Tennis

We started out by Going Blue. Last year, we got Fired Up. This year? Well, we are going to embrace the contrast that is Rafa by working with Fire and Ice. Why? Rafa’s wearing red again (“Total Crimson“) and a quasi white/greyish color (“Pure Platinum“), and Fire and Ice is the best theme I could think of. How can you show your fire and ice to support Rafa’s attempt to win an unimaginable 8th Roland Garros? The tradition started with us painting toe or fingernails to match Rafa’s shirts, but that lets out people who don’t do the festive nails thing. So: Take a photo of you, a pet, a child, a friend with something crimson or platinum. It can be crimson toes, a grey hat/shirt/bandana, whatever. Look at last year’s gallery for ideas. Upload the photo to a photo sharing service or our Facebook event.* Post a comment with a link to your photo (not necessary if you use the Facebook event). I’ll nab the photo and add it to the gallery. These people have shared their interpretation of fire and ice, how about you? *You could also email it to me. Don’t have my email address? Use the contact form to get in touch with me.

(May 25, 2013) With tennis’ second Slam of the season about to get underway with main draw action, the dedicated panel of Tennis Grandstand writers have come together for a comprehensive preview of the men’s draw at Roland Garros. We’ve covered dark horses, seeded players crashing out early, first round upsets and matches to watch for, and potential semifinalists and eventual champion for the men’s tour. In the table, you will find the entire Tennis Grandstand team’s “Quick Picks and Predictions” for the ATP draw, with further detailed analysis below by Lisa-Marie Burrows, James Crabtree, Romi Cvitkovic, Yeshayahu Ginsburg and Andrea Lubinsky. Dark Horse Lisa-Marie Burrows: (6) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga has the potential to sneak through to the quarterfinals relatively untroubled.  He may have Marin Cilic, Juan Mónaco and compatriot Jeremy Chardy in his section, but I feel that he can reach the quarters fairly easily. He could be a difficult quarterfinal opponent for Roger Federer to contend with. James Crabtree: (12) Tommy Haas. The fairytale story has been waiting long enough, and Tommy Haas has the correct subplots to fulfill the fairytale. Not only that but his draw is favorable and rumor suggests he possesses magic beans, has a black cat, practices voodoo and is in fact Baron Samedi (James Bond reference for y’all). Cvitkovic: Ernests Gulbis. The Latvian has a tough but very doable road to the semifinals. He could potentially take on Tomas Berdych in the second round, Tommy Robredo in the third and Nicolas Almagro in the fourth, before possibly outhitting David Ferrer in the quarterfinals if he has enough steam.  He may be a ticking time bomb on court, but Roland Garros has always been his best Slam result, having reached the quarterfinals in 2008. Now, more mature and experienced, he could make another solid run here. Yeshayahu Ginsburg: (5) Tomas Berdych. Picking a dark horse in tennis is kind of an act of futility nowadays. When it comes to winning Grand Slams, it’s the “Big 4” and no one else. Take Andy Murray out of the equation due to injury (though he was weaker on clay anyway) and it’s Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or bust for the winner. But if I have to pick someone else, Berdych has been very strong recently, reaching the semifinals in both Madrid and Rome. He has a good chance at making a deep run—assuming he can get by Gael Monfils in the first round, that is. Andrea Lubinsky: (24) Benoit Paire. The good news? Paire is at a career high 26 in the rankings and scored wins over Juan Monaco, Julien Benneteau, and Juan Maritn del Potro en route to the semifinals in Rome, where he pushed Roger Federer in two close sets. The bad news? He’s in Nadal’s quarter. There are plenty of guys who have had a solid clay season, but what makes Paire a better Dark Horse is his inconsistency. His bad days are bad, but his great days are great… Seeded Player Crashing Out Early Burrows: (8) Janko Tipsarevic or (19) John Isner. For me it was a toss up between No.8 seed Tipsarevic losing to Verdasco in the second round and John Isner losing in the first.  I feel that an early exit may be on the cards for No.19 seed Isner as he faces Carlos Berlocq of Argentina in the opening round. He can prove to be a very tricky customer and enjoys playing on the clay. Crabtree: It has to be (5) Tomas Berdych. If he doesn’t lose to Gael Monfils in the first round, a true son to his French faithful who is seemingly finding old form, he will have to battle Ernests Gulbis in the second round, another player destined for the top twenty. Cvitkovic: (5) Tomas Berdych. If he can get past a newly in-form Gael Monfils in the first round, the Czech will likely encounter Ernests Gulbis, who took him out first round of Wimbledon last year and can easily out-play him again on the Latvian’s better surface. Ginsburg: (8) Janko Tipsarevic. Tipsarevic is not facing any particularly good players on clay until

(May 25, 2013) Kids’ Day at any tennis tournament is a welcome attraction for fans of all ages and Roland Garros was no exception on Saturday as fans filed into a jam-packed Philippe Chatrier stadium. The pros enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, playing some match points and signing autographs, while acrobats performed all around the grounds adding to the festivities. It included appearances from Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Jankovic, Sara Errani, Kristina Mladenovic, Richard Gasquet, Benoit Paire, Lukas Rosol and many more! Getting the party started, Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka both tried their hands at DJing, with Djokovic learning from Big Ali and Azarenka with famed Frechman and self-proclaimed tennis fan, Bob Sinclar. World No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fabio Fognini participated in a fun adidas challenge game with young fans, and a deserved champion was crowned in the end. Jelena Jankovic and Sara Errani also took the court for a fun battle in singles play — all smiles in the end. Meanwhile, Kristina Mladenovic was busy multi-tasking her part for Kids’ Day. She first enjoyed the court action as a fan in the stands … … then took on 2008 Roland Garros singles champion Ana Ivanovic in a fun doubles match … … and finished it off with a fun all-star doubles match with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, which also included French Olympic judo gold medalist Teddy Riner as the chair umpire. Seven-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal also arrived on scene and signed some photographs for the young fans. But the best picture of the day comes courtesy of Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini’s hilarious attempt at a windmill chest bump. Thanks for the fun and laughs, Kids’ Day!

World No. 5 David Ferrer is back on court for the second Grand Slam of the season, as a 128-player field assembles in Paris for the French Open. The Spanish #2 enters into the tournament as the fourth seed.

Juan Monaco warmed up for the French Open with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen in the final of the Power Horse Cup in Dusseldorf.

Tennis greats Roger Federer and Serena Williams open play Sunday at the French Open.

French Open tournament director Gilbert Ysern remains convinced plans to redevelop Roland Garros will be given the green light, despite recent opposition from local residents.

Just a few pictures from today’s practice with Verdasco. Photos by AP Photo/Christophe Ena, and REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Roger Federer could not have asked for a better draw at the 2013 French Open. He headlines a fourth quarter of the bracket that also includes Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Dusseldorf champion Juan Monaco.

It was Kaia Kanepi of Estonia who lifted the winner’s trophy at the rainy, windy and cold $690,000 Brussels Open and is now projected to move from current No.40 to No.26 in the rankings. After edging Jamie Hampton in Saturday morning’s semifinals 7-6(6) 6-4 and just a few hours of rest, Kanepi beat Peng Shuai, who also had a tough match earlier in the day, a 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory over Romina Oprandi. Kanepi converted the fourth match point against Peng to record a 6-2 7-5 win and clinch the fourth title of her career, the first three being Palermo in 2010 and Brisbane and Estoril last year. Leading up to the Saturday’s climax of the Brussels Open, Kanepi’s victims were third seed Dominika Cibulkova in the first round, Jana Cepelova in the second and seventh seed Varvara Lepchenko in the quarterfinals. Just like at the other this week’s tournament, the Internationaux de Strasbourg, the top seed lost her opener in Brussels, as Caroline Wozniacki fell to Zheng Jie 6-2 6-4 after a first-round bye. (photo: Tennis Buzz)