Posted by Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com
Everyone entered in the French Open has his or her own reasons for why winning the dang thing would be so gratifying, but not everyone's reason is as good as Roger Federer's. The polite, well-dressed, well-groomed Swiss is merely playing for a title that may put him over the top as a popular choice for GOAT -- Greatest Of All Time. So let's take a look at what's on the line for the Top 10 men at Roland Garros starting Sunday:
1. Roger Federer: See above.
2. Rafael Nadal: Let's face it, he represents the thin blue line between Federer and his utter, absurd, borderline-embarrassing world domination. The line snapped in Hamburg last week, ending Nadal's record 81-match clay-court win streak. So you can bet that Nadal will be all fired up. Added bonus: Nadal wins, he becomes first man since Bjorn Borg, and only the second man in the Open era, to record a hat trick at Roland Garros. Can you say "motivation"?
3. Andy Roddick: The chance to demonstrate an overlooked truth: anyone with a big serve, forehand and decent mobility can go deep in Paris, even if he doesn't win.
4. Nikolay Davydenko: The little Russian dude wins and he is confirmed as tennis' Little Engine That Could. Added bonus: the increased prize-money can be squandered on hair plugs.
5. Fernando Gonzalez: This guy has a lot to lose if he wins: his reputation as the beloved "Gonzo." Stranger things have happened.
6. Novak Djokovic: He makes me look like a genius for picking him, and, at some level, it's all about me, right? Added bonus: He becomes the first Serbian champ in RG -- or Grand Slam -- singles history.
7. Ivan Ljubicic: Forget it, the guy goes weak at the knees at two-week events. Added bonus: He gets to tell everyone on the planet: See, I told you so!
8. James Blake: Points, ranking points, it's all about the points at this point for Blake. But with his speed and that slapshot forehand, there's no reason he can't do well on clay, at least none that is located anywhere but between his ears.
9. Tommy Robredo: The 15 people who don't already know get to learn that although Tommy is Spanish, his rockin' pa named him after the rock opera by the seminal rock band, The Who. He's flashy and excellent on clay but he tends to fold up in a supernova of brilliant shotmaking on big occasions -- kind of like Pete Townsend doing that guitar-trashing thing.
10. Tommy Haas: He's out of the mix because of shoulder problems. (Note: he was not named after the Pinball Wizard; his German dad just thought "Tommy" sounded cooler than Tomas.) No matter how you cut it, the poor guy can't catch a break, health-wise. The next man down in the rankings is Andy Murray. He's out too, with a damaged wrist. Can we have a 10th man, please? Oh, it's Tomas Berdych? Forget it.
Have a French Open question? Join Peter Bodo's next chat, May 30 at 1 p.m. ET.
