Nadal has title thoughts in Paris
Spanish teen phenom dominates opponents on clay
 | An incredibly successful spring on the clay courts just adds to the notion that Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal has a great shot at winning the French Open in his first attempt, says Bud Collins of NBCSports.com. |
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Bud Collins |
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PARIS - As the men's tennis tour hits Paris for what most of us call the French Open -- though the French and other Europeans refer to it as Roland Garros -- Spaniard Rafael Nadal is my pick to emerge the champion on the red clay.
Talented
teenager
Nadal is big, strong, fast, and hungry -- and new to the French. Injuries have kept Nadal from playing Roland Garros so he will be making his French Open debut with a chance to come away a champion. Not bad if one can achieve that feat before turning 20.
Nadal won't be awed by competing in a major as he has played at the U.S. Open and Australian Open twice and Wimbledon once.
It's hard to make a case as to why this teen phenom shouldn't be the favorite in Paris. The 18-year-old who turned pro in 2001 has a killer left-handed forehand and he has risen to the No. 5 ranking in the world.
Put him on clay and he's near unbeatable with a 31-2 record on the surface so far this season. He's more than warmed up for Roland Garros with five clay-court titles in his pocket as he arrives in Paris.
He's also on a tear, riding a 17-match win streak.
It's clear that the swift, gifted and joyful Nadal hopes in Paris to hit the jackpot the first time around as he did at the recent Italian Open.
Habla espanol
If Nadal does not take home the title the player that does will most likely be Spanish speaking.
Whether the champion of the season's second major comes out of Spain or Argentina or someplace else in Latin America, it doesn't matter. He will be a mucho hombre, regardless of the passport, in my view.
And he will be a new champion, even though there were a half-dozen former French Open champions on the courts of crimson earth at the start of the tournament: Brazilian Guga Kuerten (1997, 2000-2001), Spaniard Carlos Moya (1998), American Andre Agassi (1999), Spaniards Albert Costa (2002) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003), and Argentine Gaston Gaudio, the defending champion.
Was Senor Backhand -- Gaudio -- a one-shot wonder?
Guillermo Coria helped Gaudio to his glory last June in the final by blowing two match points and the title.
Is Coria going to live up to his fading billing as the world's best clay court operator and make up for his meltdown against his countryman Gaudio?
Coria was within two points of beating Nadal in the rousing Italian final, and was beaten by Roger Federer at Hamburg.
A field full of questions
Here is what must be asked of this fortnight on clay -- the toughest test of endurance among the four majors: Can the only man with a chance for a Grand Slam, Australian Open champion Marat Safin, who has lately reverted to his “Headless Horseman” role, plug in all his assets to play as he did in crashing the Roland Garros semis three years ago?
Shouldn't No. 1-ranked Roger Federer shed his allergy to Roland Garros soil and back up his German Open triumph by joining that exclusive circle, the Majors Mavens Club? He would be the sixth man ever to win all four majors, following Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Agassi.
Can David Nalbandian, who should have won the 2003 U.S. Open, finally pull himself together?
Will high-seeded Andy Roddick make a decent showing for a change?
Of course France is excited by an enfant terrible, 18-year-old Richard Gasquet, finalist to Federer at the German Open. He might be their best since Hall of Famer Yannick Noah.
Spaniards David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez have impressed me along with Chileans Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu, the Olympic champion.
Whatever became of the tall, engaging Dutchman, Martin Verkerk, a startling finalist in 2003 after somehow beating Coria?
A lot can go wrong for marquee guys during two weeks groveling in the dirt so I'll keep my eye on the hip pocket-size hustler. That's 5-foot-4 Olly Rochus, the endearing and lively Lilliputian Belgian. You can never go wrong watching him -- win or lose.
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