French Open Preview

After what has to seemed to be an eternally long time since Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in Melbourne, we finally get set for major #2, Roland Garros or the French Open.

Here are your "big points" defenders from last year.

Champions:  Rafael Nadal (ESP), Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
Finalists:  Robin Soderling (SWE), Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Semifinalists:  Tomas Berdych (CZE), Jurgen Melzer (AUT), Elena Dementieva (RUS), Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Quarterfinalists:  Nicolas Almagro (ESP), Novak Djokovic (SRB), Roger Federer (SUI), Mikhail Youzhny (RUS), Nadia Petrova (RUS), Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ), Serena Williams (USA), Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)

Men:  Who can win?

Favorites:  Djokovic, Nadal
If not them, then?:  Federer, Soderling, Andy Murray (GBR), maybe David Ferrer (ESP)
Spoilers:  Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG), Nicolas Almagro (ESP), Melzer, Berdych

This is really a two-horse race and it is likely we get a Nadal/Djokovic final.  But then again, we've been all but guaranteed a Federer/Nadal final in a few recent slams and it hasn't materialized.  But really I think it is more Djokovic and Nadal, and then everyone else is more of spoiler.

Women:  Who can win?

"Favorites":  Victoria Azarenka (BLR), Maria Sharapova (RUS), Stosur
If not them, then?:  Where do I begin?  Wozniacki, Schiavone (why not?), Vera Zvonareva (RUS), Na Li (CHN), Jankovic, and I suppose also Kim Clijsters (BEL)
Spoilers:  Andrea Petkovic (GER), Julia Goerges (GER), Petra Kvitova (CZE)

They've been saying this is a wide open, and you-better-believe-it, it is.  The women up there are sort of ranked in order.  I think the top 3 there have shown themselves to be a little better than the rest, and Azarenka is my top favorite and would be a clear favorite if it wasn't for her continuous injuries.  I struggle to put Clijsters on this list as this is her first French in 5 years and first clay tour match since a loss to Beatriz Garcia Vidagany (???) last year.  This should be a tournament just to kick back and enjoy the drama.

Other tidbits

Former French champions in the draw:  Nadal (2005,2006,2007,2008,2010), Federer (2009), Ana Ivanovic (SRB) (2008), Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) (2009), Schiavone (2010)
Other major champions in the draw:  Lleyton Hewitt (AUS), Del Potro, Sharapova, Clijsters
Losing French finalists in the draw:  Federer (2006,2007,2008), Soderling (2009,2010), Clijsters (2001,2003), Kuznetsova (2006), Ivanovic (2007), Stosur (2010)
Former junior French champions in the draw:  Richard Gasquet (FRA) (2002), Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) (2003), Gael Monfils (FRA) (2004), Marin Cilic (CRO) (2005), Petrova (1998), Lourdes Dominiguez Lino (ESP) (1999), Virginie Razzano (FRA) (2000), Kaia Kanepi (EST) (2001), Agnes Szavay (HUN) (2005), Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (2006), Alize Cornet (FRA) (2007), Simona Halep (ROU) (2008), Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (2009), and a few others lost in qualifying

Looking back at the seeds from last year's French Open, there are 19 men and 21 women seeded both in 2010 and 2011.  Here is a list of those not seeded a year ago (asterisk denoted first ever seeding at a major).
Men:  10-Fish, 13-Gasquet, 15-Troicki, 18-Simon, 20-Mayer*, 21-Dolgopolov*, 22-Llodra, 25-Del Potro, 26-Raonic*, 28-Davydenko, 29-Tipsarevic*, 31-Stakhovsky*, 32-Anderson*
Women:  2-Clijsters, 9-Kvitova, 15-Petkovic, 16-Kanepi, 17-Goerges*, 20-Ivanovic, 24-Gajdosova*, 29-Peng, 30-Vinci*, 31-Zakopalova*, 32-Pironkova

Here are those dropping from the seeds either by poor play, injury, or retirement.
Men:  6-Roddick, 12-Gonzalez, 14-Ljubicic, 16-Ferrero, 17-Isner, 21-Robredo, 23-Gulbis, 26-Monaco, 27-Lopez, 28-Hewitt, 29-Montanes, 30-Kohlschreiber, 31-Hanescu
Women:  1-S.Williams, 2-V.Williams, 5-Dementieva, 9-Safina, 15-Rezai, 20-Martinez Sanchez, 22-Henin, 24-Safarova, 25-Zheng, 27-A.Bondarenko, 32-K.Bondarenko

Enjoy the tennis!