French Open 2013: Men's Players Ready to Break out at Roland Garros
While Rafael Nadal will be seeking his eighth title at the French Open this year, there will be other underdogs looking to break out at Roland Garros. On the clay court, it will take some great performances to upset Nadal, who is widely considered the favorite yet again. ย
Here are some players who will be looking to go deep into the tournament this week.
John Isner
TOP NEWS
NFL Rookies with Most to Gain ๐
MLB owners, players open to missing games over labor dispute
World Cup 3rd-Place Game Could Be Epic
John Isner will be appearing in the fifth French Open of his career this coming week. He has never reached the final round in the tournament, with his best appearance coming in 2010ย when he advanced to the third round. ย
Despite his struggles at Roland Garros in the past, Isner may turn in his best French Open yet. ย
One reason you could expect Isner to make a nice showing is that he won his first career clay title earlier this year. Isner defeated Nicolas Almagro at the 2013 US Men's Clay Court Championship this past April, indicating that he could be poised for his best French Open yet.
Janko Tipsarevic
ย Janko Tipsarevic is playing in his 10th French Open and will take the court as the eighth seed in the tournament. He has never been a finalist at the French Open, with his best year coming in 2012 when he advanced to the fourth round. ย
Tipsarevic hasn't had much success in individual tournaments since turning pro in 2002. He has won only four singles titles, one of which was on clay.
He has struggled so far this season, posting a 9-7 record, so it's hard to predict just how far he could go in the tournament. ย ย
Given his high seed, Tipsarevic should look to turn around the rough start to his season by playing deep into the later rounds at the French Open.
It's been a long time since a French player has won the French Open, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will look to pull off a tournament win for the hosting country. He made it to the quarterfinals in 2012 and has experience in this tournament, so he shouldn't be counted out as a serious contender.
Tsonga has gone 19-6 this season, but has yet to win a title on a clay court during his career. He is currently eighth in the ATP rankings and has the highest seedย of any French player in the tournament.
Look for Tsonga to post another strong performance at this year's French Open and possibly pull off an upset en route to a tournament victory.
