Well the much anticipated draw comes out tomorrow. Will Djokovic fall on Roger's or Rafa's side of the draw? Does it really matter? I fully expect Nadal to cruise to French Open title #5.

Main Draw

[1] Nadal vs Q
Kunitsyn vs Gabashvili
Gremelmayr vs Golubev
Hewitt vs [26] Karlovic

[23] Soderling vs Kim
Istomin vs Q
Q vs Kiefer
Gil vs [14] Ferrer

[10] Davydenko vs Koubek
Junqueira vs Capdeville
Massu vs Koellerer
Devilder vs [17] Wawrinka

[31] Almagro vs Calleri
Gulbis vs Querrey
Q vs Petzschner
Serra vs [8] Verdasco


[3] Murray vs Chela
Zverev vs Starace
Tipsarevic vs Montanes
Q vs [28] Lopez

[18] Stepanek vs Gaudio
Lu vs Q
Sela vs Q
Hernych vs [13] Cilic

[12] Gonzalez vs Q
Q vs Vliegen
Granollers vs Ouanna
Sidorenko vs [20] Safin

[30] Hanescu vs Darcis
Youzhny vs Muller
Q vs Kendrick
Odesnik vs [7] Simon

----------------------------------

[5] Del Potro vs Llodra
Troicki vs Q
Bellucci vs Vassallo Arguello
Q vs [25] Andreev

[21] Tursunov vs Clement
Santoro vs C Rochus
Baghdatis vs Monaco
Benneteau vs [9] Tsonga

[19] Robredo vs Mannarino
Korolev vs Gimeno-Traver
Garcia-Lopez vs Seppi
M Gonzalez vs [22] Fish

[29] Kohlschreiber vs Tomic
Ferrero vs Ljubicic
Dabul vs Q
Lapentti vs [4] Djokovic


[6] Roddick vs Joian
Hernandez vs Minar
Navarro vs Beck
Gicquel vs [27] Schuettler

[24] Melzer vs Roitman
Rufin vs Schwank
Q vs Q
Reynolds vs [11] Monfils

[15] Blake vs Q
Pavel vs Haas
Phau vs Chardy
Bolelli vs [19] Berdych

[32] Mathieu vs Recouderc
Ginepri vs Andujar
Acasuso vs Q
Martin vs [2] Federer
------------------------------------

Fed gets Djokovic on his half. Nadal should cruise to the final.

So the Djoke lands in the Fed's half. JMDP does too (same qtr as the Djoke). The Fed also has Blake and Roddick as high seeds in his area, so that must be a relief for him. Although Andy did push him to 3 sets on clay, of all places...and after his honeymoon, at that. Who knows? I'd still feel foolish, though, to think either James or Andy will be any kind of a threat, whatsoever, to the Fed in Paris. It's all about the Djoke/the Fed semi. I just hope JMDP isn't a spoiler and somehow beats the Djoke, because JMDP doesn't do jack against Roger.

Three of the Big Four (a term that's a bit iffy lately, what with Murray's clay season) should have no problem whatsoever reaching their seeded spots in the semis: Rafa (bien sur), Roger, and Novak. With Murray, ya never know on the red stuff. While it would be a huge upset on paper, I wouldn't exactly die of shock if #205 Juan Ignacio Chela beat him in the 1st round. If I had to pick who's making it through out of that quarter, I'm gonna say Gonzalez. Another interesting 1st rounder in that quarter is Wayne Odesnik (the last remaining American in 2008) vs. Gilles Simon. Wayne will be very hungry to defend those points from last year (whether that helps or hurts, I don't know), and Gilles has been very vulnerable lately.

As for Rafa's quarter, first of all, my condolences to the unlucky b*stard who makes it through qualifying (always so tough at any Slam, probably more so at Roland Garros) only to face Rafa in the 1st round. Maybe David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka, or Fernando Verdasco will give Rafa some good match practice. The only way Rafa doesn't make it to the final is if Corretja or Cahill works a serious miracle with their charges. But come on, even if Andy M and Fernando drank nothing but water from Lourdes for the next two weeks, I'm not expecting an upset.

Novak's draw is nothing but cupcake until the quarters, and even there his toughest opponent would be JMDP, whom he handled quite routinely in Rome. Interesting 1st rounders in this quarter are Kohlschrieber vs. Tomic (I think the kid's too young for a spot in the main draw, but it'll be interesting to see how he does) and Benneteau vs. Tsonga (the most likely 1R upset of a top tenner since Benneteau has beaten Tsonga twice in a row and since Tsonga has hardly won a match in his career on terre battue).

If it's even possible, Roger's draw is even cupcakey-er than Novak's because there's nobody in his section that looks like any sort of threat. Who? Maybe Berdych if he somehow got his head together (Roland Garros is more likely to switch to grass). The big question is who gets to the final? Roger's scored the only victory over Rafa this clay season, but Novak has played some excellent tennis since Monte Carlo. I'm rooting for Novak, of course, although in moments of satanic possession, I secretly wish that Roger gets trounced in another Grand Slam final only to burst into the world's best Tammy Faye impression

Here's the Whole Draw:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/draws/ms/index.html

Seems Nadal got an excellent Quarter, pocked with guys who could maybe possibly have threatened him in their prime, but are much less likely to today: Hewitt, Ferrer and Davydenko. All of them now look like Lights of Other Days, having dealt with injuries, lost form, or both. The big disappointment in this section during 2009 has been Almagro. Nadal might get through the whole first week being able to play at 85%. The first test for Nadal ought to come in the QF against the Warwrinka-Verdasco winner, both of whom have played him very tight this year.

Murray, in my opinion, is in some troubled water already. Chela is good enough on clay to make it a tight match, and Mischa Zverev could likely be next. That kid can play. Aside from that, he's got two guys in his Quarter that have already won tournaments on clay this year: Montanes and Gonzo. Throw in a guy like Youzhny, who can also play on this stuff, and you got a Quarter that won't likely see Murray get through it. And even if he did, the guys he'd have to take down on the way could leave him so battered that he'd be ripe for a shellacking by Nadal in the Semis.

The Djokovic Quarter should make Novak pretty happy; he's beaten a lot of these guys already this year. It's even better for him that the guys who could pose a problem, like Del Potro, Andreev, Monaco and Tsonga will all have to settle their own arguments before he has to face any of them, given all four of them are in the upper section of his Quarter. He'll only have to meet one of them instead of all of them. All things considered, he looks good to get to the Semis for the third straight year, and he's probably ecstatic a guy named Nadal will not be waiting for him there this year.

The Federer Quarter used to be a gimme for him no matter who was in it. But not so much anymore these days. Given how Roddick played him in Madrid you'd think he'd have a chance again, but Andy's got a LONG road to get there, and even if he did the Madrid altitude that helped his serve won't be working for him here. Blake getting to Week 2 would be the news of the tournament. Berdych can play pretty well on clay. If he keeps his head together he can push Federer to a deep 4th or even 5th Set. However, all that said, there is one guy in this Quarter who could pose a real threat to Federer if he's at his best: Gael Monfils. They met in the Semis here last year and it was a real scrap. That day he pushed Federer to a 4th Set that went 7-5, and he could have made it go to a 5th had he stopped doing his showboating to the crowd and just concentrated on the match. He's played well earlier this year, but I haven't seen much of him during the clay season - which aint a great sign. But I'll be curious to see how he's playing the first week. If it's like last year, then Federer might have his hands full again should they meet in the QF. Federer could end up getting through to the Semis, but he could face some long afternoons on his way there.

If you like gambling on horses like me, and you go by the Past Performances, then you'd have to say that the French Open is usually decided by the two guys who've played the best and most consistent tennis on clay through the season. At least it has been for the last several years. And it should also be decided that way again, between Rafael and Novak.

Rudy, you singled out some first rounds with upset potential. Chela looked really hungry and relatively sharp in a loss to Bolelli in Madrid (I think), so Murray can't dilly-dally and goof off the way he has a tendency to in early rounds. And Odesnik is not someone I want Gilles to play in a first round. If Gilles can somehow win that match, his draw becomes much more kind.

The one first round that I think has a ton of good tennis potential is Djokovic vs. Lapentti. Against Safin in Monte Carlo, Lapentti won probably my favorite clay match of this season. Point after point of brilliant placement and maneuvering from both players. That match had it all -- drama and skill. Lapentti is a tricky veteran player with both clay and hard court ability (meaning he has some power) and he's got the endurance of a marathon runner. Novak, like Murray, should be in it to win it from the first point if he wants to avoid a grueling early round match or major trouble.

As has been said, Djokovic wound up on the Federer side of the French Open draw. Glory of glories. Finally. Of course, Novak (having gotten past that first round) has to face the toughest player outside of Rafa and Federer to meet Federer in a semi. It isn't just the idea of Del Potro winning that I don't like. I see the chance of him grinding Novak down so that Novak goes into his semi much more tired than his opponent. That's another challenge Djokovic has to overcome by playing hungry and staying sharp. It's a maturity test.

As for Del Potro, I had high hopes for him at the start of this season. He's getting better steadily. But Federer would lick his chops at the opportunity to play (meaning: drop shot and yank around) Del Potro, especially a Del Potro who has just scored an upset. Pony seems to just phone it in after beating a player ranked higher than him. He has yet to show he can do the top players back to back. And until he does, I'm not sold on him.

Relative cakewalk draws for Nadal and Federer, qualifiers (more dangerous at this tournament than elsewhere) aside. Up until the semi, Federer's draw is almost comically weak. I can't believe that AGAIN after Madrid people like Blake and Roddick are among the highest seeds in his portion! Just once I would like to see the newly vulnerable Fed get a Lapentti in the first round. Nadal's draw looks light until the quarters, where he could face Verdasco for the umpteenth time. Funny how Nando never ends up in Fed's clay court quarter.

I predict a shocking early upset of Nadal.

You mean, that he'll lose a set? Unless he gets sick or injured, don't seem him going down. And, if so, only in the final to either Federer or Djoko. Be most interesting to see final with either one of them against Nadal, since they've played him pretty well this season. Nadal's to lose. Don't see it.

Wow, that's spicy! I have him winning the final, just a hunch.

My thoughts on the draw:

It's a little difficult to see that early upset of NADAL coming through--maybe my crystal ball is cloudy but I can't see him being pushed at all until the 4th round against Ferrer...or maybe Soderling who is not a clay courter, but played well this week.

Unlike some other Australian Open surprises, VERDASCO has done a nice job of cementing himself as a legitimate top 10 player and figures to be the favorite here. It's a tricky draw, though, with Wawrinka and the off-form Davydenko in his path.

I'm not as down on Murray as a clay courter as some of you. There are draws on which I could imagine him making the semis (like Federer's), but this is a pretty ugly draw--Chela, Zverev or Starace, then probably Montanes, who has been playing very well lately. If he gets through the first three, Cilic or Stepanek isn't so tough on clay, though.

SIMON has been doing a great disapearing act so far this year, so Gonzalez has to be figured as the favorite in a fairly weak section. Given that Fernando is...um...unreliable, it could be an opportunity for a resurgent Youzhny or even Hanescu. Or Safin?

DEL POTRO has looked solid lately and the seeds in his section aren't that threatening, but he does have the two of the most dangerous unseeded players in the entire draw lurking: Juan Monaco who will likely upset Tsonga in round 2 and Victor Troicki. Bennetau and Santoro or floating around, too.

DJOKOVIC'S draw doesn't look too bad. Robredo likes clay but seems past his best. There's also Ferrero. Mardy Fish is a potential first-round upset victim to Maximo Gonzalez, but I can't see either of them going far beyond that.

If RODDICK is ever going to make a decent run here, this is the year. With Monfils ailing, the biggest obstacles in the path to the quarters are probably Melzer, Andreas Beck and Oscar Hernandez. No guarantees for Andy, but somebody in this motley crew has to be in the final 8.

FEDERER has a nice cushy draw. Acasuso is fading, Mathieu is off-form so getting to round 4 should be a snap. Though Blake is the high seed over there and unexpectedly seems to have found his game on the red clay after a miserable start, he will probably lose to Berdych or Chardy.

Talk about a going out on a limb? Wow. Well, Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra gave us some historic news lately, maybe this one will come true too.
I am hoping for Nadal to come down also, but think it unlikely. I was so glad to see Roger beat Rafa in Madrid. There is hope!

Gilles squeaked through a five-setter against Wayne Odesnik. Gilles is clearly not his best on this surface (doesn't seem to have the movement down on clay), and he's been struggling as of late. But he was able to blast enough winners and force enough errors from the rather slow Odesnik. While Gilles isn't known for having a big weapon, he can really put some heat on the ball sometimes. One of his backhand winners was clocked at 97 mph!! Although Gilles struggled, he showed a couple of qualities that put him in a different league from the journeyman: 1) speed and 2) the ability to redirect the ball. I can see why clay is actually Odesnik's best surface, because his slowness would really get exposed on grass and hard. Gilles, on the other hand, moves beautifully, even on his least favorite (I'm guessing) surface. But #2 was an even bigger gap. One of the toughest things in tennis is to take a hard-hit crosscourt drive and crack it down the line. Wayne tried to do this a bunch of times, and made almost none of them. But Gilles did it over and over again, probably his most effective tactic against Wayne's lack of speed.

Losing this match had big repercussions for both players. For Odesnik, he'll drop out of the top 100, which means no direct entry into the Slams. If Gilles had lost this match, he would have tied his record for most matches lost in a row. I was rooting for Odesnik, probably because I think of him as a Johnny Lunch Pail kind of tennis player. But in the end I'm glad Gilles won it. He's a far superior player, and a loss would have been a serious blow to his far-from-overconfident psyche.

While Gilles did eek out a win against Odesnik, you have to wonder if/when he'll turn things around.

He had a good start to the year making the QF at the AO, and the SF at Dubai, but things really seemed to go south after his two losses at Davis Cup. That seemed to be ground zero for his loss of confidence. Granted, Ljubicic isn't a bad player, but Simon has lost to him twice this year after that...the kind of player he should be beating. He also lost all his matches just recently at the World Team Championships...to Soderling, Schuettler and Querry, all of which he should handle given his talent (maybe Soderling should give him some grief, but not beat him altogether).

He's already improved on last year's FO, and it seems hard to believe with how well he played at the end of last year, that he only has 3rd round points to defend for the Big W and the USO, but he needs to get out of this sad funk that he's in. Can the French crowd coax him back to success?

The thing with Gilles is that he got to the top 10 with middling-at-best results in majors. So he can screw up for stretches here and there this season and still maintain a relatively strong ranking if he does well in the majors. He did well in Australia, getting to the quarters. I'm not expecting much at Wimbledon. I think grass is his weakest surface.

In beating Odesnik, Gilles has already outdone his RG result last year -- he went out easily to Stepanek in the first round in 2008. Also, his draw right now is looking rather kind, knock on wood. So he does have a decent chance to make it to the fourth round. But one match at a time.

TG and Rudy, I thought he looked alright against Odesnik. Rudy, I felt roughly the same as you. I wish Odesnik could have had a better result at the French to maintain his rank. He comes off as a good guy. But I was greatly relieved Gilles got through. He did so by toughing it out, which is good. His defensive anticipation still seems a little slow in comparison to last year. But he was smarter about when to go for winners.

A lot of Gilles' losses this year to me have had something to do with him trying without much success to incorporate more aggression into his game. I think he needs to be patient and keep it simple Simon. Anyone who has read an interview with him knows how complicated his thoughts can be. He does a real Freud number on himself after some losses.

Federer looked quite sharp today. Nadal looked quite...garish.

Roger looked great today. Rafael was actually pretty shaky in that first set before taking hold of the rest of the match. I still have a feeling that an upset is brewing ...

It's tough being a fan of Berdych's game. The guy has such a beautiful serve motion, and such a smooth forehand that you'd have thought the sky's the limit. He wins in Munich then has to struggle all the way back form 2 Sets down only to fall short in the end. Tomas, Tomas...get some sports therapy for you head!!

I thought Roddick actually looked better than anyone who played today, and who'd have ever though that at the French Open?? It would be great if he could actually make it to the 2nd week here. He's got a good looking section to get through if he can find enough.

As for Nadal & Federer, I didn't see all that much difference in their matches, statistically speaking. The winners to error ratio was pretty much the same for each of them. Both served about the same. Federer usually plays the same standard from start to finish in tournaments. He's not one to do much improving or declining throughout - his standard of play is usually so high that "down" is really the only place he could go. He should be fine unless he starts to go the way he did last year here: too many 4 set matches early on.

Nadal's first match here for the last three years looked a lot like it did today - more workmanlike than spectacular (his previous openers were Del Potro in 2007 and Bellucci last year, each of whom pushed Nadal to a 7-5 Set). He did two things better here than in Madrid: serve well; and he got tremendous depth on a lot of his ground strokes off both sides. And he did more than a few of his spectacular "gets". The last game of the match said to me Nadal was ready. Having lost serve in the eighth game, Daniel served at 5-3 and was up 40-0. Nadal reeled off 5 straight points to break and close it out. It was quintessential Nadal.

But Rafael: uh...that outfit?? . The pink is OK, and even looks good with the dark gray shorts. But you way overdid it with that awful yellow splashed everywhere. Honey: you need some wardrobe advice from Federer.

Another Roland Garros, another James Blake "upset" ... quoi de neuf? I wish I had umpteen hours a day to sit around and watch Roland Garros, but alas, I could only watch bits & pieces of this match. The one big thing that stood out was James's insistence on standing really close to receive serve, and how often he missed returns as the result. One has to wonder if a decade or so after retiring, will James look back and regret staying with the same coach throughout his entire pro career? He has so much talent but nowhere near the results <sigh>

It seems Monfils's knee is faring OK. Apparently he made it through his match without much pain, which is terrific news because he had considered withdrawing from Roland Garros. If his knee holds up, he's not in a bad section of the draw. Congratulations on J-Dub on his first career victory at Roland Garros. Unfortunately for the charismatic Frenchman, he faces the very tough (on clay) Juan Monaco next. On a non-French note, I said earlier that Tomic wasn't quite ready for the main draw, and he ended up winning just 5 games against Kohlschrieber. Better luck next year, kid.

I'm sorry, but I just can't take Rafa in pink.

to Ouanna! What a fighter. He looks so much like a friend who I hit with -- right down to the lovely one-handed backhand.

Safin was being so bratty at times but a big hand for him too for coming back the way he did. He's been involved in two of the best clay matches this year. His match with Lapentti in Monte Carlo was great, too. Better points and even wilder in fact.

Some really high caliber tennis from Ouanna and Safin in that last set, especially considering they were four hours in.

I have to disagree with the posts on the other thread wishing the men were playing 2 of 3 in majors (or just the French?). It has always been 3 out of 5 in modern tennis in the majors.

And Federer and Nadal might not be the supreme players they are if it was 2 out of 3. Their mental guile and psychological resolve in playing 3 of 5 is what separates them from the next flight of great players like Murray and to a lesser degree Djokovic. Switching things to three of 5 would also reward players who haven't gone that extra mile physically.

The French Open is all about the grind. It is the marathon of the majors. I can see how 3 out of 5 seems too long. But then a match like the Ouanna-Safin one happens. It kept me from seeing my favorite two women on tour but I didn't give a damn because it was excellent.

After last year's Wimbledon final, with all those ebbs and flows, the 5 setter has a place at the majors. Granted, some of the matches seem like foregone conclusions that could be resolved in 2 sets. But, ach, so what? Watching Rafa, Roger, Djoko, play longer is not a bad thing, imo. Or some of the lesser known players. And it is interesting to watch who can keep it together to win 3 sets. Who has the heart to come back from disappointment during the match, to regroup, to go beyond the normal finish line.

Hmm, what a good-looking match Murray v Starace turned out to be... and the tennis was pretty nice too. Both men were looking long, mean and lean in black and played some real crafty points, and I'm starting to see for the first time indications that Murray is moving more naturally on the clay. The first three sets were very high quality, and Starace was playing like the Top 30 clay-favouring guy he was back before the betting suspension nonsense. He came within a whisker of a two sets-to-one lead but Murray woke up just in time to avert disaster, bringing out his best to win six games in a row. Credit the sultry Italian for not fading away in the fourth after that bitter disappointment but there was never really any sense it would go to five after that.

I didn't catch the Safin match but it seems he's had a dozen really tight losses this year against sub-par opponents (who nonetheless seem to have been inspired at the time). I'm sure retirement will come as a relief. I was hoping he would join his sister in the second week, since he landed in a soft section of the draw.

It looks like signs of life from Gulbis were premature, since the equally-slumping Almagro took him out without too much trouble after a couple of tight sets in a clash of last year's quarterfinalists.

Monaco will probably bundle Tsonga out of the tournament, but since Tsonga likes to act over the top and carry on as though every crowd he plays in front of is his home crowd, he is even more dangerous when it actually IS his home crowd. It's something like 11 straight wins on home soil now (following wins in Paris/Bercy and Marseille).

Speaking of home favourites, I hope Monfils is really injury-free and can go deep into the tournament again this year. He gave Fed a tough match last year, and he is pretty much the ONLY top player worth a damn (on clay) in the Fedster's entire quarter (how does he do it?) so I hope he gets a rematch.

I was also delighted to see that Monfils had an easy win in his first round match. I wasn't expecting much, because this is a guy who had a press conference to announce that he was playing, his fitness was so much in doubt. I wonder if being a little nervous about his knee might actually make him play more aggressively to end points faster, which might end up helping him. Unlike a lot of the French players, Gael plays very well here and he could give Roger a good match.

Yeah but let's see the women do it too. Not fair that we get to enjoy the men grinding it out and not the women.

Andy Roddick into the 3rd Round not having dropped a set!! Outstanding work, no doubt Andy is getting fueled by the constant airing of the Lacoste commercial . He has a tricky match next against Frenchman Gicquel, who'll have the crowd behind him. Even if Andy got by that one, another Frenchman is likely to be waiting: Monfils. But he's already equalled his best ever showing at the French by getting to Round 3.

Good thing for Tsonga that Monaco didn't execute that last pass intelligently because it was clear Jo Willy's Stones were lodging in his throat . His first serve on Match Point was about 5 feet wide of the Doubles Tram Line. Clearly the occasion was getting to him, but the bad news is the pressure only gets greater the more you win.

Poor Djokovic now has to sleep on an incomplete match, but he's up two sets. You never want to have to play on continuous days at a Major.

And speaking of Stones in the throat, Jose Acasuso must have been feeling his there too. He had 4 Set points in the 1st Set, was up 5-1 in the 3rd Set, then completed his choke to hand Federer the match, who should be on a plane home by now. Good for Federer that he escaped this one, and an escape can often have a positive effect on your psyche. But he's got some pretty capable dirt-ballers still in his half of the draw, so we might not have seen the last of his 4 Setters.

I didn't see Andy's match but I saw highlights. When he met his opponent at the net after the match, I couldn't believe the gut on the guy (sorry his name escapes me). Maybe he's on the Nalbandian diet.

Alas. Fed's pattern in Slams lately has been to throw in a clunker in the early rounds to an opponent who isn't able to close the deal (Tipsarevic at last year's AO, Andreev at the USO, Berdych at this year's AO, and now Acasuso, who should have stretched him to five sets just like the others - hell, he conceivably could have won in straights when you look back at those four set points in the first). Once he makes his narrow escape, he sails through to the final weekend without any more hiccups. Surely he can't keep getting away with this trick - but he can complete a Slam of these vulnerability fake-outs at Wimbledon.

Otherwise, there wasn't much to comment on today. Nice to see Maximo Gonzalez stick around and be the unlikely one to join Del Potro as the only other Argentinian to reach the third round, which is a pretty mediocre outing for those guys at what is easily their best Slam. A straight set win over the challenging Seppi wasn't what I expected.

Too bad Pablo Andujar went out. What a cutie.

Did anyone else notice Simon's bulge during his matches? Especially against Odesnik in the first round?

Yes. He's developed a rep at this point.

Verdasco wasn't exactly convincing in his win over Almagro. From 4-all in the 3rd, it seemed to take ages for Verdasco to win in a tiebreak, finally wrapping things up after NINE match points. Actually, Fernando didn't wrap things up as much as Almagro gift-wrapped it for him. Even though a number of those match points were on Verdasco's serve, he was so damn tight he couldn't win any of them on his own. At the end, Verdasco was winning almost all his points from Almagro's tactically foolish unforced errors, including the final match point. With a spot in the top 10 come all sorts of pressure and expectations, and FV appeared to be feeling it today.

Didn't see the match, but it looks like Gilles "Packin' Some" Simon went out meekly to HanescWho.

Anybody catch word of the 5:30 AM intrusion by the ITF "Drug Testing" Nazis swooping down on the Armada de Espana?? Seems Rafael, Fernando, David and Tommy were soundly snoozing (except for Ferrer, who'd arisen 5 minutes prior to the barging in) and the Drug Testers demanded they accompany them to their respective lobbies to collect urine samples. Ferrer, unwittingly, had already relieved himself prior to the raid, so he was forced to wait in the lobby until he had to leak again. Since this has been going on for a while now, these type of intrusions seem WAY over the top to me. These players have to make themselves available for a 3-month window at any time of these "Testers" choosing. The most detestable aspect, from among many, is that the whole testing process as it's done now presumes guilt. That it keeps up despite them not turning up any Steroid related positives thus far means it really needs to end. If there were people cheating (which is tough to believe given the sheer number of injuries players deal with every day) they'd have long since been nailed already.

As for today's play, evidently it's clear Gilles needs to start thinking more about what's going on during his matches and less about whatever (or whoever) it is that's making his shorts stand out so prominently. Geez, 3-And-Out for the #7 Seed, who won't be #7 for long at this rate. Although Hanescu is kinda hot too, so I'm glad some eye candy made it through . Murray caught a break when Tipsarevic quit (how many defaults does that make for him anyway??) to get through in what looks to be a sharp little section. The two other guys here have been quietly progressing without the loss of a set yet: Gonzalez & Cilic. Given how well these two have played so far, my prediction of Murray not making past the Quarters may materialize yet.

The old dog Nikolay is showing he might have a trick or two yet still in him, sending Stan home in four. And as Rudy pointed out, Verdasco needing so many match points to seal the Almagro deal is a sign the jitters are making their way back into his arms. And Davydenko is the kind of guy who could greatly trouble him. Verdasco hits a relatively flat ball with lost of pace, especially off his backhand. Just the kind of shot Davydenko LOVES to take on the rise and redirect. I'm predicting Davydenko, a 2005 Semi-Finalist here, guts that one out in a long battle.

Nadal's demolition of Hewitt had still more new tweaks in the World #1's game. His serve, for one. A total of 7 Aces for Nadal - most unusually high number for him. And the many of them were into new corners from what he's accustomed to: down the T on the Ad Court and out wide on the Deuce Court. On the Return, Nadal was running around the back hand in the Deuce Court on 2nd Serves to wallop his forehand, and it was working well. You just know Nadal is bent on beating Soderling into the ground, since he's the guy Nadal loves to loathe. Expect a Nadal lung searing with Soderling likely to call for oxygen at some point.

As for tomorrow, Djokovic looks like he owns what's left of his Quarter (on clay, anyway). It'd be shocking if he didn't get to the Semis. I'd genuinely like to see Andy make it to the 16's - he's committed to the game like he hasn't been in a while. But I think it'll end there for him. Like Gonzalez and Cilic in the upper half, Bucky Monfils has been quietly progressing through his draw impressively, all in straight sets. If his knee holds out, he's gonna be VERY salty to deal with the rest of the way. As for the Federer section - all but one are members of the 25 & Up Club: Himself, Haas, and Mathieu (Chardy is 22). I'd say Federer is still likely to get through, but after yesterday, he could have a few more 4 Setters ahead, which won't exactly help him for later engagements.

Happy Viewing!!

Anyone got pictures of Gille's bulge? a lot of photography I saw was really waist up. Seems to have been a careful selection

Something is really wrong with Djokovic today.

He seems winded and his shots are landing short with nothing on them.

Kohlschreiber is up a set and two breaks and isn't even playing that well.

NCAA Kid: check this and this for starters.

Djoko also came perilously close to a break down in the third. It's not looking good for him. So much for the purported second-best player on clay. He's got to be disappointed that after two straight semifinals in Paris when he's landed on Rafa's side of the draw, he is suddenly is in danger of not making his way into the second week when he's opposite. It presents a golden opportunity for the winner of the Del Potro/Tsonga match, but an even bigger one for Fed, who would then proceed directly to the final (do not pass GO and do not collect $200).

At this point even if he wins, he loses - because if he comes back from two sets to love down, after needlessly expending too much energy in the early rounds he will probably not have much left in the tank come semifinal time (like at the US Open) especially after all the court time he's put in throughout the clay season. I'm not watching the match, but from the way you describe it 2H, the fitness issues have not resolved themselves just yet after all. Sigh.

In other news, Haas is almost randomly into the fourth round. I wonder if he'll grant Fed a walkover for a third time running.... Monfils is still going strong, as is Roddick, and that match-up is tricky to call. On paper it's Gael's for the taking (and he has a good record against Andy) given the setting and surface, but there is still that injury question mark hanging over him and Roddick is looking pretty determined out there. Poor Gicquel really had no chance today but at least he hasn't lost his looks at all (I haven't had a chance to see him play in some time) - they may have even improved. There are very few players out there my age but he's one of 'em. A shame about the wife and kid.

Edited to add: R.I.P. Djoko, credible Slam contender in '09? Heh.

Love the Monopoly reference. But it looks like Djokovic isn't the only one in trouble. NBC is going to have its hands full today.

Love all the drama at this year's French.

Monfils might be the bottom-half finalist if current form is anything to go by.

Novak - what went wrong?? Oy vay. Well - the biggest gun to go down so far.

And Federer is now looking at another 4-Setter, as PHM takes the opening set 6-4. The Frenchmen has a history of choking, but has enough game to push this to five sets. But Paul's stones are likely to find his way into his throat at the crucial times. 2nd Set to Federer 6-1.

Wow out in 3 sets. Not really a surprise. He's just not that into it!

Djokovic got to the semis of the last two French Opens. Kohlschreiber won only 5 games the one other time they played.

I have to wonder what the Tennis Channel people know. They led into the Djokovic-Kohlschreiber match with a fawning taped Djokovic interview by Gimelstob.

The two main topics of the interview:

1. His improved fitness and change in fitness coach.

2. The family tournament in Serbia he just won.

Lack of fitness as usual was an issue in this loss. And playing the Serbian Open maybe had something to do with how flat he was out there. It's a given by now that Djokovic has fitness issues, and the tournament in Serbia meant his schedule right before the French was more crammed than all of the rest of the top players. Was it worth it?

Well, I was surprised...didn't see that one coming at all. I don't know what happened because our coverage here seems obsessed with French male players. I woke up this morning to Monfils-Melzer, they switched to the utterly boring end of the Tsonga-Rochus match, then finished with Federer/Mathieu. Is there a woman's tournament going on this year?

I didn't notice Simon's bulge in that match, but I have noticed it in other matches that he has played in the past.

Sometimes Monaco has a bulge as well.

I love to watch both of them play for that reason.

It looks like they don't wear underwear.

What's up with the French Open and Wimbledon not playing tournaments at night?

How hard is it to install lights?

So again the Djoke finally lands in the Fed's half, but then loses early on, making Fed's cake-walk even cakier. Who's going to bother the Fed on his waltz up to the finals? JMDP? Roddick? Monfils?

It's too bad the Djoke won't right the ship when it comes to either fitness training and/or addressing the health issues (like asthma, or something else it might be). A shame, really, because the way he's been playing clay court tennis this year, I wanted to see him beat the Fed in the semis, and he certainly showed this clay season that he could have.

Maybe with Roddick's new confidence and leaner physique...and the fact that he pushed the Fed to a tough 3 setter recently on the dirt could make things interesting....maybe....


....sorry, I can't even convince myself of it. I tried.

Normally TG I'd agree with this sentiment. However....

A few things to consider. Roddick played Federer in Madrid, and if you saw the match you'd have to think Roddick had chances to win there. He broke Federer's very first serve game, and gutted out the 2nd set tiebreak. Factor in that Roddick was playing only his 2nd match in six weeks that day and still managed to push Federer into a 3rd set, it's unwise to dismiss him just yet despite their lopsided H2H.

Roddick now has his first bona-fide coach in his corner since Brad Gilbert. With respect to Dean Goldfine, John Roddick and Jimmy Connors, Larry Stefanki is one of THE coaches in the game. Stefanki & Gilbert have accomplished what the other three have not: each coached a player to reach the World #1 Ranking prior to taking on Roddick (Gilbert had Agassi; Stefanki had Kafelnikov). Roddick's work in his match today with Gicquel surprised a lot of people: excellent touch, drop shots expertly executed, and varying his serve. And lest we forget - Roddick has won 5 Clay Court titles. It's not like he can't stand up on the stuff. And, unlike Federer, Roddick has yet to drop a set here despite clay being his "worst" surface.

A showdown between them is still a long match away. Roddick has a very tough go against Bucky Monfils, who's also playing very well. But if Monfils's knee starts flaring up, it's the kind of match that Roddick can exploit because he'll go into it as a heavy underdog. And Federer, given how sporadic his form is now (PHM broke him twice at Love today) is likely to get another test from Haas, who can play on this stuff. If they manage to meet, I wouldn't dismiss Roddick out of hand against Federer, given what Andy's shown here so far. He'd have a decent chance.

vm, I want Roddick to win every match he plays, because no matter how snot-nosed he can be on the court, I will always love the man...it's that unconditional!

I've been one of his most frustrated fans all these years. While he's won 5 clay titles, none of them were of heavy consequence:

2001 Atlanta Malisse 6–2, 6–4
2001 Houston Hyung-Taik Lee 7–5, 6–3
2002 Houston Sampras 7–6(9), 6–3
2003 Austria Davydenko 6–3, 6–2
2005 Houston Grosjean 6–2, 6–2

Houston, Atlanta and St. Pölten are hardly Rome or Monte Carlo or Madrid. The win over Davydenko might be considered a good win on clay, but the rest, not so much (an old Sampras and Grosjean on clay don't mean a whole lot).

Also, these titles are more than four years ago, and best of two, so I'm not sure I'd use them as "evidence" that Roddick has a chance here.

On the flip side, Roddick does seem different now. Physically and mentally. Having made it to the SF at the AO earlier this year and the second week of the FO for the first time in his career, and having pushed the Fed to three tough sets on two different surfaces (one that is Andy's weakest), he's got to be in a good place in his mind. I agree, his match with follically-frightening-Monf is going to be tough given their record, the surface, and the French crowd. I don't think he'll win that match, but if he does make it through, I still don't like his chances against the Fed on clay in best of five...it will be territory that is too uncharted for him.

My heart hopes for the win...my head keeps screaming "don't be an idiot...this is Paris and Roddick, here!"

Tradition, of course. Mary and John did mention that there will be a new night stadium built for the French Open. When?

They're gonna have a retractable roof by 2013 or 14.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8507323

Wow, a disappointing loss for Novak and his fans, to say the least. Who knows what the hell really happened, but everybody has his pet theory. Mine is that to switch fitness coaches and try to get into tip-top condition during the clay season is too much for any player. You gotta get into shape before the rough stretch starts. Between the new fitness regime and four deep runs in the four clay tournaments he played, Novak was running on fumes. Certainly the player who was pushing Rafa to his limit was nowhere to be found today. Instead, we had something closer to the evil Novak imposter from earlier in the year. Now the only interesting story in the bottom half of the draw is whether someone can actually upset Roger from a 4th straight Roland Garros final. Nah, nobody left in the draw has enough self-belief to beat Roger.

***SPOILERS***

!!@#$DFASD!@!@#$ADFADF!

[Edited due to personally being an ass in a moment of excitement]

Sorry, a bit excited!

Snicks, you genius.

I can't think of any player I'd rather NOT see break Nadal's streak. But congrats to him regardless.

Roger's year?



So we get it, you couldn't wait for this moment.

Do you know anything about Soderling? He's an absolute tool who has been rude to Federer when they've played as well.

Anyway peace out. I don't remember crowing "unbeatable" at any point in Nadal's four years without a loss here.

This is what makes the sport interesting though.

All credit to Soderling. He played terrific, lights-out tennis. Had Nadal stretched everywhere and on total defense.