French Open

It has taken me a while to like the French Open. I used to find the long rallies at Roland Garros boring, the power-play monotonous and the groundstrokes uninspiring. I much preferred the serve and volley games at Wimbledon, where a great serve was followed by a rush to the net and a sweet volley to finish things off. I must confess things have changed for me a little bit this year.

And the match that did it for me was the quarterfinals between Puerta and Canas. It was gripping stuff with neither willing to give in and some unbelievable groundstrokes from phenomenal angles. It was as much a game of attrition as tactic, talent and skill. In fact, it seemed more 'holistic' tennis than what we often see at Wimbledon where a person with just a great serve can do very well ( eg. Ivanesevic) . In French, a big serve can be a good weopon but hardly the one that will get you the title. You have to be a great player all round to survive- good serve, great top spin groundstrokes, good passing shots, the occasional volley- and of course, tons of stamina and patience. The match between Puerta and Canas eventually boiled down to who could play at highest level more consistently and Canas couldnt last out. Sean Connery in the crowd was as enthralled as I was in front of my television set.

What do I make of Nadal? This guy is in the John McEnroe mould, except that he seems tougher and hungrier to do well at the top. Playing Nadal is like fighting a tireless bull that keeps coming back at you with incredible force every time you force him back! (just ask Grosjean who had a whiff of a chance against him only to be blown away in 4 sets or Federrer for that matter). I like the energy he brings to the court, his amazing range of shots and his never say die attitude. Brad Gilber says he could end up with 7 to 10 Grand Slam titles if not more. Now that is a very big statement to make. Will be interesting to see how he adapts to surfaces apart from clay.

In the women's section, I felt for Mary Pierce who had no chance against Justine. At 30, this was realistically her last chance at the title and clearly, she was found wanting. I am glad to see Justine back if only to see her incredible backhand that is as much a pleasure to watch as Steffi's awesome forehand used to be in the early nineties! It is great to see major competition in women's tennis rather than the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds inevitably meeting in the finals all the time. The competition is more fierce now (thank God for the Russians) and the game is the winner at the end of it.

Interesting to see how Wimbledon pans out but Im sure there will be lot less Spaniards and Argentinians in there!