Roland Garros will start on Sunday, and they will slide on the somewhat slippery surface of the famous clay.
It has always been so many great matches over the years, which are intense and mind boggling. The there will be 256 players – men and the women. Some fans will know the popular players and other fans won’t know who many of them are.
Instead of touching with dozens of matches, during the next week, it is better to comment on some potentially appealing contests.
Here are eight matches:
Stan Wawrinka vs. Andy Murray
These two have won three Grand Slam winners over the past decade, having won Roland Garros (Wawrinka) Wimbledon (Murray) and the US Open (both). They are some of the best players of this era. Perhaps very good, but not among top 10 players of all time. The French Open started in 1877 and still commands its perch as the most important even on the dirt.
So while Wawrinka and Murray are terrific players, that doesn’t mean that they can pass Federer (20 Slams), or Nadal (19 Slams), or many others. But there have been some wonderful matches, like the cross court rallies, with the one-handed backhand spin by Wawrinka, and Murray, with his two-handed, and he rarely misses it. At RG, if they are both heathy, then they can knock it around for three-and-a-half hours. This match is a tossup, but Wawrinka loves clay, more so than Murray, who loves Wimbledon on the grass. That’s why Wawrinka will beat Murray in five sets, which will be intriguing.
Dominic Thiem vs. Marin Cilic
Thiem jus won the 2020 US Open, two weeks ago, and he was smart and aggressive. Years ago, he didn’t return well enough, but now he likes to put it back, and wait for an opportunity. Cilic did win the 2014 US Open, and he was consistently potent. He had a mammoth first serve, and his forehand, too, which was a lot of depth. Thiem though is much more solid, and he thinks about what he needs to do when he has to chuck it around. Thiem will frustratre Cilic, and win in four sets.
Serena Williams vs Kristie Ahn
Serena has played some amazing tennis at Roland Garros. She was so focused and calm. But while she has won it before, she also became crabby and she made a huge amount of errors. She wants to win it one more time, so when she faces against the backboard Ahn, then Serena will to push her into the ground. Serena will win in two sets.
CoCo Gauff vs. Jo Konta
The teenage Gauff has a lot of game, already. Yet there are days when she is doing everything, but she can also lose her bearing. Brit Konta had a difficult year, and she was out if it when she was on the court, pushing the ball. Way out. Now, it looks like that Konta is playing slightly better, and given that she was ranked in the top 10. Then it looked like that she had a fall, and it took her a long time to recover. Gauff will bash early, from the forehand and the backhand, and when she is on, she can toss it with anyone. Gauff will win it in three sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Gilles Simon
The 35-year-old veteran Simon has played in the ATP since around 2003, almost 20 years now. He doesn’t get hurt, which is awesome, but he has yet to reach the semis at a Grand Slam. He does like to step up. However, the Canadian Shapovalov it going up fast. He is young, but he is ranked No. 10, and he is going up the hill. Shapovalov still have to improve, but he can snap Simon in four sets.
Alexander Zverev vs Dennis Novak
German Zverev almost won the 2020 US Open, falling to Thiem in the final, at 7-6 in the fifth set. While he was trying hard, he missed a few critical points. So ,he lost and then he cried. However, on clay, if Zverev starts quickly during the first week, then he could win it all. Eventually. He will win somewhat easily against Novak, but he will struggle and win it in four sets.
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
These are two veterans who know each others’ games. Kuznetsova is aging, but she did win the 2004 US Open, a long time ago, and she grabbed the the 2009 French Open. She has played one of the longest finals ever. The 35-year-old is still very strong, and while she gets angry, she will continue to battle. Pavlyuchenkova plays nearly every week, and she can be steady, when she wants to, but she has never gone deep at the Grand Slams, because she can panic. In Paris, Kuznetsova will be steadier, and she will step on Pavlyuchenkova in two sets.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Brengle
A few years ago, Ostapenko was on fire, winning RG with some massive winners. She really likes to try and put it away, very fast. She did it, and, after that, many thought she would rise and become a No. 1 quickly. But she fell down, gradually, and she was almost disappeared. Now she says that she was physically hurt, and now, she is 100 percent. We will see because sometimes she can stops thinking. American Brengle can get excited and still play steady. But, she can check out, too. This will be a three-setter, and Ostapenko will nail it at the match point.