20. 05. 2011. ·
French Open – Roland Garros (€17,520,000) starts on Sunday, May 22, 2011. The winner of the second Grand Slam of the season will get €1,120,000 and 2000 ATP points, the finalist will get €600,000 and 1200 points.
128 players will try to do their best on the courts of the tennis complex during the fifteen days of the competition. The winner will be known on June 5.
Opening round matches will be played during the first three days of the competition, on 20 courts. The main are Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and Court no.1.
The best Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic (no.2 seed) will open his campaign against world no.71 Thiemo de Bakker of Netherlands. They have never met before.
Novak might play either Romanian Victor Hanescu or Frenchman Benoit Paire in the second round.
The world number two could face a seeded player in the third round. His possible opponents are Juan Martin del Potro (ARG,25), Ernests Gulbis (LAT).
Nole’s potential rivals in the later stages of the tournament are:
4th round: Richard Gasquet (FRA,13), Thomaz Bellucci (BRA,23)
Quarter-finals: Tomas Berdych (CZE,6), Mikhail Youzhny (RUS,12)
Semi-finals: Roger Federer (SUI,3), David Ferrer (ESP,7)
Finals: Rafael Nadal (ESP,1), Andy Murray (GBR,4), Robin Soderling (SWE,5)
Last year Nole reached quarter-finals. He lost a five-set battle to Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(3), 4-6 in 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Defending champion is Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard defeated Robin Soderling in the finals.
Here is the projection of points of the top two seeds after Roland Garros depending on their results:
In 2011, Novak has won all 13 encounters against top 10 players. He has won 37 consecutive matches this year and increased his overall winning streak to 39 wins in a row dating back to last December’s Davis Cup final.
The position number 1 in the world rankings has never been closer. Djokovic could reach the no.1 spot for the first time in his career after French Open.
The most dominant player on the tour can claim the top if he reaches finals in Paris. There are also other scenarios. If Rafa does not take the title at Roland Garros, Novak will reach the no.1 on Monday, June 6, with any performance at the major event.
Good luck Nole!
