Defending champ Schiavone hopeful for French

Defending Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone tells Reuters that she’s hoping that her top form will return in Paris. The fifth-ranked Italian is only 4-3 on clay this year, falling to Agnieszka Radwanska in her opening match in Stuttgart, to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the fourth round of Madrid and to Samantha Stosur in the quarters of Rome. "I know I can play better but I need to concentrate harder," she said. "I need to be playing at 80-90 percent of my ability but when it's at 30-40 per cent, it's tough to win. I've chosen to play less tennis, avoiding smaller tournaments so I can focus on training to get back in the swing. I'm working on a new tennis, meaning a better serve, a different, more intelligent and more instinctive way of playing. You can always improve."