Maria Sharapova named world number two Kim Clijsters as the player to beat in a very open women's singles draw at the French Open.With both Serena and Venus Williams missing through injury and world number one Caroline Wozniacki never having won a grand slam, Clijsters, who is looking for her third successive major title, is clearly the standout name. The Belgian, though, has not played since March after a combination of injuries, mostly recently a serious ankle problem that she sustained at a wedding.
It will also be Clijsters' first appearance at Roland Garros since she reached the semi-finals in 2006 after she was unable to compete last year because of a foot injury.
The 27-year-old has shown in the past that she does not need a huge amount of preparation to be a major danger, however, most notably with her stunning US Open win in 2009, which came only a month after she had ended a two-and-a-half-year spell in retirement.
Sharapova said: "It's always difficult to not play for a few weeks and come back as a grand slam being your first tournament, but she has a tremendous amount of experience behind her.
"She's been able to do really well when she's taken time off, so you can never count her out. It might take her a few matches to get into form but that's normal when you haven't played for a while.
"She's a great champion, she's won the last couple of grand slams and is number two in the world. She's certainly the one to beat here."
Sharapova remains one of the marquee names in women's tennis despite her infrequent appearances at the business end of major tournaments these days.
The Russian has not won a grand slam title since the Australian Open in 2008 but her form going into the French Open, most notably her victory at the prestigious tournament in Rome last weekend, has offered hope she could yet be a major contender.
However, Sharapova, who plays former Wimbledon semi-finalist Mirjana Lucic in the first round, was reluctant to speculate on her chances.
The 24-year-old said: "My job is to go out and play tennis and compete, and I was really happy with the way last week turned out. I played great tennis, I had some great matches and wins over good players, especially on clay.
"So it's definitely a confidence booster. I'm just hoping to take this form and bring it over to Roland Garros."
Sharapova beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in the final in Rome, and the eighth seed from Queensland, the runner-up to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, also expects Clijsters to be a big danger.
Stosur said: "Even though she has been out for a little while, you can't discount anything that she might be able to do. She was able to win the US Open without too much preparation, so you have to think of her as a threat.
"She's a great player and a great champion, and people like that don't play the tournament unless they're feeling ready."
Stosur was the favourite in the final to win her first grand slam title 12 months ago but the occasion seemed to get the better of her and it was Italian Schiavone who seized her chance.
The 27-year-old insisted she looks back on the experience as a positive one, adding: "It was nice to come back to Paris and nice to come back to Roland Garros and walk through the door and see the Aussie flag on the centre court.
"It didn't bring back any bad memories. I've tried to erase all those and now it's only good ones."
Stosur meets Iveta Benesova in round one while other notable ties include Wozniacki's clash with Kimiko Date Krumm, who at 40 is twice the Dane's age, and Schiavone taking on American teenager Melanie Oudin.
It will also be Clijsters' first appearance at Roland Garros since she reached the semi-finals in 2006 after she was unable to compete last year because of a foot injury.
The 27-year-old has shown in the past that she does not need a huge amount of preparation to be a major danger, however, most notably with her stunning US Open win in 2009, which came only a month after she had ended a two-and-a-half-year spell in retirement.
Sharapova said: "It's always difficult to not play for a few weeks and come back as a grand slam being your first tournament, but she has a tremendous amount of experience behind her.
"She's been able to do really well when she's taken time off, so you can never count her out. It might take her a few matches to get into form but that's normal when you haven't played for a while.
"She's a great champion, she's won the last couple of grand slams and is number two in the world. She's certainly the one to beat here."
Sharapova remains one of the marquee names in women's tennis despite her infrequent appearances at the business end of major tournaments these days.
The Russian has not won a grand slam title since the Australian Open in 2008 but her form going into the French Open, most notably her victory at the prestigious tournament in Rome last weekend, has offered hope she could yet be a major contender.
However, Sharapova, who plays former Wimbledon semi-finalist Mirjana Lucic in the first round, was reluctant to speculate on her chances.
The 24-year-old said: "My job is to go out and play tennis and compete, and I was really happy with the way last week turned out. I played great tennis, I had some great matches and wins over good players, especially on clay.
"So it's definitely a confidence booster. I'm just hoping to take this form and bring it over to Roland Garros."
Sharapova beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in the final in Rome, and the eighth seed from Queensland, the runner-up to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, also expects Clijsters to be a big danger.
Stosur said: "Even though she has been out for a little while, you can't discount anything that she might be able to do. She was able to win the US Open without too much preparation, so you have to think of her as a threat.
"She's a great player and a great champion, and people like that don't play the tournament unless they're feeling ready."
Stosur was the favourite in the final to win her first grand slam title 12 months ago but the occasion seemed to get the better of her and it was Italian Schiavone who seized her chance.
The 27-year-old insisted she looks back on the experience as a positive one, adding: "It was nice to come back to Paris and nice to come back to Roland Garros and walk through the door and see the Aussie flag on the centre court.
"It didn't bring back any bad memories. I've tried to erase all those and now it's only good ones."
Stosur meets Iveta Benesova in round one while other notable ties include Wozniacki's clash with Kimiko Date Krumm, who at 40 is twice the Dane's age, and Schiavone taking on American teenager Melanie Oudin.
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