Will Serena Williams Win the French Open

Serena Williams is currently ranked first in the world. She's won 12 grand slams: five at the Australian Open, three at Wimbledon and the US Open, and one at the French.

Currently, she is playing at the French Open. Even though clay is not her best surface (clay blunts her power game), her tenacity puts her on the short list of people that can win this tournament. We know she has the ability to, but will she actually pull it off?

There are several factors that go into this. One of the largest is this: Serena hasn't had much match play since the Australian Open. After winning her twelfth slam in January, Serena was sidelined with a leg injury. She returned to the circuit at Rome, where she lost in the semis in three sets to Jelena Jankovic. Is Serena in sufficient match shape to endure grinding clay matches? Time will tell.

Also, Serena tends to have a lapse at some point during a tournament. On other surfaces, Serena can hit her way out of the funks and escape with the win. Because her power is muted on clay, that option is taken away from her. The right person could knock Serena out of the tournament if she isn't on her game.

And we can't forget about her returned rival: Justine Henin. After a year and some change, Henin is back and is looked at as a favorite to win the French. The last time Serena and Henin played at the French was in 2007 which Henin won 4 and 3. And who can forget the incident with Henin holding up her hand and not acknowledging it? In this tournament, they are slated to meet up in the quarters. Henin's craftiness and speed around the court could cause problems for Serena, especially if it makes her run out gas.

With all of that being said, when Serena is at her best, there is no one better. She definitely wants to add to her slam title. If she can get past Henin, she'll win the tournament.

Sources

"Serena Williams Upset in Rome Semifinals" http://www.lawntennis.org/news2010/may/serena-williams-loses-at-madrid-09001.html

"Serena Williams, Justine Henin Could Renew Rivalry at the French"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2010-05-21-french-open-draw-story_N.htm

"She Said, She Said: Serena Calls Foul But Henin-Hardenne offers no apology"http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2003/french_open/news/2003/06/06/henin_williams_rt/