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First Serve

Rafael Nadal

Racing Form

Back in ‘02, when Serena Williams ruled Paris, she was in the best shape of her career and more motivated than she’s ever been. She overcame her nemesis, Jennifer Capriati, in a classic semi, and then busted up her sister, Venus, in the final, and so began the “Serena Slam” where she beat her sis in four successive major title bouts.

But while Serena has had a terrific start this year, winning her eighth Slam crown at the Aussie Open and taking the Miami title, she missed the first five weeks of the clay-court season, saying her chronically injured knee was aching again. That may not bode well for Serena, who hasn’t competed in Paris since being clubbed by Capriati in ‘04.

But even the favored Henin knows that if healthy, Serena will be her greatest rival at RG, even if clay is Serena’s worst surface. The two have a rich history in Paris, as it was the Belgian who stopped the Serena Slam back in ‘03 in a highly controversial semi that had defending champion Williams accuse her of cheating.

Nearly four years later, the two seemed to have put aside the incident and after the Miami final, they were awash in mutual admiration.

“The relationship is very good now,” Henin said. “ We have a lot of respect for each other. We proved it during the match. We both have a lot of qualities, and we both agree that we are very good players. So what happened in the past is far away from now. A lot of things happened since that. And she has very nice words to me, and I think I have a lot of respect for everything she’s doing. We can make the difference between what’s happening on the court and off the court, so that’s good.”

Henin believes that she’s the most mentally tough player on the planet. Serena thinks that of herself, too, but she’s had more meltdowns on Parisian clay than she’s had successes.  So unless she gets hurt, Henin will be the player to beat on the court she loves so much, Phillipe Chatrier Stadium.

But Serena has her designs on the calendar-year Slam, and she’s shown that when her inner fire is lit, she’s capable of anything. “I think it can be done,” Serena said. “I play well on all surfaces, so I’m a good candidate to do it.”

All signs are pointing toward a breakout result for the 18-year-old Nicole Vaidisova, who last year cracked the top 10 and reached her first Slam semi at RG (upending Mauresmo and Venus).  In January, the tall powerballer reached her second  Slam semi at the Aussie Open.  If her recent wrist injury doesn’t flare up, if she can avoid the on-court tirades and deal with mid-match strategy shifts, the Czech has the penetrating groundies and booming serve that spell trouble for any foe.  Her Reebok ads boast, “I Am What I Am.”  Now it’s time to see if what she is is an elite champion.

— RO

After Roger Federer won his 10th Slam at the Australian Open, the accolades flew in from all points of the globe. In a word, he was considered “untouchable.”

No longer. Four successive Masters Series tournaments have meant four bouts of massive aggravation for the great Swiss, who seems to be going through an unwanted period of transition. He’s lost control of his vaunted forehand, isn’t making a great enough impression with his serve and has developed a case of wanderlust from the backcourt. He fell to Guillermo Canas twice at Indian Wells and Miami and in his seventh overall defeat to Nadal in the Monte Carlo final, Federer wasn’t sure what strategy to employ and because his combinations weren’t clicking, he grew erratic. Then he was shocked by Italian journeyman Filippo Volandri in Rome, his worst loss in nearly four years.

It’s almost impossible to attack Nadal at the net early on in points on clay because he moves so well laterally, and Federer has nearly thrown the strategy out the window. His best approach might be just to play steady with him and draw the Spaniard out of his comfort zone, but at this point, it’s very clear that Rafa is a better clay-court performer and that Fed has a lot of catching up to do.

Still, Federer is favored to reach the final and tangle with Rafa again, because only Canas and young Serb Novak Djokovic have shown the ability to play with the world’s top two this year, and neither of them have shined at the Slams.

Plus, Federer is seething that some folks don’t believe he can find a genius cure to Rafa-itis. In fact, when he was asked after Monte Carlo why he has only won five out of 19 sets against Nadal on clay, the usually cool Federer snapped.              “You’re talking like he’s playing around with me,” he said. “That’s not the case. It came very close the last few times, but clay is his No. 1 surface; it’s not mine, and still I come so close.  It’s still a good thing to play four finals in a row on clay. Okay, I lost four times against Rafa. I’d rather have that than lose against four different guys.  I feel like I’m in good shape for the rest of clay-court season, and it’s going to come down to the French Open to see who wins.”

He’s tired of the same old questions.  He’s been asked them a thousand times.  Or so it seems.  But those kinds of inquiries will dog you when you climb to No. 1 then all but fall off the map. Since losing to Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open final in ‘03 — the same year he captured his one and only Slam title at the French Open — Juan Carlos Ferrero has yet to return to the top 10.  “I don’t want to compare the level that I was,” he recently said. Now 27, Ferrero is playing with a newfound maturity and confidence and has quietly crept back to No. 19.  While fellow Spaniard Nadal will surely dominate the spotlight in Paris, the graceful grinder’s got experience on his side and more than a puncher’s chance on the familiar terre battue.  Just don’t ask him if he’s the same player he once was. — Richard Osbourn

Nearly three years removed from her last appearance in a Grand Slam final and having only recently recovered from an injury in which she suffered a stress fracture in three ribs, Elena Dementieva admits she nearly walked away from the game.  Out of shape and lacking confidence, the 25-year-old Russian confides that during a six-week layoff she questioned whether she had what it took to climb back into the top 10 and seriously pondered retirement.  “It was a very disappointing and tough time for me,” said Dementieva, who reached the French and U.S. Open finals in ‘04. 

“I couldn’t really do anything, and it was time for me to think what I want to do with my life and did I want to make a comeback or do something else.”  But the blonde bomber has apparently had a change of heart.  And (shaky serve aside) when she’s healthy, her ground game is as formidable as you’ll find on the WTA Tour.

— RO

You’d have to turn back the clock to ‘83 to find the last time a Frenchman raised the trophy at Roland Garros.  Oh la la, what the French wouldn’t give to have one of their own still standing on RG’s final Sunday once again.  Along with fellow countryman Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet is shouldering the weighty expectations of a sports-loving nation looking to exorcise the ghost of Yannick Noah.  While he’s struggled with consistency and insists he’s still two or three years away from his prime, given the right draw, the 20-year-old with the gorgeous and graceful, sweeping one-handed backhand could go deep into the second week.  The 12th- ranked Gasqet kicked off his clay-court campaign with a quarterfinal showing in Monte Carlo and a runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic in Estoril.

— RO

All signs are pointing toward a breakout result for the 18-year-old Nicole Vaidisova, who last year cracked the top 10 and reached her first Slam semi at RG (upending Mauresmo and Venus).  In January, the tall powerballer reached her second  Slam semi at the Aussie Open.  If her recent wrist injury doesn’t flare up, if she can avoid the on-court tirades and deal with mid-match strategy shifts, the Czech has the penetrating groundies and booming serve that spell trouble for any foe.  Her Reebok ads boast, “I Am What I Am.”  Now it’s time to see if what she is is an elite champion.

— RO