Archive for: roland garros
Oh the life of a professional tennis player must be fun. Novak Djokovic has to be a player who is enjoying his time as a professional tennis player the most. Djokovic always seems to be making jokes and doing funny ads and more. I would love to hang out with him on tour and just cause mayhem.
During Roland Garros Djokovic appeared at Ana Ivanovic’s press conference and pretended to be a journalist. At teh end of the new conference a “journalist” raised his hand and asked “Tell us something about your love or private life”.
Everybody then turned around to see Novak Djokovic asking the question. Novak was in the room because he had the press conference straight after Ana. Ana obviously didnt respond to the question but simply game him a hand shake on her way out.
“Well everybody asked only professional questions,why didn’t someone asked her something personal” – Nole continued joking when when he sat down ready to answer questions for his press conference.
Robin Soderling (23) vs Nikolay Davydenko (10) = This is going to be a great match. Robin Soderling beat four time reigning champion Rafael Nadal in four sets in the previous round and Davydenko defeated Fernando Verdasco in straight sets. I think Robin will be still on a high from his last victory, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going. This could be a five set match with Soderling taking the first few sets then Davydenko coming back.
Andy Murray (3) vs Fernando Gonzalez (12) = Andy and Fernando have been in great for in this tournament so far and they both didnt lose a set in their fourth round matches. Murray has had quite an easy draw so far and I think Gonzalez might actually cause a big upset in this match.
Juan Martin Del Potro (5) vs Tommy Robredo (16) = Juan Martin Del Potro has been playing some great tennis and beating good opponents so far in the tournament. However, in this match he will coming up against Tommy Robredo who has a huge amount of experience on the clay courts of Roland Garros. I can see Robredo winning this match in a long five set match.
Gael Monfils (11) vs Roger Federer (2) = This is another exciting match with Roger on the back of coming from two sets to love down to win in five, while Monfils played one of his greatest matches at the French Open defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. I think this will be Rogers match to lose.
Dinara Safina (1) vs Victoria Azarenka (9) = Azarenka had a great previous match disposing of the defending champion Ana Ivanovic in straight sets. While Safina hasn’t put a foot wrong and has been demolishing her opponents. I think the first set is going to be very tight and Azarenka really needs to win it, cause I cant see her coming back in three sets.
Dominika Cibulkova (20) vs Maria Sharapova = This is going to be a very interesting match, Maria hasnt been in the greatest of form but she has been grinding out wins. Cibulkova has been playing some good tennis, but hasnt really played a major name at this years French Open. I can see Maria winning in another three set match.
Sorana Cirstea vs Samantha Stosur (30) = Cirstea has had a great tournament so far, especially with her win in the last match at 9-7 in the third set over Jelena Jankovic. Stosur has been going through the draw very quietly. Clay is not Stosurs best surface but she has a great kick serve for a female player and I can see her demolishing Cirstea in straight sets.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7) vs Serena Williams (2) = The girls have a great rivalry and have played some great matches over the years. I think Serena is in great form and the quick clay surface this year is suiting her game and I cant really see Kuznetsova getting into the match from the beginning.
As we mentioned in the French Open preview here on The Tennis Times there is always a big upset at Roland Garros. This year at the French Open was no different with Philipp Kohlschreiber the number 29 seed defeating World No. 4 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros on Saturday.
“I think I played really one of the best matches ever in a big tournament,” said Kohlschreiber. “In the past I’ve played well in small tournaments, but this one was for sure, every set really on the biggest high level from my side. Maybe Novak didn’t play his best today but from my point of view, I played a good match. I was controlling or dictating many, many points. I did a really good job today.”
Ana Ivanovic is optimistic about defending her French Open title, saying on Thursday that a niggling knee injury had died down.
“Thankfully the pain and inflammation in my knee has gone away so I have been able to practice this week,” the Serbian said. “My timing is pretty good at the moment and I’m optimistic about my chances of success in Paris.”
The world number eight has suffered a sharp loss of form since last year and pulled out of the Madrid Open earlier this month with the recurring injury, which worsened after her country’s Fed Cup win over Spain in April.
The 21-year-old from Belgrade will need a steep improvement in recent form to retain her crown at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday, after plummeting down the WTA rankings from the number one spot she grabbed after taking last year’s title.
John Isner has pulled out of the French Open starting tomorrow cause of illness. Isner accepted a wildcard into the event by winning a qualifying tournament held by the U.S. Tennis association. The USTA has now returned the wildcard slot to the French tennis federation, which has since handed the wildcard to world number 310 Romain Jouan of France.
Other players to have pulled out of the French Open include Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and Mario Ancic of Croatia. Tursunov has a heel injury and Ancic pulled out because of lack of fitness.
The French Open 2009 will be starting in less than one day at Roland Garros, but who actually stands a chance of winning and who might as well of stayed home!
Raphael Nadal is of course the king of the clay and he will be very hard to beat this year. Rafael lost last week to Roger Federer in Madrid, but now that he has had a few days off to recover I can see him being back on full form.
Roger Federer has a lot more confidence coming into Roland Garros after his win over Nadal in Madrid. Roger has been playing some of the best clay court tennis of his life and he seems very focused. Roger has a few tough matches against clay court specialists in the first few rounds, so if he gets through the first couple rounds then I expect him to be in the final again.
Dinara Safina comes into Roland Garros as the number one player in the world and also the number one seed. Dinara has never won a Grand Slam and this is where she is expected to be at the top. Dinara has Ivanovic in her quarter so it will be interesting to see if Ivanovic can bring to the table a good performance or if she will leave the draw early.
Maria Sharapova is heading to Rome with not a chance of winning the tournament. Maria returned to the tour only last week in Warsaw and lost in the quarterfinals. Im quite surprised that Maria has returned to play the French Open, but then again she has a few points to defend.
Upsets are going to come quick and fast, as they always do at the French Open. Ivo Karlovic (26) is playing Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the Mens singles and I think that we could see Hewitt beat Karlovic the seeded player in the first round. I can also see Jo-Wilfied Tsonga (9) having a few issues in the first round when he plays fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Additionally it is going to be interesting to see Radek Stepanek (18) play Gaston Gaudio (wildcard) in the first round, Gaston has already won the tournament here so will be interesting to see if he can find some form. Jelena Jankovic (5) could have a tough first round match with Petra Cetkovska. Plus I would be very surprised if Sybille Bammer (28) can get passed Nathalie Dechy in the opening round. Dechy is a local faourite and has always performed very well at Roland Garros.
If you have any thoughts on some upsets or who is going to win the tournament then please let us know in the comments.
Remember the official French Open website is RolandGarros.com
Fabrice Santoro, nicknamed the Magician for his habit of mystifying bigger and stronger opponents, is proudly preparing to open his bag of tricks for his 20th and final French Open show. The Frenchman, who will retire at the end of the year, will extend his record of appearances at grand-slam events to 67 in the May 24-June 7 claycourt tournament.
“Last Roland Garros, last year on the circuit, there is that feeling that a page is being turned and an immense satisfaction to have done 20 of them,” the 36-year-old Santoro told Reuters in an interview.
“I never dreamed I would get that far.” One of the few major players on the men’s circuit to hit both shots double-handed, Santoro has won many admirers over the years for his finesse and sense of strategy. “I keep bumping into people who tell me to carry on but in my head it’s clear, I’m stopping,” he said.
One of the best players I have seen on clay back in the day was Guillermo Canas. Today Guillermo played the French Open qualifying tournament at Roland Garros, but he has been bundled out in the first round by Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 7-6. It is a real shame to see this great player unable to really match it with the big boys any more.
Canas has really struggled in 2009 with only a few top tier tournament wins to his name. However, this loss in the French Open qualies has to be the worst loss for a long time. Im wondering if he will consider retirement after this?
Kei Nishikori of Japan is withdrawing from the French Open because of an injured right elbow.
Nishikori has not played since losing in the first round at Indian Wells, Calif., in March.
He was honored as the ATP’s newcomer of the year for 2008, in part because of his run to the fourth round of the U.S. Open. He was the first Japanese man since 1937 to make it that far at that tournament.
Once ranked as high as No. 56, Nishikori is currently 117th. He has played only 10 tour matches this year.
The French Open begins Sunday.
After a great Wimbledon exhibition match Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are schedule to now compete in another exhibition match on Saturday the 6th of June at Roland Garros. The famous couple will be playing on Court 7 at 11am. If you are heading to Roland Garros make sure you dont miss this match!
The match is being sponsored by Longines, and is in honour of the tenth anniversary of the couple’s 1999 singles championship wins. That year would prove to be Agassi’s one and only Roland Garros success, while it was Graf’s sixth and final triumph.
Agassi and Graf will also play with ten young players from around the world, followed by a special gala and auction benefiting the Andre Agassi Foundation and Children for Tomorrow.
The wildcards for the 2009 French Open have been decided. There are a few suprises and it is great to see that the wildcards are going to up and coming talent as well as some older campaigners.
Mens Wildcards:
- Gaston Gaudio
- Bernard Tomic
- John Isner
- Adrian Mannarino
- Josselin Ouanna
- Laurent Recouderc
- Guillaume Rufin
- Alexandre Siderenko
Womens Wildcards:
- Lauren Embree
- Olivia Rogowska
- Claire Feuerstein
- Kinni Laisne
- Emilie Loit
- Kristina Mladenovic
- Irena Pavlovic
- Olivia Sanchez
Maria Sharapova will soon be returning to competitive tennis after a long injury layoff. Here’s the latest from Russia Today (dated April 15):
Russia’s tennis star Maria Sharapova plans to return to the court in May at the Roland Garros tournament, says Russia’s tennis team coach Shamil Tarpishchev, Sport-Express newspaper website reports.
“I have spoken with Maria Sharapova’s father the day before yesterday. He said she is preparing to play at Roland Garros. Prior to that she’ll probably play in two tournaments to get in form. It’s not clear which tournaments that would be now. But it is clear Sharapova intends to play on clay. Let’s hope that it’s the way it’ll be,” Shamil Tarpishchev said.
Sharapova will likely make her singles debut at the Italian Open in Rome at the beginning of May.
