Talkin Sport - French Open

Rafael Nadal seeks to become only the second man ever to win four consecutive French Open titles.

Nadal, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros can match tennis legend Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four straight French Open titles. Borg won the French Open six times including four straight from 1978-1981. Nadal has spent the last 149 weeks as the world's second ranked men's tennis player and he holds a 10-6 lifetime advantage over world No. 1 Roger Federer including three French Open wins. Nadal is undefeated in all 21 matches played at Roland Garros and had won a record 81 straight clay court matches until Federer defeated him in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final.

Federer has been the world's top ranked tennis player for a record 226 straight weeks. He has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles (five Wimbledon, four U.S. Open, three Australian Open) and is closing in on Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record of 14, but the French Open title still eludes him. Federer has lost to defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the Finals in each of the last two years and in the semifinal round in 2005.

MCENROE ON FEDERER: "Roger can win but his window of opportunity is closing. Having said that he is probably still the second best player on clay right now so of course he has a chance of winning the French."

CARILLO ON FEDERER VS. NADAL: Can Federer win this? Without a doubt. He's been in the last two finals. Only Nadal is a better clay court player. Remember that Federer grew up on this stuff (clay) too and has a genuine feel for this stuff. He's playing the greatest clay courter of his generation, someone who may end up rivaling the great (Bjorn) Borg on this surface. Federer has to play his very best if he were to make it to the final against Nadal. He would have to play with aggression and little fear, and try to knock Nadal off his pins in fewer than five sets. That is perhaps the tallest single order in tennis these days.

MCENROE ON CLAY: "Clay is slippery. Balance is more difficult. Clay favors the defensive minded players and gives them more of a comfort zone."

On the women's side, with the surprise retirement of Justine Henin, who won three straight French Open titles and four in five years, the competition is wide open. Current No. 1 Maria Sharapova is coming off a win at this year's Australian Open and would, with a win at Roland Garros, become only the ninth woman to complete the career Grand Slam joining, among others: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Williams, the 2002 champion is having a solid season and will certainly be a top challenger to Sharapova, as will last year's runner-up and world No. 2 ranked Ana Ivonovic as well as Venus Williams and world No. 3 ranked Jelena Jankovic.

MCENROE ON THE SURPRISE RETIREMENT OF HENIN: "I was definitely taken by surprise by Justine Henin's recent retirement. I hope that her decision is the right one for her because it is certainly a blow to our sport."

MCENROE ON THE WIDE OPEN WOMEN'S FIELD: "I think it is more wide open that any time in my memory. I can't even name a favorite right now."

CARILLO ON THE WOMEN'S FIELD: "Losing Henin to retirement throws open the field, first and foremost, to Serena, Maria Sharapova and Venus former Grand Slam tournament winners who know the taste of major wins."

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