Ballmachine
Semi-Pro
Men - Roger Federer. It doesn't matter if Roger has a great clay court season leading up to the French. Right now he is the man of the hour, the tower of power, the tennis player just too sweet to be sour! He can turn it on when he needs to, and he would love to add the French to his grandslam resume.
Women - Justine Henin-Hardene. This women has the goods. It's just that simple. Look for Justine to return to the top of the rankings early next year, and be a serious contender for every grandslam championship that she enters for the next five years. It also just so happens that she is at her best on the red clay.
The leading contenders on the men's side are Rafael Nadal, Guillermo Coria, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Gaston Gaudio. Time has run out on past greats Carlos Moya, Alex Corretja, and Gustavo Kuerten.
Dark horses. My perenial dark horse on the men's side is David Nalbandian. He is capable of beating any of the top guys on any given day. The problem is that he is also capable of losing to a bunch of guys that he should never lose to. He needs to be super-fit to win it all, and I don't think he is there yet. I also have to include David Ferrer on this list because of his recent good form, especially against Federer's biggest rival in Paris, Rafael Nadal.
The leading contenders on the women's side are Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters (if she's healthy), Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Amelie Mauresmo if she could somehow control her nerves.
Dark horses. To me, Nadia Petrova is the only real dark horse on the women's side because she can flat out ball on clay. She can topple any of the top players on any given day. The problem is that she is not consistent enough to win 7 matches in two weeks. Notice that I didn't include Lindsay Davenport on any of my lists. The reason is simple. If she ever does win another grandslam title, which is very doubtful, it won't ever happen at the French Open. It's kind of sad that she has been ranked number 1 in the world for over 52 consecutive weeks, and she has not won a grandslam title in five years. When in the world are they going to revise that pathetic ranking system?
Women - Justine Henin-Hardene. This women has the goods. It's just that simple. Look for Justine to return to the top of the rankings early next year, and be a serious contender for every grandslam championship that she enters for the next five years. It also just so happens that she is at her best on the red clay.
The leading contenders on the men's side are Rafael Nadal, Guillermo Coria, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Gaston Gaudio. Time has run out on past greats Carlos Moya, Alex Corretja, and Gustavo Kuerten.
Dark horses. My perenial dark horse on the men's side is David Nalbandian. He is capable of beating any of the top guys on any given day. The problem is that he is also capable of losing to a bunch of guys that he should never lose to. He needs to be super-fit to win it all, and I don't think he is there yet. I also have to include David Ferrer on this list because of his recent good form, especially against Federer's biggest rival in Paris, Rafael Nadal.
The leading contenders on the women's side are Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters (if she's healthy), Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Amelie Mauresmo if she could somehow control her nerves.
Dark horses. To me, Nadia Petrova is the only real dark horse on the women's side because she can flat out ball on clay. She can topple any of the top players on any given day. The problem is that she is not consistent enough to win 7 matches in two weeks. Notice that I didn't include Lindsay Davenport on any of my lists. The reason is simple. If she ever does win another grandslam title, which is very doubtful, it won't ever happen at the French Open. It's kind of sad that she has been ranked number 1 in the world for over 52 consecutive weeks, and she has not won a grandslam title in five years. When in the world are they going to revise that pathetic ranking system?
my personal wish)
