Brooklyn Decker

Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world. His movement is superior, his versatility allows him more tactical options than nearly anybody, and he is adept on all surfaces. If he wins Roland Garros in a few weeks, he would be the form pick for Wimbledon and his game will always be suited to the Deco Turf courts at Flushing Meadows.
In the (short) off-season last winter, Djokovic switched from all polyester strings (mains and crosses) to a poly-gut hybrid. He has acknowledged that he has maintained the same control while this equipment adjustment has given him some extra pop. He has also worked really hard on pounding the weights. He is a physically strong young man, and keeps getting stronger.
It has always been common wisdom that strong, fast legs are essential to succeed on clay courts. I’ll accept that as a given. I know that Andre Agassi used to work really hard on strengthening his upper body in preparation for the clay court season. His reasoning was that balls bounce so high that he needed to be stronger to effectively handle those shoulder high (and higher) shots. The polyester strings enable players to generate more action than ever, so topspin groundstrokes just fly off the terre bateau.
This upper-body strength philosophy would help explain why the muscular Rafael Nadal holds such an edge on the dirt. I saw a replay of his 2005 Brasil Open victory, which was Nadal’s second ATP Tour title, and he has gotten visibly stronger and thicker in these past three years.
Interestingly, there was footage of Nadal working diligently on his serve on the practice courts of Rome. I recalled a story from last year’s French Championships when he was spending a lot of time on his serve. Mats Wilander wandered over to his practice court and asked him why he was working so hard on his serve during the French Championships. Nadal’s response was that he does not need a better serve to win on clay but he needs to improve this area to win Wimbledon. His response was not boastful, as he remains a humble young man. It does, however, speak volumes about his ambition.
I wish I knew what was going on with Justine Henin. About two months ago, I saw her training on the red clay of the Monte Carlo Country Club. She was doing intervals on-court and working on her forehand, which remains her dominant shot on the dirt. At that point, I would have suggested that she would absolutely be sailing into Roland Garros as the big favorite. Instead, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina (and sixteen other Russians) are looking stronger. It could be a weird French Championships this spring.
Major kudos to the 22-year-old Dinara Safina. Over the weekend, she took her first WTA Tour Tier 1 title in Berlin. If her serve improves a little, she could be a major factor at the Big W this summer. This will be the year when she reaches her first major semifinal.
How about those American clay court grinders?!? First, Sam Querrey makes a run to the Monte Carlo quarters, and then James Blake and Andy Roddick reach the quarters and semis respectively at Rome. I would expect that there will be an American man in the second week of the French for the first time since 2003.
It appears as though there will be ten American men who will receive direct entry into Roland Garros. The only other nations in that league are France, Spain, and Argentina. There has been a quiet resurgence occurring in the Land of Coca Cola, highlighted by the 2007 Davis Cup victory. Who deserves the credit? Well, it seems that whenever there is blame about a lack of international success then the U.S. Tennis Association becomes the default whipping boy. Given that, they deserve the accolades at this juncture. Ryan Harrison and Chase Buchanan are young Americans in the pipeline, and these boys are positively among the best juniors in the world. As they continue to climb the ATP ladder, they will force other young Americans to improve to keep pace. Stay tuned.
It was a pity to see Andy Roddick need to retire during his semifinal match against Stanislas Wawrinka. Apparently, he tweaked his back while moving furniture into an apartment he recently purchased in New York City that he will share with supermodel fiancé Brooklyn Decker. Getting to the semis, especially with a gimpy back, was a tremendous effort for the New Yorker.
Speaking of Wawrinka, the Swiss Davis Cup team would be as formidable as any in the world- and on any surface- if world No. 1 Roger Federer would commit to playing a full schedule.
As we are in the midst of clay court season, many have opened the GOAT (on clay) debate. If Rafael Nadal wins this year, he will have garnered one more French Open title than the retiring Gustavo Kuerten, Mats Wilander, and Ivan Lendl. Meanwhile, Bjorn Borg won six French titles, including a record four consecutively- which is a feat that Rafael Nadal could match in a few weeks. Borg lost two matches in his career at Roland Garros, losing both times to the same player. Who beat him, and in what years? Bonus trivia: why did Borg NOT play the 1977 French Open?