Ricky Dimon

• Top 25 French Open Contenders: Part 5

  2010-05-19 19:13:11
  

  Leading up to the start of the French Open, Ricky is counting down the Top 25 biggest threats on the red clay of Roland Garros in groups of one, two, three, or four players. Part 5 features contenders 9-12.
  

   

  12. Tomas Berdych – Pros: This could be a new Tomas Berdych in 2010, and it better be, because he has never been good at Roland Garros. The Czech, though, has been performing well no matter the surface so far this season. He owns four quarterfinal appearances (including at Indian Wells), one semifinal, and one runner-up (at the Sony Ericsson Open). While he has not been as impressive on clay as he was on hard courts, Berdych is 2-0 so far this week at the World Team Cup, where he opened by defeating Nicolas Almagro in three sets.

   

  Cons: As mentioned before, Berdych has never been a force at the French Open. In fact, other than a fourth-round showing in 2006, his career record at the clay-court Grand Slam is 2-5 (which means overall it is still a pedestrian 3-6). Berdych fell in the first round in two of the past three season, the other time being a second-round loss to Michael Llodra in 2008.

   

  Bottom line: Aside from a relatively disappointing setback against Philipp Petzschner in Munich, Berdych has no bad losses on clay this season. As such, another early exit in Paris would come as a huge surprise, whereas in the past it was somewhat expected. Assured of a Top 16 seed as the No. 17 player in the world, Berdych should reach the fourth round for the second time in his career.

   

  11. Mikhail Youzhny – Pros: Youzhny disappeared at times during the second half of 2008 and the first half of 2009, but the colonel’s salute has been given early and often in 2010. He finished runner-up in both Rotterdam and Dubai, reached the quarterfinals at the Sony Ericsson Open, and won a clay-court title in Munich. While Youzhny has never been incredible at the French Open, he has been solid; and he has not lost in the first round since his first two appearances in 2001 and 2002.

   

  Cons: At the same time, Youzhny has never been past the fourth round in Paris, and he has made it that far only once (2007, lost to Roger Federer). Although he fared well in Munich, the Russian lost early at all three clay-court Masters events (granted he got horrible draws: David Nalbandian in his Monte-Carlo opener, Lleyton Hewitt in his Rome opener, and Ernests Gulbis in the Madrid second round).

   

  Bottom line: Youzhny remains at his best on hard courts, but he has become an outstanding clay-court player during the second half of his career. He moves extremely well on the dirt and his one-handed backhand is devastating on any surface. With plenty of confidence as well as the No. 11 seed in hand, anything less than a fourth-round showing would be a letdown. His first trip to the quarterfinals, meanwhile, would hardly be a surprise.

   

  10. Nicolas Almagro – Pros: It seems like Almagro has been one of the best clay-courters in the business for a long time, yet he is still just 24 years old; right in his prime. The Spaniard did not do as much during the February dirt swing as he normally does, but he is coming off a semifinal performance at the Madrid Masters, where he took a set off Rafael Nadal. Previously on the brink of not being seeded for the French Open, Almagro suddenly soared to No. 22 in the world. That will do wonders for his Roland Garros draw.

   

  Cons: Inconsistency continues to be a problem for Almagro, who lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, lost to Ivan Ljubicic in Rome, and fell to Marin Cilic in Munich. So far at the World Team Cup he is 1-1 with a loss to Tomas Berdych and an uninspiring third-set tiebreaker win over Robby Ginepri.

   

  Bottom line: Almagro has reached at least the third round of his last six Grand Slam appearances; now that is impressive, especially for a player who is not always seeded at the majors. He made it to the French Open quarters in 2008 and a return trip to that stage has to be his goal. If he fails to reach the fourth round, his Paris campaign would have to be considered a disappointment.

   

  9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Pros: Tsonga loves the limelight, and there is no bigger stage for him than a Grand Slam in his own country. He reached the fourth round of last year’s French Open before running into an in-form Juan Martin Del Potro, to whom he went down in four sets. Tsonga often raises his level at slams, as we saw when he finished runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open and during his semifinal run earlier this season Down Under. The Frenchman has never been at his best on clay because it neutralizes his power, but the pair of wins over Almagro is encouraging.

   

  Cons: Aside from those two victories, Tsonga’s 2010 clay-court campaign has not been a good one. He did not make it past the quarterfinals in any of his four tournaments and he suffered losses to Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thiemo De Bakker, David Ferrer, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Even worse, he retired after losing the first set to Garcia-Lopez in Madrid due to a lower back injury. It was probably a precautionary move, but given Tsonga’s injury history, it is something to think about. Speaking of injuries, Tsonga has only made TWO appearances in his entire career at the French Open. Two.

   

  Bottom line: Like a lot of players at the moment, Tsonga’s French Open prospects all depend on his physical health. If he is not 100 percent, a first-week exit can be expect. If he is feeling good, though, he will have every opportunity for his best-ever showing at Roland Garros. As the No. 10 player in the world, he will be seeded eighth and thus will be the No. 2 player in one of the four quarters. If he can avoid Federer and Nadal, the semifinals are not beyond the realm of imagination.

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