French Open Players to Watch

SI Staff | May 26, 2009

French Open Players to Watch /

French Open Players to Watch

Rafael Nadal

The four-time defending French Open champion enters this year's tournament as the lopsided favorite to retain the crown. Nadal's next loss in Paris will be his first: His all-time record at Roland Garros is 28-0.

Dinara Safina

The draw is considerably more open on the women's side, but the top-seeded Safina has emerged as a slight favorite after consolidating her No. 1 ranking with consecutive clay-court singles titles in Rome and Madrid.

Roger Federer

Federer has won 13 Grand Slam titles in his career -- one short of Pete Sampras' all-time record -- but none have come at Roland Garros. In French Opens since 2005, Federer is 0-4 against Rafael Nadal and 23-0 against everybody else.

Ana Ivanovic

The 21-year-old Serb won her first and only Grand Slam at last year's tournament. A knee injury suffered during the Fed Cup in April could compromise her title defense, though Ivanovic insists her fitness is up to the task.

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic has endured a number of agonizingly near misses against Rafael Nadal during clay-court season, including last week's four-hour epic in the Madrid Masters semifinals. Many observers believe he's got the best chance of unseating Nadal from the Roland Garros throne.

Serena Williams

Since taking a swipe at Dinara Safina's top ranking -- "We all know who the real No. 1 is," Williams told reporters in early May -- Serena has struggled while playing through a nagging knee injury. She enters the French on a career-worst four-match losing skid.

Andy Murray

Since winning his third title of the season at the Miami Masters, Murray has struggled on clay. The 22-year-old Scot won just two matches on the surface in Rome and Madrid after falling in straight sets to Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters semis.

Jelena Jankovic

Since ceding the No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams after the Australian Open, Jankovic has dropped to fifth with a series of unspectacular results. With no dominant top seed looming over the draw (like on the men's side), this could be the ideal opportunity for Jankovic to break through for her first Grand Slam.

Juan Martin del Potro

A capable clay-court player, the young Argentine is eager to erase the memory of last year's second-round ouster at Roland Garros.

Venus Williams

Up to No. 3 in the rankings for the first time in six years, Venus is hoping to break through for her first title at Roland Garros. Her best previous result came in 2002, when she lost to her younger sister in the final.

Andy Roddick

The last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title (2003 U.S. Open) is a longshot to snap that streak in Paris, where he's won just two matches in the past six years. But his spirited three-set challenge against Roger Federer in last week's Madrid quarterfinals proved Roddick is capable of competing on the surface.

Elena Dementieva

The Olympic gold medalist in Beijing remains Slam-less at 27. She hasn't impressed since losing to Serena in the Australian Open semifinals but could take advantage of this year's wide-open field.

Published May 26, 2009

SI STAFF