Un: Kim Clijsters
She’s traded high heels for Fila sneakers, and after surviving the fall beneath the mirror ball, she now has her sights firmly fixed on the tennis ball.
In the aftermath of a dancing accident at a wedding that tore ligaments in her right ankle, Clijsters may never be a contender on “Dancing with the Stars.” But the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open champion carries a 14-match winning streak at the majors into next week’s French Open and is as good a favorite as any to rule a wide-open field.
Clijsters hasn’t played at Roland Garros in five years and hasn’t won a match since beating Ana Ivanovic—after fighting off five match points—in the fourth round of Miami, in March. But don’t let her inactivity fool you: Clijsters responds to layoffs as well as an art student reacts to a lifetime pass to the Louvre. She captured the 2009 U.S. Open in just her third tournament back after spending more than two years on the sidelines. And last season, Clijsters bounced back from a six-week sabbatical to win the WTA Tour Championships. Both of those comebacks came on her preferred surface, hard courts, but considering her history, this latest layoff may feel more like a long weekend if her ankle is at full strength and responds to the rigors of match play.
The fact that the career clock is ticking creates an even greater sense of urgency in Clijsters, who is considering calling it quits (for good) after the 2012 Olympics. A two-time French Open finalist, Clijsters has grown from a fretful presence who lost her first four major finals to a far more confident competitor who has won her last four, and seven of the nine finals she’s contested since her 2009 comeback. Tennis’ top working mom figures to be highly motivated to make the most of what may be her French Open farewell.
Kim won't be alone in her quest. There should be a pro-Clijsters crowd in Paris, as Belgian fans flock to the French Open. The popular Belgian has said that playing in Paris “feels like playing in Belgium because we have so many of the Belgian people supporting us. They all have an impact on the way you feel and a positive impact and I think that’s something I want to use when I go back there.”
While Paris is sometimes regarded as a defensive players’ paradise, winning the clay-court major demands defensive and offensive skills, as well as the ability to transition from one to the other, sometimes within the space of a single shot. In the absence of Serena Williams, Clijsters is unquestionably the most well-balanced offensive and defensive player in women’s tennis. World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is an exceptional defensive presence, but is still learning how to finish points. At the opposite end of the style spectrum, Maria Sharapova can be an overwhelming offensive force whose best defense on clay is to continuously play offense. Clijsters can downshift from defense to offense and is more effective at finishing points with her forehand than she was in 2001, when she lost an epic French Open final to Jennifer Capriati, or when she was blown out in the 2003 French final by compatriot Justine Henin.
What I'm most concerned with, though, is Clijsters' ankle. If that holds up and if her serve—which typically serves as a barometer of her confidence—is clicking, look for her to go deep in this draw, in search of her first French Open title.
Deux: Maria Sharapova
Sharapova will turn Roland Garros into a diamond district when she sports Tiffany earrings on court next week, while continuing her quest to complete the career Grand Slam. The French Open is the only major missing from Sharapova’s major trophy collection, and though she stands three years removed from her last Grand Slam final, this is Sharapova’s best shot at collecting the clay-court piece of the puzzle. Sweeping world No. 1 Wozniacki and 2010 Roland Garros runner-up Samantha Stosur last week to win Rome, Sharapova showed she could stand toe-to-toe with two of the top French Open contenders, knocking them out with her audacious arsenal of baseline blasts.
Sharapova's unrelenting shrieking and pre-point primping make her game grating, and her shortcomings—she lacks quickness, her volley can be sketchy, she seldom hits overheads and her second serve offers little margin for error—are clearer on clay. But Sharapova is a winner, a warrior and a wondrous shotmaker who won’t shrink from the big moment, and she's played well in Paris in the past, reaching at least the quarters in four of the last seven years.
Trois: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
She still needs to refine the rough edges before making a serious Grand Slam run, but 19-year-old Pavlyuchenkova already has three titles to her credit, possesses the power to pose problems for Top 20 opponents and has been a tough out this season: seven of her nine losses have come in three sets.
Richard Pagliaro is a senior editor for TENNIS.com and authors The Pro Shop.
