Roland Garros 2013: Fresh Faces That Will Build off French Open Success

The 2013 French Open from Roland Garros has been one of the most exciting events in a long time, but it was the unexpected stars who shined throughout the tournament who have the opportunity to build off that success moving forward.

All of the following players surprised fans by dominating the French Open, and each will use their experience from Roland Garros to turn the next year of tennis into the most successful of their lives.

David Ferrer

No matter how Spanish star David Ferrer plays on Sunday against Rafael Nadal in the finals, he has already proven that he is one of the more dangerous players in the game today.

Despite being 31 years old, Ferrer is still a relative unknown to causal fans and had never made the finals of any Grand Slam tournament in his career before this year’s French Open.

Now that he has the confidence to go along with the talent, this could be Ferrer’s coming out party.

While many other players entering their 30s would be reaching the end of their careers, Ferrer doesn’t have the wear-and-tear on his body like many other players, and a berth in the finals of a tournament as important as the French Open could be the start of a career renaissance.

Things look bright for Ferrer after playing amazing at Roland Garros.

Victoria Azarenka

While Victoria Azarenka was bounced in the semifinals by eventual second-place finisher Maria Sharapova, the Belarusian star showed at Roland Garros this year that she has the talent and composure to contend for a French Open win eventually.

At just 23 years old and having her best finish at Roland Garros this year, the future is promising for the women’s tennis star. Not only was Azarenka coming off an Australian Open title, her semifinal run at the French Open has to be great for her confidence.

The loss to Sharapova will hurt, but after beating No. 12-seeded Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals and stealing a set from the defending champion, there is no reason for Azarenka to lose an ounce of coincidence going forward.

Azarenka’s performance was a great opening for a run at the Wimbledon title at the next major.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

While taking a lop-sided loss against David Ferrer in front of the French crowd during the semifinals was tough for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the hometown hero showed just how great he can play at times when he knocked off the legendary Roger Federer.

The straight-set victory over Federer was as one-sided as anyone could have imagined, and if it wasn’t for a poor decision by the officials at Roland Garros to allow the Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic match to go on before the Frenchman’s semifinal, Tsonga could have done even more damage.

Tsonga’s dominance through the first five rounds of the French Open was impressive, and as much as the 28-year-old has already started to make a name for himself in the sport, his performance on the Roland Garros stage signals an exciting future.

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