Live from Roland Garros (I)

Sharapova hits the comeback trail While the qualification hopefuls begin their bid for a place at next week’s French Open, the world’s leading players on the ATP and WTA Tours are busy completing their preparations for Roland-Garros. France’s Top-10 duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon are competing in the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, which is now an ATP-ranking event, while over in Kitzbuhel, No1 seed Nikolay Davydenko will be under scrutiny following his decision to pull out of the Madrid Open. The ladies are in action in Warsaw and Strasbourg, meanwhile, with Maria Sharapova making her comeback in the Polish capital. The Russian has been out of action since August 2008 with a shoulder injury. The main attraction at the Strasbourg event, now organised by the FFT, is Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues, who is going for her fourth title. Nadal beaten The tennis world was rocked on Sunday when Rafael Nadal lost on clay for the first time in 33 matches, Roger Federer beating him in straight sets (6-4 6-4) in the final of the Madrid Open. It was the Swiss champion’s first title of 2009 and the 58th of his career. Despite defeat, Nadal can look back with satisfaction on his marathon semi-final win over Novak Djokovic, with the Spaniard saving three match points before prevailing 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 in an epic duel that lasted four hours three minutes. "I'm very, very happy that I stayed positive and I got the win I needed badly because I've had some rather bad losses this year," commented Federer. "I haven’t been happy about my game for a few weeks but now I can go to Paris full of confidence." As will Nadal, no doubt. Agassi and Graf, ten years on Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are set to play an eagerly awaited exhibition match on the final Saturday of Roland-Garros (6 June). The two tennis legends, who are, of course, husband and wife and have two children, will be in action at 11am on Court 7 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their 1999 singles wins (Agassi’s one and only Roland-Garros success and Graf’s sixth and final triumph). The match will be sponsored by Longines, the official timekeeper of the tournament and a sponsor of the duo. As part of the event Agassi and Graf will also knock up with ten young players from around the world, and the day will come to a close with a gala evening and auction, with proceeds going to the former champions’ charity organisations, the Andre Agassi Foundation and Children for Tomorrow. Tennis in the city Just as it did last year, the French Open will be making its presence felt in the centre of Paris. From 30 May to 7 June, the forecourt of the French capital’s city hall will provide the setting for Roland-Garros In The City. This second staging of the event, which is open to everyone, should be even more exciting than last year’s. Starting at midday every day and running until 7.30pm, the nine-day programme features exhibition matches, tennis clinics with champion players, a big screen showing all the big games at the tournament, tennis lessons for beginners, mini tennis for children, autograph sessions, a French Tennis Federation (FFT) stand, a tennis speed gun and much, much more. The children of Roland-Garros First held in 1977, the Benny-Berthet Charity Day, held on the Saturday before the French Open, has this year changed its name to The Children of Roland-Garros. Scheduled for 23 May, the event will see men’s and women’s champions play a series of exhibition matches, with profits going to five charity associations. As of next year the FFT will focus the event on its educational and social programmes in support of disadvantaged children. Injury worries for Monfils Gael Monfils’ presence at the French is still in doubt as he struggles to recover from tendinitis of the knee. A semi-finalist last year, La Monf is facing a race against the clock to be fit in time for the clay season’s showpiece event. Even if he does make it, he is sure to be short of preparation, having played only one tournament on clay all season, February’s Mexican Open, where he reached the final. Coached by Roger Rasheed, Monfils is scheduled to play an exhibition event later this week at Rueil-Malmaison, which should give a clearer indication of his fitness. The Frenchman, who has just dropped out of the Top 10, will be lining up there against the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Women’s doubles in the spotlight The final of the women’s doubles is being moved this year to avoid a clash with the men’s singles semi-finals. The big match, which takes place on Friday 5 June, is being switched from its usual venue of the Philippe-Chatrier Court to the Suzanne-Lenglen Court, and will start no earlier than 3pm. Admission is open to all ticket holders for the outside courts. Clay the key says McEnroe Speaking at a recent press conference, US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe voiced his concern about the problems clay poses to the nation’s players. "The way the game has changed with the technology, the rackets, the strings, the athleticism and the speed you have to learn how to build the point and play with spin, play with angle, take the ball early. You basically have to do it all," he said. "We’re not teaching our players to be clay courters. We’re not going to change into a clay court nation anytime soon. But we certainly feel it is a huge part of the developmental process for kids to become all-round players." Short of a sudden revolution taking place in American tennis, the country will continue to pin its hopes on Andy Roddick, who remains their best hope of putting an end to a dreadful run at Roland-Garros, one that has seen the land of the Stars and Stripes go without a quarter-finalist since Andre Agassi in 2002.