The first weekend of the French Open approaches and there have been no major upheavals in either the men’s or women’s side of the tournament.
Top seed Novak Djokovic could not have asked for a better run-up to the French and he looks as tournament ready as ever. He won at the Monte Carlo tournament and then at Rome, where he got past Roger Federer in the final. Novak is feeling fit, energetic and focused and really does seem a strong contender this year.
He had a slightly tricky first round match against Jarkko Nieminen, who enjoys playing on clay. What’s more, the Finn has won against Novak in the past and is a very capable player. In fact, Nieminem looked really threatening in the second set when he was up 5-2.
Fortunately, Novak managed to close out the set and get into a commanding position in the third by winning eight straight points. It’s great to have a reasonable workout in the earlier rounds and the top seed certainly got one on Tuesday.
I think everybody at Roland Garros would agree that the French Open this year feels a little different, and that’s because of one man — Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard comes to Roland Garros with a slight shadow of doubt over his prospects. In the past, his win was not just a strong possibility, it was a foregone conclusion. However, the clay season has seen him yet to win any silverware — not in Monte Carlo, not in Rome, not even in Madrid.
It would take a braver man than yours truly to bet against Nadal chasing an unbelievable 10th French Open title, but yes, the aura of invincibility has diminished. That said, he did put in a commanding show on Tuesday, when he overpowered French qualifier Quentin Halys in straight sets, so it will be interesting to see how he goes over the weekend.
Federer’s match attracted some controversy thanks to the fact that a wispy teenager could make his way into the Centre Court of a Grand Slam tournament with the aim of clicking a selfie with the great champion. Forget the security threats, even in an ideal world the court is a sacred place where only the players and relevant officials should be able to reach.
We all love the fans, but it’s worrying when you get accosted by one when you are least expecting it. I fully agree with Roger that organisers need to tighten security around players and the match area.
Like the men’s, the women’s side looks a little more open than in earlier years, when Serena Williams was the overwhelming favourite. But who can rule out a champion who is searching for her 20th Grand Slam title? I know that she skipped Rome to be fit enough for the French, but it’s an open secret that Serena reserves her best tennis for the Slams.
Defending champion Maria Sharapova, too, looks in good touch and has remained fit through the season so far. The other player I would watch out for is Simona Halep, always a strong contender on clay.
— Gameplan
