2008 French Open – Nick’s Pick – Men’s Singles 1st Round
Nick’s Picks will have complete coverage of the 2008 French Open, and will be coming to you live from Paris for part of the event!! Also, Nick is teaming with Tennis Week to provide in-depth analysis of the French Open throughout the tournament!
Here are Nick’s Picks for the first round!
Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Sam Querrey (USA)
Federer wants to win this event more than anything. In fact, I bet that if he could, he would sacrifice the prize money in exchange for a guarantee that he would win! That is how bad he wants this tournament. With that being said, we all know the year he has had and the ups and downs he’s gone through. My advice to him is to just take one match at a time and be ready to fight for every point.
This is a tough break for Querrey. Out of all the young Americans, everyone thought Querrey had the best shot at making some noise in Paris. This is primarily because he reached the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo, beating Carlos Moya, Andreas Seppi, and Richard Gasquet – three very good clay court players.
Match-Up:
Federer is 1-0 against Querrey in their career, with that win coming in Miami in 2007. Querrey is a big boy, but he moves well and covers plenty of ground. He has a great serve, a big forehand, and a very solid backhand. The difference in this match will be Federer’s ability to neutralize Qurrey’s serve, and move him around the court. I believe Federer will wear him down with his excellent defense and stellar movement.
Nick’s Pick – Federer in 3 sets
Donald Young (USA) vs. Robby Ginepri (USA)
Young comes into the tournament ranked #81 in the world, and having played a couple of Challengers on clay to get some matches in. I am excited to see him playm and I am looking forward to getting a chance to work with him when he comes to the Academy later this year.
Ginepri just posted a big clay-court win over Mario Ancic in the first round at Poertschach, Austria and then followed it up with a win over Olivier Rochus. No doubt, those wins will give him some confidence heading into Roland Garros. He is going to need every bit of confidence he can get, because in five career appearances he has never gone past the first round.
Match-Up:
This is another tough break for America, because no matter who wins this match one American isn’t going to advance. Ginepri is 1-0 against Young, but that win came back in 2005 in San Jose. Young has come a long way since those days. Ginepri is big and strong, and you know he is going to be wearing one of those cut-off shirts so everyone can see his muscles! He has the ability to wear Young out physically, and if this match goes long I give him the edge.
On the other hand, Young is an uber-talented lefty who moves exceptionally well. His serve is getting better, and he has to be prepared to dig and fight in this match. The one thing Young can’t do is to get down on himself. He is going to need every bit of energy that he can muster, and expending any of it on trying to focus will hurt him. I think Young can take this match in three, but the longer it goes the more it favors Ginepri.
Nick’s Pick – Young in 3, either in 4, Ginepri in 5
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs. Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)
This is a match that everyone should come out to see and pay their respects to one of the game’s greatest players (just like they did for Agassi at the US Open). Kuerten is a three-time champion here and one of the nicer guys to have ever played the game. Kuerten will surely be missed from the sport, and I couldn’t think of a better place for him to go out than Roland Garros.
Mathieu, like many of the Frenchman, will have plenty of pressure on his shoulders. He has been up and down on clay this year, reaching the semis in Munich, but losing in the first round at Monte Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg. You never know if Mathieu is feeling 100% healthy, but when he is, he is extremely tough to beat.
Match-Up:
Kuerten is like a fierce warrior whose battle scars are now taking their final toll on him. I am sure he will bring everything he can to this match, and to win he is going to have to take plenty of chances and risks. I just think Mathieu has too much for him right now. Watch out for the Frenchman’s big groundstrokes and solid serve.
Nick’s Pick – Mathieu in 3 or 4 sets
James Blake (USA) vs. Rainer Schuettler (GER)
With Roddick now out, Blake is the biggest hope for American tennis. His results on clay this year have been pretty good. He reached the finals in Houston and the quarters in Rome, but he did fall in the second round at Barcelona and Hamburg. If he feels comfortable on the clay, I like his chances of getting into the second week.
Schuettler is a veteran, who comes in ranked #89 in the world. His best result at the French Open came back in 2003, when he reached the fourth round. In seven other appearances, he has either lost in the first or second round.
Match-Up:
Schuettler may be 2-0 against Blake in his career, but those wins came back in 2003 when Blake was still new to the ATP Tour. Blake has a big forehand, excellent one-handed backhand, and is great at returning the serve. To me, the difference in this match will be Blake’s ability to run down more balls than Schuettler is used to. I also don’t think Schuettler will be able to break down Blake’s backhand. Lastly, I would like to see Blake make some trips into the net and attack whenever possible.
Nick’s Pick – Blake in 3 sets
[...] Federer in 3 sets [...]
2008 French Open - Nick’s Pick Grid « Grand Slam Professional Tennis Predictions and Picks by Nick Bollettieri. US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open said this on May 28, 2008 at 11:53 am |