Who will stop Rafael Nadal on clay? His Highness of Tennis, Rafael, as dubbed by Nice Premium following his victory at the Monte Carlo Masters Series in 2006, remains unbeaten on clay since April 2005. He was thought to be in declining form, less tenacious, and slightly below par. His victory in early March at the Indian Wells Masters Series reassured his fans. On a “hard” surface, he managed to easily defeat specialists Roddick in the semi-finals and Djokovic in the final. Since his defeat in Miami in the quarter-finals, he has been preparing for his clay season with the ambition of winning a third consecutive Roland Garros and also Monte Carlo. We remember his magnificent battle last year in the final against Roger Federer—a sublime match. We dream of a rematch. For that, Nadal and Federer will have to eliminate serious competitors who will stand in their way. If logic prevails, by simulating the draw of the two favorites, Federer would face Youzhny (or Moya), then Ferrer (or Djokovic), and Ferrero (or Gonzalez or Gasquet) to reach the final. The Spaniard seems to have a more complicated draw with Chela, Safin, Nalbandian, Robredo. The Swiss Roger Federer must have been relieved to hear about the withdrawal of his current nemesis, Guillermo Canas, as he also makes his first steps on clay.
On the French side, eyes will be on Richard Gasquet who has a favorable draw if he’s in good physical shape. Verdasco, Hrbaty, Ljubicic, or Gonzalez are within his reach. These are the kind of players he needs to beat to affirm his ambition of breaking into the top 10. Gilles Simon will face a tricky first round against the Spaniard Ferrer. Paul Henri Mathieu could meet Marat Safin in the second round. Marc Gicquel, Julien Benneteau, Gaël Monfils, Arnaud Clément will need to perform miracles.
Outsiders: Robredo, Davydenko, Gonzalez, Almagro.
Absentees: Roddick, Blake, Haas, Ancic, Grosjean, Santoro, Hewitt, Fish, Canas.
First qualifiers for the first day of Sunday: Benneteau (against Monégasque Balleret), Marat Safin (against Jarkko Nieminen), Lee (against Bjorkman), Clément (against Serra).
Tournament Draw
