Ricky Dimon

• French Open Preview: Top 25 Contenders (Part 4)

  2008-05-11 23:46:00
  

  In the 25 days leading up to the 2008 French Open, Ricky is counting down the Top 25 contenders – starting from No. 25 and going to No. 1 – in Roland Garros. Part 4 of the preview includes contenders 14-16.
  
  #16: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
  Like several of the French Open contenders already on this list, Tsonga is dealing with physical problems of his own. But the injury news is not all bad for the Frenchman. Tsonga lost in the first round of the Masters Series Rome this week to countryman Gilles Simon, but after the match he said his knee felt fine. Prior to Rome, Tsonga had not been able to play since bowing out of the Masters Series Miami in the third round. All signs point to Tsonga being ready to go for Hamburg, and that tournament will be essential for his Roland Garros preparation, as Tsonga has played just one match (the loss to Simon) on clay this entire season. The 17th-ranked player in the world is not exactly a terror on the dirt to begin with; he has played the French Open just once at got blown out by Andy Roddick in the first round. In fairness to Tsonga, that came way back in 2005 before he had really come into his own in professional tennis. This might be hard to believe, but Tsonga as never won an ATP match on clay; not one. Then again he has only played two, due to myriad injury problems over the past few years. Despite all those things going against him, Tsonga has talent that is simply undeniable. Never has it been on display more than it was at this year's Australian Open, where Tsonga steamrolled his way to the final before losing to Novak Djokovic. He has all the tools to be successful on any surface and he thrives on the big stages, so if he is feeling 100 percent later this month, there is no reason why he can't put on another good show in front of the French fans. Just as with the other players currently on this list, anywhere from a first-round exit to a fourth-round appearance for Tsonga would not be surprising.
  
  #15: Juan Monaco
  Monaco is currently ranked a career-high No. 14 in the world thanks not only to a breakout 2007 campaign, but also a strong start to this season. The Argentine reached the semifinals in Auckland to begin the year and after a third-round appearance at the Australian Open, he made it to the final in Vina Del Mar. At that point, however, an ankle injury he sustained in doubles prevented him from playing the title match against Fernando Gonzalez and Monaco really has never gotten back on track. Still, Monaco has not lost in the first round of any event since his first tournament back from the injury, and reached the quarterfinals in Valencia three weeks ago. Having to play clay-court master Nicolas Almagro both there and in Monte-Carlo--and then Igor Andreev in the second round of Rome--certainly has not aided Monaco's progress. Although Monaco's clay-court prowess is inspiring, it's clearly not on the same tier as that of, say, Almagro or Andreev. Last year when completely healthy, Monaco won clay-court titles in Buenos Aires, Poertschach, and Kitzbuhel and reached the fourth round of the French Open. The injury and some tough-luck draw have not allowed Monaco to enjoy quite as much success so far in his 2008 efforts, but that could all change at the French Open. He is not someone who any player will want to face early on--or at any point for that matter--in Roland Garros, and with such a strong ranking, Monaco should be able to get at least a fairly decent draw. A fourth-round performance is certainly not out of the question, and if he can somehow find himself in a section of the draw devoid of Rafael Nadal and other real clay-court geniuses, I wouldn't even put a quarterfinal appearance past him.
  
  #14: Mario Ancic
  No, this isn't Wimbledon. It's the French Open. But Ancic has stormed out of injury oblivion and proved this season that he is an all-court force to be reckoned with. He was still out with various back and shoulder injuries during the Australian Open, but when the 6'5'' Croat was ready to return, he returned with a bang. Ancic reached the final in Marseille--his first event of 2008--and then made it to the semifinals in Zagreb. At the Masters Series Indian Wells he took out Gael Monfils and Fernando Gonzalez before losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero, albeit in a third-set tiebreaker. Ancic then won three three-set thrillers in Miami, falling to eventual champion Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 in the third set in round four. His clay-court campaign has been unspectacular due to tough draws, but it has been truly stellar nonetheless. Ancic eased past Ivo Minar in Monte-Carlo, but had to play Rafael Nadal in the second round. He then crushed Mischa Zverev and Andy Murray in Barcelona before falling to clay-court wizard Nicolas Almagro. In Rome he rolled over Feliciano Lopez, but Nikolay Davydenko awaited in the second round and again got the better of Ancic. It's clear from all this that the big-serving Ancic is not just a serve; he moves extremely well for a player of his size, his groundstrokes are surprisingly solid, and with his wingspan he is lethal up at net. Most importantly, Ancic is healthier than ever and that is great news for his French Open prospects. Ancic has played Roland Garros four times (he missed it last year) and his results are second round, third round, third round, and most recently a quarterfinal appearance in 2006. That's impressive stuff. Ancic will be unseeded since his ranking is lower than it should be due to injury, so he will be at the mercy of the draw, but with a little help he could easily be around for the second week.

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