French open tennis #2

French Open Tennis Players

The 2009 French Open promises to be a mouth watering showdown and there a couple of players who look set to make it into the final rounds of the annual competition. Although it is never a foregone conclusion, it is likely the men’s event will be decided by a battle of epic proportions between the world’s number 1 and 2, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, whereas the ladies event could well be contested between any number of players.

Recently married Roger Federer is taking his clay court campaign extremely seriously and he obviously has every intention of adding the French Open to his long and formidable career resume. Although his old back injury sustained during the 2008 season is still affecting his performance - he withdrew from several tournaments early in 2009 including the Davis Cup tie between Switzerland and USA.

Federer won the first European clay court contest in Estoril, Portugal and even though opponent Nikolay Davydenko retired due to a ligament injury, Federer played with added confidence and intelligence. He went on to Monte Carlo as a wildcard participant, but was defeated in the third round. His 2009 clay court season has not faired well, but he is still the World #2 and is capable of a massive comeback.

Rafael Nadal is on fire – he is going to be the one man to beat in Paris, and odds are that he will claim his fifth consecutive French Open crown. He is supreme on clay, and quite frankly, he has never looked in better condition, both physically and mentally. In preparation for a stunning French Open, Nadal has already taken the titles of major clay court titles - the Monte Carlo Masters and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2009.

Novak Djokovic will want to add a second grand slam to his 2008 Australian Open title, he managed to reach the finals of the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters Series but lost to Rafael Nadal. He also made the final round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia having defeated Roger Federer, but lost to Rafael Nadal once again.

Andrew Murray is due for a big one and he has been working hard on his game – perhaps Roland Garros in 2009 will be his watershed moment. His highest ranking of World #3 is quite a historical one for Murray as he will become the first British tennis player to achieve such a high position.