Roland Garros has always been a funny event and is one grand slam which has been known have a history of staging upsets. Till 2005 there were Keurtens, Carlos Ferreros, Carlos Moyas and Alberto Costas of the world who shared the honors and post that it was a Nadal show, this is one slam which got the king (Fedrer) work hard for 11 appearances to achieve glory (2010).
So what’s in store for us in the Men’s draw at the French open at 2010!! The names that come to mind first up have to be Roger Fedrer and Rafa Nadal, However, I feel, 2010 may just mark the return of old times with favorites bowing out.
Federer is not known to be the best player on clay and post his injury I feel Nadal doesn’t have that fire power to play continuous five setters as he use to and looking at his half of the draw he may just have to play some of those!!
So who are the names who could stage upsets by defeating Nadal and Federer? My eyes will be firmly rooted on these 4 gentlemen to get through this test:
Novak Djokovic
This 23 year old Serbian is one of the most entertaining players on the men’s circuit. Djokovic is an all-court player with emphasis on offensive baseline play. His greatest strengths are his ground strokes, serve and defense. He is consistent off both wings; to me the highlight of his game are his well-disguised backhand under spin drop shot and sliced backhand. 2010 has not been a great year for him so far and he seems to be out of form, but he is known to fight back and to my opinion he is the dark horse this year at the Rolland Garros. Spectators are in for entertainment if he manages to proceed. He has started well by a 4 set win in the first round. We shall wait and see if the run continues
Fernando Verdasco
Verdasco has a smooth game and looks comfortable on all surfaces; His forehands when in flow are a treat to watch. His serve is characteristic of a left-handed player predominantly using slice to create a lot of spin. 2010 so far has been a good year for Verdasco, decent show at the Australian open was followed by some spirited performances in 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (finalist), 2010 Barcelona open (winner) and Madrid open (final). He has been known to lose nerves during important moments in matches. He has shown improvement but he will need to better it to make it big at Roland Garros.
Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick famously known as “A Rod” is starting the French open as 6th seed, and the only American in the top 10.His first serve is known to some as the "Roddick Serve" since he abbreviates the serve by removing part of the motion. He has been criticized for his lack of variety; however, he has developed a more all-court playing style compared to the aggressive baseline style he played with for most of his early career. He looks to be in the fittest shape of his career. His stint at French open till now hasn’t been the talking point with 4th round (2009) being his best performance, but if we are looking at somebody who could stage an upset his credentials tops the list.
Gael Monfils
Monfils is the 2nd highest ranked French player, his ability to reach almost every shot thrown at him and him playing in front of his home crowd gives me a belief that he has it in him to create upsets, Not really sure whether he has the consistency to hit the podium but he plays a exciting game and while he is playing rest assured that the opponent will be playing against 2 players (2nd of course being the crowd). If he goes on to create upsets, his dancing to celebrate victories will be a treat to watch
It would be a treat to watch if the players mentioned above are able to defy the favorites to achieve glory.
It was super to watch Somdev guts it out against his first round opponent in a 5 set thriller; the loss did not leave a bad taste. Hopefully we are able to see a lot of him at the grand slams in future, my guess we definitely will!!
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