To say that there were a lot of stories lines going into Roland Garros would be understatement of the year. To say that just over halfway through the tournament there have already been a lot of story lines, would be a close runner-up.
On the men's side the biggest story line going into the tournament was Novak Djokovic. Djokovic entered the tournament with a 36-0 record in 2011, 38-0 stretching back to 2010. He has dominated on all fronts this year, including (to many peoples surprise) clay. Many thought his streak would end sooner than later, once he faced Nadal on clay, especially in Nadal's own country of Spain for the Mutua Madrid Open. Another story going into the french open was Rafa Nadal. He has without a doubt been playing some great tennis this year, but has just continued to run into Djokovic. But people are really beginning to wonder, is Rafa playing his best? Maybe he is, but just can't match up to Novak. One smaller story is that of Roger Federer. Who, ever since the 2010 US Open, has really not been in the spot light as much. He has easily breezed through to the quarter final, without having even lost a set. He now just has to wait to face either David Ferrer or Gael Monfils, either of which should be another easy match for the man highly considered to be the best of all time.
On the Women's side things have been much more open. To start things off, lets remember there are no William's sisters in it. You wouldn't think this would make that big of an impact, but considering how just about every other top seed is out, their absence plays a huge part in how many under dogs have moved on. Obviously you can thank Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniaki and Vera Zvonareva for that, but you have to look at the big picture. If Venus and Serena were in here, that would extremely limit how many how these higher seeds (or unseeded players) move on. You have to wonder just how different the draw would look. That's how it goes though, things are the way they are, and for many players trying to make a name for themselves, now is the time. It seems like none of the female tennis superstars can consistently make the later rounds, so if you want a chance to get in the spot light and win some tournaments, there's no better time.
Who Is Going To Win The French Open?
Men's
Chris: Rafael Nadal. Despite continuously losing to Djokovic and being "mentally tired", Roland Garros is still Nadal's playground. The win will not come easy for Nadal, no matter who he faces. I'm also going to predict he will be against Federer for the final. Obviously Djokovic has had no problem with Federer either but gut feeling tells me Federer wants to win bad, but Nadal wants to win even more.
Women's
Chris: Maria Sharapova. The farthest she has ever gone at Roland Garros is the Semi-Final, but i believe that can and will change. She has played great so far and she has the career grand slam in her sights
Key To Winning The French Open:
Chris: For Nadal i think the key will be to play along the baseline and control the tempo. It's been a while since he has faced Federer so it's hard to say what he needs to do there. If he faced Djokovic though he can't let him control the rally every time. Novak has such a dominating Forehand and Backhand along the base and cross court. Rafa needs to Make him work for his points, don't give into him.
As for Sharapova she needs to have her forehand working. She is known to get out of sorts with her forehand and hit it into the net or hit it long. This can't happen. It doesn't matter what level you are at, the person with the most unforced errors tends to lose the match. That's just the way tennis goes.
Predictions:
Chris: Rafael Nadal d. Roger Federer in 4 sets.
Maria Sharapova d. Francesca Schiavone in 2 sets
Ryan: Novak Djokovic wins the men's
Victoria Azarenka wins the women's
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