to skip the
year’s first major while suffering through the dissolution
of a four-year marriage. Emotional hardship sometimes
drives a player like Henin to greater heights and she will
be tough to beat, although she had the misfortune to share
her quarter of the draw with the woman who many believe has
the best chance of dethroning Henin: resurgent Australian
Open champion Serena Williams.
Serena
Williams: A Heart Exposed
Is there
any heart more powerful than the one ripped open?
Few have
been able to even compete with Henin on dirt in recent
years, but the fearless Williams is one powerful slugger
capable of legitimately testing the diminutive Belgian No.
1. Slowed by family crisis and injury in recent years,
Williams has returned to tennis with a vengeance and looks
to burn through the draw in Paris with the same rapid fire
destruction that brought her an eighth major title in Oz
earlier this year.
Serena
Williams has taken knocks for her passions and been maligned
for the very heart that has won her an abundance of tennis
titles, because it is also a heart that needs sources of
inspiration beyond the game. Her detractors see Serena’s
outside interests as a distraction to her focus, even though
the reprieve they provide may very well preserve Serena’s
interest in the sport in the long run. Nonetheless, what is
most important is that hearts always return to their first
true love and – for now – Serena Williams is back and faces
few challenges until her potential quarterfinal showdown
with Henin.
Scattered Hearts
With
co-favorites Henin and Williams occupying the same section
of the women’s draw, three semifinal spots are wide open and
an array of players have been given the opportunity to make
their mark on this year’s French Open. Serbia’s Jelena
Jankovic has steadily improved and comes into Paris ranked a
career-high number four after her win at the warm-up event
in Rome; a confident Ana Ivanovic has cracked the top ten
and also won a warm-event coming into the French Open, hers
in Berlin; last year’s runner-up and former US Open champion
Svetlana Kuznetsova is quietly playing excellent tennis; and
teen sensation Nicole Vaidisova would love to improve upon
her success in Paris from a year ago, where she made the
semifinals. Venus Williams could be dangerous if she plays
her way into form, but faces a tough task in a potential
match against Jankovic in the third round. Former champion
Anastasia Myskina could easily go out in the first round,
and French hope Amelie Mauresmo is always vulnerable when
facing the pressure of doing well on her home soil. Worse
still, Mauresmo’s section of the draw is fraught with danger
in the form of up-and-coming players Lucie Safarova – the
woman who stopped Mauresmo in Australia – and Russian Anna
Chakvedatze.
Federer,
Nadal, Henin, and Williams each have something to prove.
Such hearts are willing to spill blood for their cause, ever
at risk for a loss at love. These champions will be no
exception. They are the four most likely players to emerge
dirt-stained and victorious after two weeks of grueling
competition in Paris; however, at no time are results less
predictable than at the French Open. The season leading up
to the battle at Roland Garros has been colored by
surprising and intriguing developments that promise
excitement both on and off the court. The red clay is
certainly a considerable factor in match results, but
personal histories and subplots will make this year’s French
Open all the more dramatic as each player prepare to lay his
or her heart upon the line.
Predictions
Women’s
Semis: Jankovic d. Henin, Kuznetsova d. Chakvedatze
Women’s Final: Kuznetsova d. Jankovic
Men’s
Semis: Federer d. Gasquet, Nadal d. Ferrer
Men’s Final: Federer d. Nadal
Wyman Meers is a writer
living in New York. He is Gaga4Gaby on the
Outsports Discussion Board.
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