Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a 10th French Open title when he takes the court on Tuesday against Quentin Halys. John Isner and Andreas Seppi are also in first-round action.
(WC) Quentin Halys vs. (6) Rafael Nadal
Something will have to give when it comes to Nadal’s 2015 French Open campaign. Will his 66-1 lifetime record and nine titles end up making the difference on his way to a 10th triumph at Roland Garros? Or will current form (Nadal is 25-9 this season with five setbacks on clay) continue and send the Spaniard to a rare loss in Paris? He fell prior to the finals in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome and got crushed by Andy Murray in the Madrid title match, but Nadal has won the French Open on five straight occasions since getting upset by Robin Soderling in 2009.
Up first for the world No. 7 on Tuesday is Halys, who played his first match at the ATP level last week (he replaced Gilles Simon as a lucky loser) and lost to James Duckworth in Nice. This is, of course, the 18-year-old Frenchman’s debut appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam; he was previously unsuccessful in two Roland Garros qualifying attempts before getting a wild card this time around. Halys won the junior doubles title at this event in 2014 and he finished runner-up in singles a few months later at the U.S. Open. A first-ever meeting with Nadal will be a good experience for the youngster, but it is an experience that will not last long.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games
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Andreas Seppi vs. (16) John Isner
Isner and Seppi will be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the distance; Isner prevailed 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4 in the 2010 Australian Open first round before Seppi got the job done at home in Italy with a 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 victory on the clay courts of Rome in 2012.
It is hard to see this one being similarly competitive. Seppi has been dealing with a back injury and has not won a single match since Indian Wells. Isner, on the other hand, has been in outstanding form since reaching the fourth round in the desert and the semis in Miami. The 16th-ranked American has won at least two matches in all four of his European clay-court events. Although it is a tough draw on paper for Isner, his fortnight should get off to a routine start.
Pick: Isner in 3
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Nadal and Isner in 3 easy sets
Vamos Seppi.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CF3brchUgAArBOv.png
The French Open starts tomorrow…………
Vamos Rafa!
I will take Rafa in straight sets. I am not sure how many games he will lose. His opponent should not present too much of a challenge. I don’t know him, but in the preview it says he’s French. I assume the crowd will be behind him all the way.
I think Isner will beat Seppi in straight sets, based on the fact that Seppi is dealing with an injury and how good Isner is playing at this time.
it is that time of the year again…the time when I place all my hopes with one man…when my dreams become my hunter and my insomnia…when the sun shines again…and when I worry, get frustrated and become the happiest person on earth in short two-week time…that time of the year it is, except that this time around I expect nothing joyful or happy to come out of it…my fears, uncertainty and doubts overwhelm my humble self…
when I saw the draw I was initially frustrated…then I became sad…If I trusted Rafa’s game I would have had the base for some hopes…but I have very little left in that corner right now…
tough draw, bad game, no confidence, no mental stability, lack of form, lack of match play, slow and dump conditions…that gives me very little hope if any…I was optimistic all clay season…but now I am nothing but afraid…I am afraid of Rafa’s first match…and even if he shows some brilliance I will not treat myself with luxury of feeling confident about Rafa’s level as you never know if his inconsistency will show it’s face in the very next match…
but there is one thing I know for sure…it is my unconditional love and support for the Spanish Hero no matter what…in the name of all 9 brilliant champion victories I will ignore the French crowd, I will ignore almost animal urge and killer instinct of every player Rafa runs into (since they all seem to live for the chance to be able to beat the legend of RG)… I would cheer for Rafa almost as I was waiting for 2008 Rafa to suddenly show up and beat them all…I will be here to believe…hope seems too pretentious … I will only chose to believe that my Rafa can be a miracle worker…
Vamos Rafa!
Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
You don’t need to be a Rafan to TOUCH the dripping contempt and disrespect of Rafa in the article below, almost salivating at a possible upset of Rafa by……………Halys (ATP rank: #296). Djokovic only merits a dismissive paragraph, dismissive to his opponent of course.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/25/rafael-nadal-french-open-2015-fans-first-round
“While it is inconceivable that the Spaniard, who has won nine French Open titles and 66 of 67 matches at Roland Garros over 10 years, will lose in his opening-round match against the 18-year-old French wild card Quentin Halys on Tuesday, such a calamity would inspire not only wild celebration among Parisians who have often been ambivalent about their imported king of clay but an orgy of speculation elsewhere about Nadal’s future.”
Expect Roman amphitheater stuff on Chatrier today, with the crowd cheering for each
and every one of Rafa’s mistakes and errors.
Me? Couldn’t care less! Just happy to be seeing Rafa on court again. Vamos Champ!!
dripping contempt indeed….
did this professional truly not think / feel that his heavy bias would come through clearly?
let me rephrase that…
it is one thing to let a too-strong-for-a-professional-commentary bias stand in the written word and be clear to see…
it is another to let your contempt stand in the written word and be clear to see
imagine if a professional writer let his or her contempt of Roger be published in a manner where it is clear to see… would that not provoke some reactions?
#SunKing
They couldn’t care less now @chloro. Remember, they only granted Rafa grudging respect because he was winning so much.
which in a way has made the growing combined achievements of rafa that much sweeter over the years… 🙂
especially each time he has been written off… e.g. the 2013 come-back for the ages
Some tasty matches up today:
Dolgo vs Nico;
Grisha vs Sock;
Dimitrov will beat Sock , I think.
But Sock has been playing some good ball on clay, while Grisha has appeared surprisingly fragile………..
However, Grisha’s experience should see him through methinks as well……
Ferrer makes short work of Lacko. Cilic also wins easily.
Watching history, King of Clay entering Chatrier for the 1st time this year………..
Jake Garner in the Chair…………
Rafa in all blue. Not crazy about the outfit, looks dull on him………….
Pfft….someone out there loves the all blue:
RT @BackSwings: “LOVE the all blue. Won’t hear anything against it. #Rafa.”
Hows Rafa playing?
così così, but he is not being tested………….yet.
and a Home Run by Nadal but he is still winning this easily.
he is 4-2 up he was 2 breaks up but lost his serve once. he has missed a few shots to be honest.
Nadal a bit behind the baseline