French Open 2015: Top Stars and Storylines to Follow at Roland Garros

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at Internationaled.org

Published: May 22, 2015

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The usual faces headline the 2015 French Open, which commences this Sunday at Roland Garros.

Heading into the year's second major, all eyes will lock on to tennis' A-list superstars. Rafael Nadal will look to continue his tournament dominance, but Novak Djokovic is primed to halt, or at least pause, his nemesis' remarkable run.  

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova also enter the tournament as contrasting favorites. While Sharapova has developed into a top competitor on clay courts, Williams must avenge an ugly 2014 showing to win her 20th career Grand Slam.

 

Top Storylines  Is Rafael Nadal's Clay-Court Dominance Over?



No athlete owns an event the way Nadal owns the French Open. The Spanish star has won the last five titles at Roland Garros, giving him nine total victories throughout the past 10 years.

So there's no use wasting time prognosticating the men's bracket, right? Typically the runaway favorite, Nadal has created doubt by coming up empty in his last four tournaments on clay courts.



The 28-year-old has dropped to a No. 7 world ranking, giving him a tougher road to the finals. Yet Roger Federer, who captured the decade's lone title not seized by Nadal, still views the King of Clay as the favorite.

“Regardless of what anyone says to me he's the favorite,” Federer said, per Tennis.com's Kamakshi Tandon. “The guy’s only lost once in 10 years.”

History is certainly on his side, but recent results don't bode as well for a sixth consecutive victory. As his clay aura fades, his top competitors have dominated on his preferred surface this year, according to the New York Times' Christopher Clarey:



Never discount Nadal at the French Open, but it's reasonable to view his rival as this year's man to beat.

 

Will Novak Dj...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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