French Open Favourites 2013: The Heat is on!
Friday, June 7th, 2013
This year’s French Open has had its share of upsets, with Andy Murray forced to pull out due to a hip injury and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal seeded at only number three. The next two days see the tournament come to a head with the women’s final on Saturday and Nadal facing world number one Novak Djokovic in the men’s semi-finals on Friday.
As I write, Nadal and Djokovic are currently tied at one set each and, with today’s other semi-final, being fought between fourth-seed David Ferrer and sixth-seed Jo-Wilfred, Tsonga, it looks likely that whoever snatches victory between Nadal and Djokovic will go on to lift the trophy this year.
Some think Nadal has the advantage here, in spite of his lower seeding. He and Djokovic have played each other 34 times in their careers, with Nadal winning 19-15. He has been called “indisputably the greatest clay-court player who ever lived” by the Telegraph’s Matthew Norman, a sentiment echoed by many others.
In spite of never having won this Grand Slam, Djokovic remained confident about facing the seven-time champion, saying: “I know the game plan, and I’m going to be confident and step into the court with self belief.” He added: “I know what it takes to beat him. I’m going to win – that’s the mindset.”
However, with Nadal having only lost one out of 58 matches at Roland Garros (against Robin Soderling in 2009) and already having five clay-court titles under his belt this season, victory for the Spaniard looks likely.
The outcome for saturday’s women’s final is looking much easier to call. Defending champion and number 2 seed Maria Sharapova will face top seeded Serena Williams who is chasing her 16th Grand Slam Title.
In spite of her position as reigning champion, Sharapova goes into the match with a record of thirteen losses and only two victories against Williams, with Serena having taken the last twelve of their encounters. Sharapova’s last defeated Williams in 2004 at Wimbledon and the WTA Championships.
The two women came through the semi-finals in very different manners. Sharapova got past 11 double-faults to defeat third-seed Victoria Azarenka, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, in a close-fought match. Williams blasted through fifth-seed Sara Errani in only 46 minutes to win 6-0 and 6-1.
Discussing the upcoming match, Sharapova said: “I’d be lying if it doesn’t bother me, obviously.’’ She added: ‘‘Whatever I did in the past hasn’t worked, so I’ll have to try to do something different.’’
Meanwhile, Williams coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, described Serena as “the best of all time.”
Saturday will show whether Williams can live up to that reputation, but certainly the smart money has to be on a win for the American.
Picking winners in any sporting event is, of course, notoriously difficult and even the most expert predictions are never 100% reliable. Let us know what you think of our picks and who your favourites are in the comments below.
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