Where Are They Now: Guillermo Coria

Four years ago Guillermo Coria was poised to take the French Open after a steady rise up the ranks.

So this week, as Coria returned to the ATP Tour with a protected ranking just out of the top 100, you can't blame the Argentine for setting his hopes high. Though the former world no. 3 had once claimed tennis' best backhand, he'd fallen fast - and hard - with injuries, and, later a fight for his reputation after being accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Now, the '04 French Open runner-up has a chance to clear his name and resurrect a career that has crumbled before our eyes. Here's a glance at the final few games in which underdog Gaston Gaudio completed his come-from-behind win to beat clay king Coria in five sets:



Coria played in Vina del Mar along with Gaudio, both trying to make their comebacks onto the ATP Tour. With any luck, we might see both former top 5 players back in fine form.

Final Thoughts (French Style)

I'm going to leave the post-tourney wrap up to Mr. Wertheim. I always enjoy what Jon Wertheim has to say over at SI-CNN. He's got a different set of lenses than the rest of us. Make sure to check out the link to Serena dancing - classic! And well, weird.

For me, the emerging stories out of this year's French will come into fruition over the few months. Can Rafa use his clay dominance as a platform to perform well elsewhere? Is Roger in a slumperer? Will Amelie ever win another slam? Has Justine found new life in family?

A lot to ask as we head to the greens of England.

Cheerio all!

A Missed Opportunity

This is the stat that screams for attention to me: one of 17 break points converted.

One of 17? That's 5.8%. A percentage that no grand slam champion would be proud of, and the percentage that kept Roger Federer from capturing his first Roland Garros title.

Yet 59 unforced errors is another stat that Federer should blush at. Though his post-match press conference had more of a tone of "Yeah, I'll try again next year" compared to "Man, I really blew it out there" like it should have.

Certainly, Federer will prepare himself properly for Wimbledon. But will he ever give himself a 100% chance to win this tournament? After this performance, it's hard to tell.

Quick Work

Justine Henin certainly deserves her third-straight French Open title.

A 6-1 6-2 drubbing of Ana Ivanovic was no more of a final than the other three she has played - in 2003, '05 and '06. No one has taken a set from her in any of those matches. In fact, Henin hasn't lost a set since the fourth round in '05, when Kuznetsova had match points but couldn't put it away. 35 sets in a row.

Henin, obviously, has the world at her finger tips when it comes to clay court tennis. She has showed utter dominance over her career on the red stuff, going 35-4 since her debut at Roland Garros in 1999.

To me, the story isn't in Henin herself, but in the quick work that she has made of her opponents in the recent past, and the inability for the top women - specifically the younger top women - to deliver in crucial moments.

Just two days ago, we watched Sharapova crumble in the semis to Ivanovic. It was as if Maria had gone far enough at the French, and she had no more to give. But later in the day, a repeat performance from Jankovic, winning just seven games between the two.

And then in the final today, Ivanovic, the same powerhouse who had easily ran past Sharapova couldn't put one foot in front of the other against Henin. The pressure was too much, they say. She couldn't control her emotions. The occasion is just too big.

Yet Ivanovic has seen pressure. Not to mention her struggle just to get to play tennis in the first place, Ana has seen the finals of two Tier I tournaments by now - so, you're telling me, that at 19, the occasion was just too big for her?

What about the occasion for Monica Seles, in 1990, when she beat world number one Graf at 16? Or the occasion for Sharapova at Wimbledon '04 when she ignored all pressure and drowned Serena in shrieks and sizzling groundstrokes?

It's no doubt that each situation is different, that each occasion calls for a different set of nerves under different circumstances. But if a player as accomplished as Ivanovic cannot find her way under the microscope of the tennis world, what are we left to enjoy out of these women in the final stages of Grand Slams? All three of the latter round matches here were lopsided, as 10 out of the last 14 women's grand slam finals have been.

When can we watch again without having to worry that if we blink, we'll miss the whole match?

Serbi-finalists

The last time there were three players from one country in the semifinals of a Grand Slam was the 2006 US Open, when Sharapova, Davydenko and Youzhny continued the Russian conquest of tennis.

Prior to that, it was at Wimbledon in 2005, when Roddick, Davenport and Venus Williams all flew the American flag into the semis and then finals - the most successful U.S. slam in recent history.

So this year, at the French, when a Cold War nation is not the first in the Race to Tres in the semis, we're all shocked...but not because we expected the Americans or Russians to do unusual damage here, but because a country - Serbia - is that dignified nation. A country that (in its current form) has had one Grand Slam semifinalist - ever.

Now they have three. In one tournament.

That's a pretty big deal.

Djokovic, Ivanovic and Jankovic are certainly not newbies to the upper echelon of tennis. They have all formulated their own, respectable paths to their current places in the game, and have been under the watchful eye of the tennis faithful for some time.

And the big thing is that each of these three - Novak, Ana and Jelena - have a legitimate shot at winning their semifinal bouts on the red stuff over the next two days.

Though Jankovic is 0-5 against the diminutive Henin, all five of their matches have gone the distance. And, their three meetings this year have all ended 6-4 in the third. Needless to say, it's been a tight go.

Djokovic got his only win over Nadal on a big stage this year, winning in Florida for a Masters title. But their head-to-heads have been lack luster thus far, something the semifinal promises to be just opposite of. With both youngsters playing well, we could see a neck-and-neck battle.

So while the seeds are against Serbia in the semis (playing against # 1, 2 and 2, respectively) red clay is always good to the dark horse - especially late in the tournament.

Who would've thought Serbia's the new Belgium?

Quelling the Doubts

Rafael Nadal is quite intent on winning his third straight French Open.

Two weeks after pulling out a closer-than-comfortable win over Lleyton Hewitt in Hamburg, Nadal made quick work of the clay-savvy Australian, downing him in straight sets today 6-3 6-1 7-6(5).

After turning 21 last Friday, Nadal has strode into his new year with confidence and, with the win over Hewitt, a spot in the quarterfinals against childhood mentor Carlos Moya.

For Rafael Nadal to win a third-straight French Open title will take not only a continuation of said confidence and on-court success, but will most likely require a win over Mr. Federer, a daunting task after their encounter just weeks ago - in which Federer won.

Coming into Roland Garros, Nadal's star seemed to be fading a bit - his streak stopped at 81 - and his clay persona somewhat human. Meanwhile, Federer's star was on the rise, ending his skid on clay and against Mr. Nadal.

With both playing tremendously throughout this tournament, a meeting in the finals will only be appropriate. Just who will come through?

A Brief History of Bad Umpires

It seems as though the Sharapova-Schnyder match up yesterday has brought about a couple days worth of history lessons. Not only did the girls continue the 9-7 trend, but so too did the chair umpire continue a trend in the women's game for making poor decisions at key moments in tense moments. All which came at respective majors.

Case One
Maria Sharapova versus Patty Schnyder
4th Round - 2007 French Open
At 7-all in the third, Sharapova led 30-0 serving and vaulted a first serve onto Schnyder's side when the Swiss put her hand up mid-motion, letting her opponent know she was not ready because of crowd noise. But Sharapova would have nothing of it, and neither would the chair judge, Kader Nouni of France, awarding the point to the Russian, and - seemingly - the match.


Case Two
Venus Williams versus Karolina Sprem
2nd Round - 2004 Wimbledon
You all remember 2004, when Venus Williams struggled with Karolina Sprem in the 2nd round of Wimbledon. Sprem had taken the first set and the second was in a tie-break when Ted Watts, chair umpire for the match, called the score 2-2, ignoring a lines woman's call and mistakenly giving Sprem an extra point. The mistake was no doubt embarrassing, but would give Sprem an extra chance to fight back, and, eventually beat Venus 8-6 in the breaker.


Case Three
Jennifer Capriati versus Serena Williams
Quarterfinals - 2004 US Open
It was a couple months later when a weary Serena, remembering the Venus incident, argued with the chair umpire, Sandra de Jenkin, about a ball she overruled on the opposite sideline. Capriati would win the match later in the third, 6-4.


Oh, and I never made the connection that it was indeed Ms. de Jenkin who also made the infamous Henin-pressured overrule during the 2004 Aussie Open final. Jeez Sandra, 0 for 2.

8 Down; 7 To Go

9-7 in the third.

For some reason, it's a popular play on the women's side of things when they go extra in the majors. Two years ago at Wimbledon, Venus beats Lindsay. Last year at the Aussie, Pironkova stuns V. In the first round here, Sequera beats local girl Razzano.

In fact, just three women's matches have gone beyond the tradition third-set score in this year's French. Two of those at 9-7, the other at 8-6.

Perhaps it's just something about the way the women play. Maybe they just want to get it over with.

Meanwhile, just one men's match has extended into the latter stages of the fifth. A 17-15 first-round win for Kohlschreiber, the 28th seed. That's double (32) the amount of games (16) a 9-7 decider produces. Plus 439 points, total.

Just writing these scores is making me tired.

Though 8-7 wouldn't quite be a completed match in the third or the fifth, it's where we stand right now in this 15-day major. The women's quarters are set, with 7 of 8 top seeds finding their way to the elite 8. The men are halfway there, with the rest of the field to be picked tomorrow.

Nadal or Hewitt? This one should be interesting.

Early Encounter

What a third-round match up.

Venus Williams, arguably one of the most talented women players of all time, takes on up-and-comer Jelena Jankovic, the Serb seeded fourth, who seems poised to make her first bold statement at a major.

Such a match-up could mean both things for these two women: a chance at re-claiming glory for Venus and the opportunity to strike Grand Slam gold for Jankovic.

The last time these two met in the third-round of a slam was just last year, when Jankovic de-throned Ms. Williams as defending Wimbledon champion. This time around? I'm sticking with J-squared here, she's my pick to win the whole thing.

The reason I like Jankovic over Venus at this point is not only her relentless consistency, but her ability to play the entire court so well. She weathered an incredible Venus storm in Charleston. If anything, fast forward to the last two minutes of this video, it's great women's tennis:



They're up first on Chatrier. Hopefully the French will arrive early to see such a show.

And the First to Five Is...

The first woman to win five matches at this year's French Open is Ioana Raluca Olaru.

Yes. The famous IRO.

Miss Olaru came through the qualifying tournament, dropping just one set in three matches to draw Julia Vukalenko, the 30th seed, in the opening round.

Olaru would down Vukalenko in straights, and followed that win up with another - her fifth of the tournament - a 6-3 6-0 drubbing of Tatiana Poutcheck.

The 18-year-old is from Romania. She reached her highest career ranking this past week, topping out at 122 in the world. Olaru has already been to two WTA semifinal this year, breaking through at Memphis in February (losing to Venus in the semis) and then again in Fes just a few weeks ago. She came through the qualies at both those events.

A semifinal here, too? She'll have to get through Ivanovic next.

Any relation?

Ouch (To the 8th Power)

It was a blue day for the American men on the red stuff.

My favorite part is James Blake's optimism:
"It's no secret we haven't done that great on clay this year," Blake said, "but I think we have the ability."

A for ability James. F for follow-through on the ability.

Until next year Yanks, au revior!

Ouch

Another early exit for Andy.

On to Wimbledon, right?

Dirt-y Questions (Part Three): The Back Story...Is it Always This Dramatic?

Ashley Harkleroad.

Who knew a girl could dig up so much drama?

After a successful 2003 campaign (at the age of 18), Harkleroad has teetered between top-50 greatness and mid-100s journeywoman. But the back story is what keeps this girl interesting.

I wonder, is there something about the game of tennis - the way youngsters (especially girls) are pushed so hard to be so competitive at a young age? We saw it with Patty Schnyder: after a tremendous 1998, Schnyder sort of fell off her rocker, dumping her coach and dating/training with a so-called guru.

Is there a pattern here?

Perhaps Harkleroad is just finding her way. But, for all intents and purposes, dating a coach probably isn't the best idea. Dating your coach certainly isn't, either.

Oh yeah, and Harkleroad plays Venus in round two. Any boyfriend advice there?

The French Open Series

I do like the humor that people have.

A comedic start to what should be a fun French.

Early Start, Little Progress

Not much tennis was played on Day One of the French Open.

Rain halted many matches and forced tournament organizers to push first-round matches to Monday.

Justine Henin, Marat Safin and Serena Williams were among those who were able to sneak their way past not only Mother Nature, but pesky opponents to book their places in round two of the year's second major.

Williams, opening play against Tsvetana Pironkova, the teenager who stunned sister Venus in the first round of last year's Australian Open, struggled to a 5-7 6-1 6-1 win.

If anything, both Justine and Serena will build on their wins. The rest of the field must wait another day to get their feet dirty.

Safin's opening-day victory is something I'm not too surprised by. I see the Russian going far in this tournament. He's (as usual) had some up and down results as of late, but was instrumental in the Russian Davis Cup win a month ago (a confidence builder) and no doubt will gain momentum (mentally and physically) as he racks up the Ws.

Greg Garber had this interesting take on the contemporary Marat.

Here Goes Nothing...

The French is just hours away.

Let's hope my picks aren't way off.

Men

Women

Drawn Together

The Serena Williams-Justine Henin saga continues.

After the release of the French Open draws late this week, the two grand slam champs are scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals of the year's second major.

Both players have had quite the year - Serena winning at the Aussie and Nasdaq 100, Justine making her surge later in the year and claiming three titles. Their only meeting this year didn't disappoint, as Williams came back (via a friendly net cord) to win the Nasdaq 0-6 7-5 6-3 in dramatic fashion.

The rivalry continues.

Though I picked Jankovic to win the open (she'll have to get through Venus in the 3rd round to do so) it will be a battle of confidence among these three women to see who can come out on top.

Serena has a difficult opening couple of rounds, but if she can get through those and find herself in the final eight, she is as good as anyone - including Justine - even on clay.

And for the petite Belgium it is not only time to defend her crown, but to establish herself as a force on the women's tour this year. She missed out on the Aussie due to personal conflict, and is certainly as hungry as anyone to win the title.

Another hand incident? Hostile crowd? Maybe not.

But the drama will sure be there, let's hope the high-quality tennis is, too.

Clip of the Week

The French Open has always had its fair share of drama.

This has to be one of my favorite moments, with Martina Hingis on the cusp of finally winning the major we all thought she'd win first, she absolutely implodes.

From the moment she challenges the line call at 6-4, 2-0, it's downhill from there.

If you watch closely, however, it doesn't look like the line woman and chair judge are sure which mark actually is Hingis'. And, the instant reply (though blurry) seems to put the ball closer to the mark Hingis was arguing.

Hmmm, it would've been great to have Hawkeye in '99, right?

Foreseeing the French

The draws aren't out yet, but I'm ready to make my calls.

THE MEN - LES HOMMES
Roger Federer - After his win in Hamburg last week, the Mighty Fed just may be the hottest player on tour. Yes, he was in somewhat of a 'slump' prior to the Masters win, but his confidence must be booming after scrapping his way into the finals and destroying Rafael Nadal and his 81-match winning streak.

The past four years have been a growing period for Federer, especially at Roland Garros. He's gone from pretender to contender on the red stuff, and you have to credit his all-court game and steady head for such a drastic improvement.

Translation: it's time for that final breakthrough in Federer's career. Grand Slam for 2007 possible? I'm thinking so.

THE WOMEN - LES FEMMES
Jelena Jankovic - The Serb has solidly worked her way up the rankings to a career-high number 4 in this week's rankings. What's more impressive than her game lately has been her level of play. After winning titles in Auckland and Charleston, Jankovic was stellar in Berlin last week, taking out five quality opponents in five matches for her third title of the season.

This year alone, Jankovic has lost three times to Justine Henin 6-4 in the third. While many of us remember her meltdown in the semifinals of the USO last fall, a maturation has occurred this year for the 22-year-old that has allowed her to raise her game to another level. This slam is a turning point for Jelena: she'll win her maiden major while defeating Justine (in the semis or finals) for the first time.

Then it's on to Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, here's what TENNIS Magazine is thinking about the women.

Dirt-y Questions (Part Two): Last Minute Preps

It always puzzles me when top-ranked players choose to play the warm-up events the week prior to a major.

This week there are two case in points: Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. While the two have raised eyebrows off the court with their rumored relationship, neither have done much on their respective tours over the past few months.

April and May have never been the kindest of months to Mr. Roddick. Following his win in Houston in 2005, Roddick is just 9-7 on the red stuff. This year, he's 2-1 (counting his win yesterday), and with the French looming just days away, Andy is hoping to hone his clay skills just in time for his most hated major of the year.

To put Roddick on the same page as Federer and Nadal on the red stuff would be an outright joke. However, the effort of the American to pick up the slack when it comes to European tennis can certainly be admired. At least he's making an effort.

We can't say the same about the clay boys and grass, right?

Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova has had a little more success on clay than Roddick, but as of late, she's more worried about pain in her shoulder than dirt on her dresses.

Yet Sharapova is in action this week, winning her opening match in Istanbul.

It was the first on-tour win for the Russian since her 6-1, 6-1 thrashing via Serena Williams at the Nasdaq in March.

Not only is Sharapova fighting injury, but recently she has begun to fight the media's doubt (and her own) in her serve, and therefore, her entire game.

So while most top players avoid the week-before tourneys, Roddick and Sharapova look to capitalize off of the match play. And just maybe we'll see some of the benefits of that game plan in week two at Roland Garros. But that's a big maybe.