2010 French Open: Predictions for Men and Women

The French Open at Roland Garros has long been considered as Europe's flagship tennis championship and is for very good reasons. European players have dominated the crown jewel of the clay season since the tournament's inception, winning a majority of the singles titles. The trend is poised to continue at the 2010 French Open as the advantage seems to once again favor European-based players. This year's top headlines include the renewed rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the return of Roland Garros' darling Justine Henin, and Serena Williams' quest for a calendar-year grand slam. In this article, I will discuss what to expect for the second grand slam of the tennis calendar and offer my 2010 French Open predictions for men's and women's singles.

1. French Open - Men's Singles
Prediction: Nadal defeats Federer to win another Open

It looks more and more likely that the 2010 French Open men's singles final will be a rematch of the Nadal-Federer clash in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Much like two years ago, Roger Federer comes to Roland Garros as the world's best tennis player while Rafael Nadal is the season's best clay court player. Both players have had an astounding clay season, culminated with a showdown final at the Madrid Open.

After a frustrating year and a half, Nadal appears to have rediscovered his old dominant form (on clay at least). The Spaniard has not yet lost on clay this year, en route to winning 3 Masters titles. More impressively, Nadal accomplished this feat in relative ease having dropped only 2 sets in all. In his last event before the French Open, the former number-one player once again proved his superiority on clay in defeating rival Federer in straight sets. If Nadal is to remain healthy for the duration of the second grand slam, his chances to win a fifth French Open are outstanding.

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Defending champion Roger Federer returns to Roland Garros as the second favorite to win the grand slam. Federer's biggest hurdle to the championship will once again be Rafael Nadal, his ultimate nemesis. While his record against everyone else in the game is simple amazing, Roger's record against Nadal is underwhelming. The top ranked player has won only 4 out of 21 meetings with the Spaniard, including 0-3 in French Open finals. Roger's only chance of winning at Roland Garros will be for Nadal to exit early, much like last year. Considering how great Nadal has been in this year's clay court season, such a chance is miniscule.

2. French Open - Women's Singles
Prediction: Aravane Rezai is surprise winner; the Williams sisters in the last four

Even with the high-profile withdrawal of US Open champion Kim Clijsters (due to an injury), the 2010 French Open will still feature one of the most impressive women's fields in history. The first grand slam on European soil will be playing grounds for an in-form Serena Williams, 4-time French Open champion Justine Henin, and exciting young stars like Aravane Rezai & Caroline Wozniacki.

The last tennis player to achieve a calendar-year grand slam is the great Steffi Graf; world's top ranked Serena Williams appears keen in joining her. Among the players in this generation, Serena has been the closest to accomplish such feat. The Australian Open champion won 4 consecutive grand slam titles in a two-year period from 2002-03. If she were to achieve Graf's historic feat, Williams will have to overcome her biggest hurdle-the 2010 French Open.

Statistically, Serena's record at Roland Garros is the weakest of the four grand slams. Only one of her 12 major titles has come at the red clay event. The main reason for this is the fact that Serena's booming serve, the biggest weapon in her arsenal, has not been as effective at the French Open since premium on power is much less on clay than on the other surfaces. Serena is undoubtedly a favorite to win the French Open, but her road to another championship trophy won't be as smooth.

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Williams' most potent challenger will be long-time nemesis Justine Henin of Belgium. Henin is one of the most successful clay court players of all time, having won the French Open 4 times. She certainly knows her way around Roland Garros and has a game perfectly crafted for the red clay. In her heydays, Henin would have undoubtedly been the overwhelming favorite to win this event. But her game has transformed dramatically since her comeback. Justine has become a lot more erratic and inconsistent in her playing style. Her new "going for broke" style is in contrast with the amazing consistency that has helped her win so many titles on clay. Unless she can dramatically undo the changes to her game, Justine Henin is unlikely to win a fifth French Open.

The dangerous dark horse at this year's Open is Aravane Rezai. The young French woman certainly has the talent to compete with the superstars of the sport-namely the Williams sisters and Justine Henin. If you had a chance to watch Rezai play, you are sure to be impressed by her powerful strokes and mental toughness. She is currently the hottest player in the 2010 clay court season, having won two big titles in the row against top players like Venus Williams. The young star is on the verge of super stardom, and the 2010 French Open may just be her break-out grand slam.