There are currently two major storylines in tennis, and both could take dramatic turns at this year's Roland Garros .
In men's tennis, the remarkable rivalry between the world's No. 1 player, Roger Federer, and world No. 2, Rafael Nadal, has simply knocked everything else off the front pages. On the women's side, the most compelling tale has been the unexpected comeback of Martina Hingis and her almost meteoric climb up the rankings list.
It would seem hard to fathom that any player with a 37-3 record this year would have anyone to worry about. However, the problem for Swiss megastar Federer is that all three loses came to the same man, Spanish sensation Nadal. Only a few days shy of his 20th birthday, Nadal is the defending champion and right now the undisputed king of clay, having dispatched Federer in the finals at both Monte Carlo and Rome.
The battles have been epic. Their nearly 5-1/2-hour final in Rome was a clay court classic. The match so exhausted both players that both withdrew from Hamburg, leaving the talented Tommy Robredo in charge. It also left Federer with no clay court titles this year going into Roland Garros. Moreover, whether he admits it or not, it leaves him in the unfamiliar position of being the underdog in the fight for the only slam title he does not yet own.
He keeps saying he's getting closer to Nadal, and the fact that Rome was settled in Nadal's favor by only two points, would seem to back that up. However, "close" counts only in horseshoes, not tennis. The big question is: can Roger Federer, the man many are touting as the best tennis player who ever lived, get by Nadal and claim that vital French title?
Are there any other men who could challenge Nadal or Federer at Roland Garros? Not likely. The hot Spaniard, Robredo, the talented, big hitting Chilean, Fernando Gonzalez, and the 2004 winner Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, all have a shot at the title. But only if both Federer and Nadal stumble — something that no intelligent punter would lay down a wager on.
American hopes
News that Andy Roddick has injured his left foot has probably driven the final nail in that coffin. Roddick was a long shot to begin with, and a hobbled Roddick probably has no shot at a tournament as taxing as Roland Garros. James Blake's best surface is hard court, not clay, and despite his great foot speed, he is unlikely to kick up too much dust in Paris. For now, and perhaps for the foreseeable future, "An American in Paris" will be the title of a Gershwin tune, not a tennis headline.
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