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Sizing up the French Open
Updated: Friday May 25, 2001 5:32 PM
Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim looked into his crystal ball for this French Open preview: CNNSI.com: The French Open kicks off Monday morning in Paris. It's been four months since the last Grand Slam. What's been going on in the tennis world? Jon Wertheim: So far, it's been an odd year for both the men and women. On the WTA Tour, every player and her sister has been injured. At last week's Italian Open, only two of the top 10 players were in the field. Martina Hingis, the world No. 1, is one of the few healthy players but she's having a hard time winning matches and is no longer coached by her mom, Melanie Molitor. Jennifer Capriati is really the big story so far. She proved that the Australian Open was no fluke and she's been playing as well as anyone. On the men's side, Pete Sampras hasn't won a tournament since Wimbledon nearly a year ago; Andre Agassi started the year in a blaze but has lost three of his last four matches to little-known opponents and some wonder if he's headed for another downturn; Gustavo Kuerten plays well on clay but is so mediocre on other surfaces that he has a hard time capturing the imagination.
Two young players are the talk of the Tour. Juan Carlos Ferrero, a 20-year-old Spaniard, won 16 straight clay court matches this spring. And 18-year American Andy Roddick has already beaten Sampras and won two tournaments in what's been a great rookie year. CNNSI.com: So who are you picking in Paris? Wertheim: On the women's side, I like Venus Williams, believe it or not. Her health and tolerance for playing with pain are always question marks, but she's a better clay court player than she's given credit for. And, by process of elimination, I'm not sure there's a better candidate. Maybe Capriati, who reached the semis at Roland Garros 11 years ago. You'd like to see Hingis do well, if only because it's embarrassing that the No. 1-ranked player loses week in, week out. But her confidence is just too low right now. CNNSI.com: And the men? Wertheim: It's hard to go against Kuerten, the defending champ who's close to unbeatable on clay. Ferrero, who won the Italian Open and Monte Carlo Masters Series, both top shelf tournaments, is another good bet, but I fear he's peaked too early. Six weeks ago, I would have said Agassi. We all know he has a knack for flicking a switch and turning on his game, but it's hard to pick a guy who's coming off losses to Nicolas Thomann, Alex Calatrava and Fabrice Santoro. CNNSI.com: Any dark horses? Wertheim: Amelie Mauresmo has been playing wonderful, aggressive tennis lately. If she can handle the pressure of playing before a heavily partisan crowd, she could do some real damage. There are also a number of lesser-known players like Paola Suarez and Gala Leon Garcia who aren't threats to win but could give players like, say, Lindsay Davenport, all sorts of trouble. The men's field is sure to be littered with upsets. The rule of thumb is to back a player whose name ends in a vowel. Here is a pair of Argentines worth watching: Gaston Gaudio and 19-year-old Guillermo Coria. Roddick, who's actually a surprisingly skilled clay court player for an American, will get plenty of attention. He could add to his growing hype in Paris, but, as he's the first to admit, he's not a legitimate threat to win. Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim covers the tennis beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his tennis mailbag.
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