Live from Roland Garros (V)

Friday’s news from the French, including what the favourites thought of the draw for the men’s and women’s singles, and the arrival of Rafael Nadal on the clay courts he has made his own over the past four years. Rafa in the house He was a long time coming, but Rafael Nadal is finally here in Paris, and on Friday he certainly had a packed programme. After helping to conduct the draw with Ana Ivanovic, the four-time French Open champion had two practice sessions on Philippe Chatrier then Suzanne Lenglen later in the day – most likely the only two courts where he will be in action during the tournament… Ancic drops out Croat Mario Ancic became the latest player to withdraw from the men’s tournament, joining David Nalbandian, Richard Gasquet, Carlos Moya and Jarkko Nieminen on the sidelines. Ancic’s withdrawal may be disappointing news for the tournament, but the lucky loser from qualifying who will replace him will certainly not be complaining... Reactions to the draw A number of this year’s top players and officials met the world’s press on "media day". Here is some of what they had to say: "The semi-final against Rafael in Madrid gave me a bit more faith that I can beat him next time. Just after the match, Carlos Moya said to me: ‘That was the best three-set clay-court match that I have ever seen’, which was a great compliment." Novak Djokovic. "Every time I’ve played here, I’ve given it my best shot. I’ve tried various different ways of preparing myself but nothing I’ve done in the past seems to have worked. I just have to accept the pressure all French players feel at Roland Garros." Amélie Mauresmo. "I can control the ball better in Paris than in Madrid. Here, I feel the ball better on my racquet. The balls do play heavier, but for me they’re easier to play with." Rafael Nadal. "The worst piece of advice that Marat has ever given me? A few years ago, he only needed to train for half an hour per day, whereas I needed four hours. He said: ‘Just train for half an hour – that’s enough’, but that really didn’t work. I got nothing done in half an hour." Dinara Safina. "I had a few problems with my knee in Rome and had to take a few days off. But everything’s fine now. I’m 100% ready to play. (…)" Ana Ivanovic. “The draws (for the French players) are pretty difficult, it’s going to be tough. The guys will need to surprise a few people right from the off. I’m thinking of Llodra (versus Del Potro), Clément (against Tursunov), Serra (against Verdasco) and also Jo (Tsonga) who will have his work cut out for him when he comes up against Benneteau. As for Nadal, he is definitely the favourite. Del Potro and Verdasco are my outside picks.” Cédric Pioline, head of top-level male tennis at the FFT. “I think that things may well be shaken up this time around. I remember Borg back in the day. After a series of wins, he suddenly found it more difficult to beat people. The same thing could happen to Nadal - the magic could well disappear.” Patrice Dominguez, FFT Technical Director. “Djokovic is a difficult draw but I’m happy about it. At my age (32), going up against Djokovic on a big court is fantastic! Besides, it’s better to play him in the first round. He will probably be a little tense and he won’t have found his bearings yet. I feel fit and ready and I think I have a good chance.” Nicolas Lapentti. Qualifiers placed in draw The qualifiers for the men’s and women’s singles have been placed in the main draw, with Brazil’s Marcos Daniel the man who will have to face Rafael Nadal in the first round. Italian up-and-comer Fabio Fognini will take on No25 seed Igor Andreev, while France’s Mathieu Montcourt, who lost in the final round of qualifiers, is the lucky loser who will replace Mario Ancic and face Yen-Hsun Lu. There is also a lucky loser in the women’s draw, namely Colombian Mariana Marino Duque who will take on No26 seed Anna Chakvetadze.