PARIS &mdash Asked if there’s a real favorite for this year’s French Open, Serena Williams shot back a quick answer.
“Yeah,” she replied, “I definitely think Nadal is probably a big-time favorite.” Well, yes, Serena, you’re right, four-time champion Rafael Nadal surely is the man to beat. But what about the women’s field “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m just here to play and go for it.” As the year’s second Grand Slam tournament begins Sunday, no one seems to know which woman is the likeliest to hoist the trophy in two weeks. “It’s very hard to pick one,” said Ana Ivanovic, the defending champion. If a fourth consecutive men’s final between Nadal and Roger Federer seems like a possibility, the women’s event appears less predictable.
Williams and Ivanovic each has struggled recently with a bothersome knee. Maria Sharapova returned to the tour this week after missing nearly 10 months, and she was wearing white tape on her surgically repaired right shoulder as she practiced at Roland Garros on Saturday.