The Comfort Rooms

Why I Love The French Open

Out of all the tennis grand slams, it is the French Open that I absolutely love. While most people will say that it is the Wimbledon that is at the pinnacle of the sport, for me, it is the Parisian claycourt grand slam that reigns supreme.

Maybe blame it on the slow moving clay courts. Blame it on the beautiful city this event plays host to every year. Blame it on the countless number of upsets that it produces every year. Blame it on the unknown tennis players who suddenly rise to fame after scoring upsets over top-ranked opponents. Blame it on the culture and tradition that the Roland Garros tennis courts proudly hold.

At the Parisian clay, endurance is everything. Doesn't matter if you're the hardest hitting player, doesn't matter if you make the fastest serves, doesn't matter if you're the most aggressive player out there. What matters here is endurance. As long as you keep the ball in play, you're good.

It is almost too certain that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will face each other again in the men's singles final. I hope Roger gets to defend his title though. I hope men like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernandos Verdasco and Gonzalez will both enjoy deep runs to the championship. Maybe an American like Sam Querry or John Isner will make the second week,  at least American men will not get bombed out early again.

For the women's singles, I hope the winner will be either Justine Henin or Venus Williams. Venus is the most in-form female player now and is now the odds-on favorite to win it all. However, with Justine back, not a single tennis fan would want to discount her out. Other female players like Sam Stosur, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic and defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova should also be one of the top contenders. And oh, don't forget the top-ranked Serena Williams, she might win it all.

This will be an exciting 14 days. My predictions? Nadal to win a four-setter over Federer and Justine Henin in straight sets over Venus Williams.