Tracy Austin
Eleven days before the start of the season’s second major the news came that Justine Henin, the No. 1 ranked player on the WTA Tour and the three-time defending French Open champion, was retiring effective immediately. A shocker indeed and a loss for the sport. In the wake of Henin’s exit is left a wide open French Open with fifth-seeded Serena Williams the only woman in the draw who has won a title at Roland Garros. With Henin gone, Serena has a good shot at repeating that feat.
Clay is not a favorite surface for top seeded Maria Sharapova but the Russian star could come away a Paris champion as she’s up for the challenge of winning the only major she has not yet conquered.
Two others who look like they could take the title are Serbs Jelena Jankovic, the third seed, and Ana Ivanovic, seeded second.
Serena looking title worthy
Serena hasn’t played Paris in two of the last three years but did make the quarterfinals last year before Henin ended her run on dirt. Serena is fitter than she has been in a long time. She’s had her best pre-Paris preparation since 2002 – the year she emerged as the Queen of the clay fortnight. Serena’s not only comfortable playing on the dirt, she’s motivated to do so and that motivation – as we’ve seen at times over the course of her career and most recently at the 2007 Australian Open – can carry her to a title.
On the dirt Serena benefits from her athleticism, which helps her to move very well on the surface. She’s excellent at quickly changing direction and sliding into her shots. She has a terrific combination of patience and power and can add in the angles to widen the court on clay, which helps her to outmaneuver her opponents. On clay Serena realizes it’s not all a power game that succeeds but a thinking one as well. Crafting points on clay is key and Serena excels at that.
Maria counting on her serve
Sharapova does not move as well as Serena on dirt but she possesses an awesome game on any surface. She relies so much on her power and on her ability to get that first strike on her serve and her return of serve so she can draw an advantage in the point. On clay she must play good defense because the surface is one where players can get themselves out of trouble and get back into points and doing this will be key for the Russian.
Sharapova’s game is so sound, her technique so good and she hits with such depth that if she serves big she could leave Paris a champion. Serving big will enable her to get a lot of first strikes against opponents, who then won’t be moving her around the court -- something she wants to avoid since she doesn’t fare all that well when scrambling around on the dirt.
Earlier in her career Sharapova wasn’t at all comfortable on clay. But while it will never be her favorite surface she is getting more comfortable on it with each passing year. The more time she spends playing on dirt, the better she’ll feel about making the surface work for her.
Jankovic looks ready for feat of clay
The Serb is a rising star who has never won a major so she has yet to answer the question of whether she can win seven matches over a two-week span when the stakes are at their highest. Working in her favor is that she likes playing on clay and moves extremely well on the surface impressively sliding into her shots.
She has to draw confidence from her strong showing at a warm-up event in Rome where she took a tough three-setter from Venus Williams on her way to the title. Jankovic is a real tough customer on the dirt who makes opponents work hard for every point. When she’s in a good mindset and feels ready to grind out matches on clay, she’s extremely difficult to beat. Making the semifinals at the French Open last year sends a message she can’t be overlooked when it comes to top title contenders.
Another big run from Ana?
Last year Ivanovic made it to the Paris final before losing to Henin. It was only her third French Open appearance. Her play has been spotty this season but there is no denying that she has the weapons in her game to beat any opponent on a given day. She is not a great mover on clay but is still a tough opponent on the surface.
She has the talent and skills to be a champion in Paris. Her biggest challenge is to handle the pressure that comes with the high expectations that surround her game. Her chances at a championship this fortnight may be hurt because before Roland Garros she played just five matches on clay. Her confidence may also be a bit shaken by clay losses to Elena Dementieva at the German Open and qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in Rome.
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Venus and Svetlana
Venus Williams is seeded eighth and while I don’t see her winning the clay major she could get to the second week and the quarterfinals where if the tournament plays to form she would meet up with Jankovic. Venus has made the French Open final only once and that was in 2002 when she lost the title match to sister Serena.
Clay is not a great surface for Venus and that may be because she is longer limbed than most players and they can work against her when having to abruptly change directions. She has played just three matches on clay this year so that is another factor that could work against her. She also has played in only five tournaments.
One other player to closely watch is fourth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, a French Open finalist in 2006, who is helped on clay by her ability to move around the court. An opponent really has to have a good day to beat the Russian on this surface. She’s very athletic and has a big forehand – two definite advantages on clay.
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