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“This year’s French Open the best in years” – Rusedski

This year’s French Open was the best in years. Part of the reason was the new, quicker tennis balls which allowed players to play more aggressively. The women’s event was wide open. There were about 8 possible winners on the women’s side, while on the men’s side it was all about Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Everybody thought they would be in the finals, but don’t write off Roger Federer just yet.

From a British perspective it was all about Andy Murray and he had a dream draw to the semi-finals. He didn’t make it easy by hurting his ankle in the 3rd round but came through to the semi-finals against Nadal.

From the beginning Nadal struggled with his first match going to 5 sets against the big serving American John Isner. It was his first ever 5 set match at the French Open. Despite struggling the first week he was winning, which is the sign of a great champion. He talked openly about not playing well enough to win the title with his form from the first week, but said by the quarter finals onward he could be back to his best (which he was).

Federer on the other hand was in sublime form from round one and was on a crash course to meet Djokovic in the semi-finals. Djokovic was continuing his unreal winning streak and was playing great to set up that match. Unfortunately he got a walkover to the semi-finals which meant he had 5 days off before playing Federer. Also he could not tie John McEnroe’s record of 42 wins to start a season because of the walkover he was still on 41 wins. I believe the walkover hurt his momentum and gave Federer a real chance to end his superhuman run. In the end Federer ended the streak and continued to look like the dominant force he once was. Also Djokovic missed out on being the new world number 1, because if he made the finals he would have reached his dream.

Nadal can beat Federer’s grand slam mark

If there was any doubt before, there is now no question that Rafa Nadal can and most probably will better Roger Federer’s record of 16 grand slam titles following the Spaniard’s French Open success over the Swiss.

Sunday’s 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 victory for his record-equalling sixth Roland Garros crown and his 10th grand slam title overall underlined why Nadal just will not lie down even when the crowd and his own initial form are against him.

Nadal endured his first five-set match on the Paris clay in the first round but his play gradually improved over the fortnight so that when he came up against Federer and his vocal fans in the final, the world number one was ready to flourish.

He slipped 5-2 down in the first set but roared back and dealt with a 10-minute rain interruption to down what had been a resurgent Federer even on his least favorite clay surface.

Wimbledon starts in just two weeks and even though Novak Djokovic is a contender after his 41-match winning streak before being halted by Federer in the last four of the French, another Rafa-Roger final is equally likely.

“After winning a title like this, you go there with a different attitude, with very positive confidence,” Nadal told reporters.

“So for me, winning here makes me play Queen’s and Wimbledon with less pressure.”

Strawberries but no queues at Roland Garros

My first visit to the French Open has so far been an eye-opener and not just because of Rafa Nadal’s first round struggles.

I’ve been to Wimbledon and all I remember is vast queues and too many people in a small area. I expected Roland Garros to be similar given it is the smallest grand slam venue but so far there have been no problems in that regard.

The sun has also been out in force as have the strawberries, a preserve most fans might think are reserved for the All England club.

Nadal certainly gave himself and his army of fans a real fright by going two sets to one down against American John Isner on Tuesday, two botched tiebreaks had him in real trouble but like the true champion he is, the Spaniard battled back to win and continue his quest for a sixth title here in seven years.

It was his first five-set match on the Paris clay and it might actually have done the top seed good given the chance of a five-setter against Novak Djokovic in the final can not be discounted. If both of them get to the final of course…but that’s not really in doubt is it?

Roland Garros risked losing the French Open to a venue in the capital’s suburbs from 2016 because of so-called crampt conditions and ageing facilities.

They won the battle to keep the only clay grand slam here and I’ve found the setup to be really impressive. The press facilities are superb and I’ve been wondering what all the fuss was about.

Djokovic becomes a Serb-Inator to really fear

Novak Djokovic’s 26-match hot streak dating back to the end of last year when he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup shows no sign of cooling and even Europe’s slow red dirt will hold no fears for the 23-year-old Serb this year.

Djokovic is certainly no rookie on clay, as his 2008 Rome title underlined, but whereas Rafael Nadal usually chomps his way past rival after rival, Djokovic finds the surface takes a little of the sting out of his game.

At least that has been the case in previous years but this time Djokovic will arrive in Monte Carlo as the best player in the world on current form and finally looking like a player who can be a multiple grand slam champion.

His second major at this year’s Australian Open where he dismantled Roger Federer and Andy Murray appeared to unlock Djokovic’s full potential and he has been unstoppable since.

The question is can he maintain the momentum as the surfaces slow down or will Nadal re-assert his authority, as the Spaniard did last year when he bulldozed through the claycourt swing to win all 22 matches he played.

It is an enticing prospect if the third set of the Miami final is anything to go by. Djokovic and Nadal unleashed a ferocious onslaught in a set that bordered on tennis perfection.

Whereas in the past Djokovic has occasionally allowed himself to be bullied by the Spaniard, in Indian Wells and again in Miami the Serb was the aggressor, seizing every opportunity to send Nadal scampering to the far-reaches of the court.

Waiting on royalty at the court of King Rafa

The sun is beating down, the Rue d’Auteuil is abuzz with vocal ticket touts, children clutch their over-sized tennis balls hoping a tennis player – any tennis player or even anyone who looks like a tennis player– will grant them a precious autograph.

The French Open is officially underway at Roland Garros but for now the leafy suburb near the Bois de Boulogne has the feel of a royal gala awaiting the arrival of a monarch. This tournament doesn’t really start until Rafa Nadal returns to the courts he once made his own.

The organisers have strung it out as best they can, offering the only Sunday start to any grand slam with the cynics arguing extra TV and ticket cash is the reason rather than any consideration for the tennis-watching public.

If Sunday seemed like a false start, at least Monday sees the bows of top seeds Roger Federer and Serena Williams; and yet no Rafa, no real excitement.

A seismic wave swept through Roland Garros 12 months ago when the once unthinkable actually happened – the mighty Mallorcan lost a match at the French Open. His fourth round match against Swede Robin Soderling was supposed to be just another stepping stone towards his fifth title but it wasn’t to be.

Injury ruled him out of Wimbledon, he was soundly beaten by Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open and by Andy Murray at the Australian Open and questions started to be asked about whether his astonishing work-rate had finally caught up with his ailing body.

But now he’s back, dominating the European claycourt swing and seemingly set to rip through the draw at Roland Garros.

Clay King Nadal back with a bang

Clay King Rafael Nadal is back. And if his knees hold up it’ll take a miracle to stop him winning a fifth French Open title in Paris starting next month.

The Spanish world number three was on breathtaking form at the Monte Carlo Masters, dropping just 14 games in his five matches, and became the only player in the Open era to win a tournament for six straight years.

His 6-0 6-1 demolition of compatriot, Davis Cup team mate and friend Fernando Verdasco ended an 11-month, injury-plagued title drought and the Mallorcan collapsed to the floor at the end of the match before breaking down in tears.

“For me (today) is very emotional,” said the 23-year-old, who equaled Roger Federer’s 16 Masters trophies and conceded the fewest games of his career en route to a title.

Spain’s As sports daily put Nadal’s dominance on clay down to a number of reasons:

“He can get into position and hammer his forehand with time to spare.

“Serves and returns which hurt him on hard courts are diluted on clay. He’s hitting his backhand better. He intimidates, asserts himself and dominates: with mental strength.”

Can Federer complete a calendar slam?

Received wisdom heading into the Australian Open was that the combined effects of fatherhood and a record-breaking number of grand slams would reduce Roger Federer’s hunger for success to the point where mere mortals on the tour need fear him no longer.

Instead, the message remains: Beware of the GOAT.

The possibility no one seems to have considered is that the Wimbledon title that saw him overtake Pete Sampras as the most successful player in grand slams, coupled with the certain knowledge he now possesses that there are far more important things in life than tennis, might take every ounce of pressure off his shoulders and make him a more formidable opponent still.

Have you ever seen Federer looking more relaxed and confident in the midst of a tournament than in the breezy few minutes he spent talking to Jim Courier after his semi-final stroll past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga?

The Swiss delighted the crowd with a series of off-the-cuff remarks about his own game and the final to come against Andy Murray. Give the man a rim-shot or two from the backing band and NBC would have its Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien problem all solved.

Federer clearly feels he has nothing left to prove, which must be a nice position to be in at the age of 28. Physically, he looks as smooth as ever and his performance against Murray in the final, particularly in the first two sets, underlined the fact that in terms of sheer skill and courtcraft, he has no equal.

What the players say about Roger Federer

With the French Open trophy tucked under his arm at long last, it was job done for Roger Federer.

He now owns a record-equalling 14th grand slam crown and became only the sixth man to complete a career grand slam of the four majors.

So where does this leave him amongst the greats?

Pete Sampras, the man who knows his days in the record books are now numbered after Federer equalled his tally of 14 slams, Billie Jean King and Andre Agassi were quick to hail the Swiss master as the greatest ever racket-swinger in the sport.

Others were not so sure.

“Roger now has the best record in the Open era but it’s simply impossible to compare his records to the amateur era players,” Jim Courier, who competes on Outback Champions Series tennis circuit, told Reuters.

“With this win, I would put Roger’s record up against any of the all time greats and he still has plenty of runway to add to it if he stays healthy. The greatest open era achievements that spring to mind — (Rod) Laver’s slam, Sampras’s 14 majors. Sampras’s six years in a row as season ending number one, (Ivan) Lendl’s 8 U.S. Open finals in a row, Federer’s five Wimbledons and five U.S. Opens (and counting) in a row and Federer’s semifinal or better streak at a major (still counting).”

Federer the great finally wins at Roland Garros

Roger Federer ended his French Open jinx when he swept past Swede Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4 in the final to clinch his first Roland Garros title on Sunday.

The Swiss equalled Pete Sampras’s record of 14 grand slam titles and became the sixth man to win all four major tournaments, sealing victory in just under two hours in cloudy conditions.

“It was really not easy to deal with my emotions,” said the 27-year-old Federer, who lost to world number one Rafael Nadal in the three previous finals. “It might be the greatest victory of my career.”

Can we now rightfully proclaim Federer as the greatest tennis player ever?

Is women’s tennis better for being ‘cattier’?

“Clearly women’s tennis is better than men’s tennis. It’s way cattier, so it’s way more exciting to watch.”

Before the anti-sexism police start to wave their batons in my direction, I would like to clarify that these are not my words but those of 10-times grand slam champion Serena Williams, who lost in the Roland Garros quarter-finals on Wednesday.

And Ms Williams should know.

Last week the American was involved in a catfight with Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and accused the Spaniard of being a “cheat” for accepting a disputed point during their French Open third round contest.

That was only the latest episode in her rather drama-filled life on tour.

In 2003, a sobbing Williams accused Justine Henin of “lying and fabricating” following a controversial semi-final defeat at Roland Garros. Henin denied the allegations.