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2005 French Open Preview

By timmymoore, Section Other Sports
Posted on Tue May 17 2005 at 1:48 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

Grand slam tennis is back in Europe for the first time in nearly a year. The French Open, or Roland Garros, as referred to by the locals is the most diverse slam of them all. Clay presents a completely different level of play; some of the best tennis players in the world won't make it past the first round.

Completely unknown players succeed in France, players like: Gaston Gaudio, last year's champion, or Fabrice Santoro, a player who dominates on the clay circuit but can't seem to make the proper conversion to hard-court. It is the players who grew up playing on clay. The true journeymen of professional tennis win at Roland Garros.  

Last year on the men's side, then unknown Gaston Gaudio edged out Guillermo Coria in five sets in one of the most unpredicted upsets in French Open History.

Last year the women's side of the draw went a little more as planned. Anastasia Myskina beat Elena Dementieva in a smooth rolling three setter.

Despite her heroics last year Myskina isn't slated to go as far this time around. She is struggling with her topspin shots, resulting In very flat, and hittable shots on clay. She also has a stamina issue; she tends to tire out when placed in sticky situations or long third sets.

 I witnessed this first hand. I managed to stumble upon Myskina practicing with Amelie Mauresmo at the Acura Classic in La Costa, California in June of last year. As she walked out of the court I noticed that she was breathing deeply and was quite flushed, yet it was a nice, and at some times cold 70 degree day. You be the judge.

Changing speeds, there is a lot of new talent and fresh faces out there this year. The new kids on the block are the future of professional tennis.

 Eighteen-year-old Gael Monfils, the first African-Franco athlete to hit the modern professional tennis scene, has been regarded as French Andy Roddick. The French are commonly associated with flamboyant slices and sweeping one-handed backhands, but not Monfils. All 6' 3", 165 pounds of him go into a killer Roddick style power serve, and a murderous forehand.

Currently ranked 70th in the world Gael Monfils is definitely a force to reckon with this year. 70th you say, not bad considering he has only been in the professional rankings for six months. Monfils is unquestionably a major threat not just for the French Open, but also for many years to come.
Australian, Alicia Molik is a hot prospect just now jumping onto the scene. She made her run at the Australian Open earlier this year, when she lost to Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals, and she went down fighting, dropping the first set 4-6, then gaining the second 6-4, just to lose in an extended set 7-9. Keep in mind that this match was played in 92-degree weather.

Molik is the only Aussie in the Sony Ericsson WTP top 50 rankings, and is slowly pushing her way through the top 10 and is currently sitting at the #9 spot.

The only concern is that Molik is 5'11" 159 pounds. Which is considered heavy on the women's circuit. This could put a dent on her stamina; fortunately the spring heat is not nearly intense in France as it is in her native Australia.

Ladies and Gents: you can rest easy this time. The French Open is the first slam of the year that people in America can actually watch without going nocturnal. I spent too many hours during the Australian Open lying in bed watching the live coverage at 2:30am, on school nights. The most memorable instance was the Men's final at the Aussie when Marat Safin defeated Lleyton Hewitt in four sets. Start time 12:30am. End time 3:38am. On a Sunday night!

All French Open broadcasts run from 5-10am on ESPN classic, and 10am-3pm on ESPN2. Also, unlike the Australian Open, the French Open's final will be broadcasted on NBC, instead of ESPN.

 My predictions:

Woman's final: Recovering Justine Henin-Hardenne fights her way through the draw to defeat Alicia Molik in a grueling three set battle royale to win her second Roland Garros championship in three years.

Men's final: Guillermo Coria glides through the field with ease to face breakout star Rafael Nadal, their striking resemblance throws off many novice spectators, but to the keen eye makes one of the greatest clay-court match-ups ever. The set goes the distance and all five are milked to the fullest, and winds up with Rafael Nadal edging out last year's runner-up.

A side note on Rafael Nadal: He is in an elite club of victors, and that club is: The "I beat Andy Roddick" club. He is 19-years-old and left-handed. In my opinion he is the best tennis player Spain has ever seen, and regarded as "The Matador" in the June 2005 issue of Tennis Magazine. He is one of those clay specialty guys, and this is his chance to shine.

As common sense would provoke, I've come to the conclusion that the four grand slams are in scheduled order of popularity. The Australian Open is by far, the least popular slam. The French Open generates some media attention. Wimbledon is the bigest sporting event in England. And finally, the U.S open is like the championships of tennis, the last of the year, and the only one that the majority of Americans care about.  I'm not sure if it's pure coincidence or keen thinking by the association, but as the year goes on professional tennis gains popularity.