KRISTEN’S KOURT: 2012 FRENCH OPEN PICKS – THE MEN

Written by: Staff on 29th May 2012

KRISTEN’S KOURT: 2012 FRENCH OPEN PICKS – THE MEN

epa03238229 Andy Roddick of the USA serves to Nicolas Mahut of France during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 27 May 2012. EPA/CHRISTOPHE KARABA |

By Kristen Tracy

Everyone here at 10sballs.com was asked to make our predictions for this year’s French Open. Unfortunately, between the time difference and my lack of access to a computer yesterday, I missed getting them in before the beginning of Day 1. So with the first day of the year’s second Grand Slam having come to a close, I’ve decided I will reflect on the happenings of today, and give my predictions for the rest of the matches that have yet to be played.

DAY 1 WRAP-UP:

Nicholas Mahut vs. Andy Roddick (26)

If you ask me, day 1 saw little excitement. Most every matched panned out the way I assumed it would – with the exception of two. Call me crazy, but I still wish nothing but the best for Andy Roddick. I realize he’s almost 30 years old. I realize that he’s been on the tour for close to 12 years now. And I realize that the dominance of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer on the tour has dealt him a bit of an unfair hand. But nevertheless I am always rooting for Andy to do well. He hasn’t won a set on clay since March of last year, and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t played the French Open in a few years, but I actually thought this year could be a chance for him. Not necessarily because I expected him to go far in the tournament (let’s be honest, I don’t think he would have made it past round 3 at most), but because his lack of match time the past year and a half means he has hardly any points to defend. And with this possibly being his last year or two on the tour, I want to see him stay in the top 20 – maybe even climb back inside the top 15.

Nicholas Mahut was not exactly a player I saw giving Andy Roddick, even a not-at-his-best Andy Roddick, much trouble. Sure he can be speedy and can go as long as he needs to (Wimbledon 2010, anyone?), but he has a less than stellar record on clay as well. In my opinion, this was a match that was Roddick’s to lose – and unfortunately that’s just what he did. He never seemed to gain his footing. Mahut came out strong and with the exception of a few points that handed Roddick a break that allowed him to take the third set, he stayed strong throughout the entire match. This just wasn’t the Andy Roddick I was used to watching and cheering on. This wasn’t the Andy Roddick that who, even on his worst day can still be an intimidation to many players. And this definitely wasn’t the Andy Roddick that has beaten Roger Federer two times this year. As a fan it was a difficult match for me to watch, and an even more difficult one to write about. Hopefully The grass court season and the city of London will be kinder to Andy than Paris was.

Michael Berrer vs. Jurgen Melzer (30)

Like I said previously, there wasn’t too much that surprised me about the outcome of day 1 at Roland Garros, but I always consider the falling of a seed in the first round to be an upset. And even though he barely made the cut with a ranking of 30, Jurgen Melzer has always been a good player in my opinion. It was a tough, 5 set match (as the score suggests) but in the end the man from Germany was just too much for the Austrian. It was very apparent that only a few points decided each set, and that the match could have gone differently with the flick of a wrist. Tough break for Melzer, but a great match for the qualifier Berrer.

ROUND 1 MATCHES TO WATCH:

Xavier Malisse vs. Brian Baker

There is arguably no player talked about more during the last month or so than Brian Baker. The American is coming back from numerous surgeries and is having the Cinderella story of a lifetime. And though Xavier Malisse used to be quite the powerful player, his attempts to make a resurgence onto the tour have proven unsuccessful. Both players seem to have a lot to prove, which means this match is sure to be one filled with blood, sweat, and heart.

Kevin Anderson (31) vs. Rui Machado

What should have been a fairly routine first-round win for Anderson has turned into a grueling 5 set match that has yet to be completed. The match was suspended due to darkness (there are no lights on the courts of Roland Garros), and was tied at 7-7 in the 5th (there is no tiebreaker in the final set either). I’m a fan of Kevin Anderson, always have been. Not sure what it is about him, but I find his playing style fascinating. It’s nothing blatantly obvious, but there is something different in the way he plays that draws me in every time. Combine that with the fact that I am a sucker for matches that last longer than 3 hours (before you ask, yes, I watched every single second of the Isner marathon Wimbledon match 2 years ago), I find myself incredibly intrigued by the way this match will turn out. If only that time difference wasn’t such a nuisance then I’d be looking forward to it more. Call me weird, but I’m not exactly looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn (or even earlier) to watch it. The fact that I’m even contemplating it is what sets tennis fans apart from other sports fans – sacrifice.

LOOKING AHEAD:

When the draw for Roland Garros was released, my eyes were instantly drawn to one particular match: the possibility of Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. A few years ago that match would have easily been a quarter or semi-final match, but with the unfortunate absence of Lleyton Hewitt lately he finds himself in the unfortunate position of being one of those guys who gets the honor of playing the world’s top-ranked player in the first week. I’m not expecting some upset from Hewitt in the match; in fact, I think the win will be fairly easy for Novak, but it’s the presence of Lleyton Hewitt that intrigues me. I have always been wary of who Lleyton Hewitt is – as a player and a person. He’s done many things that I don’t agree with, and his on-court antics have proven to be packed with quite a bit of anger. There is no denying that he is one of the strongest players to play the game, but his attitude has always kept me from throwing my full support behind him. I (along with everyone else at 10sballs.com) am anxious to see what he does with the no.1 ranked Djokovic, should they meet as anticipated.

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Topics: 10sballs.com, Andy Roddick, French Open 2012, Kevin Anderson vs. Rui Machado, Kristen Tracy, Kristen's Kourt, Nicholas Mahut, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Sports, Tennis News, Xavier Malisse vs. Brian Baker