by Pete Bodo
I am still trying to get over the fact that Gael Monfils, a Frenchman, has a "cheese allergy." Ridicule! . . . Ironique! But as we all know, French players have an even worse allergy—to success at Roland Garros. On that score, at least, Monfils has acquitted himself reasonably well in recent years, although he's no Yannick Noah (the 1983 champion), or Henri LeConte (he played in two semis, two quarters and one final, in which he got his clock cleaned by Mats Wilander in straight sets).
Monfils, 24 and ranked No. 9, made the semis at Roland Garros in 2008 and the quarters in 2009, losing to Roger Federer on both occasions. He slipped up last year, stumbling out in the second round via a painful, 9-7 in-the-fifth loss to Fabio Fognini, whom nobody has ever mistaken for Federer.
The natural question in every French tennis fan's mind today must be, is "La Monf" going all Mauresmo on us? The best French player since Godot knows when never made it beyond the quarters at Roland Garros—despite once holding the No. 1 ranking and winning multiple Grand Slams—and she was gone by the end of third round 10 of the 16 times she played. You have to wonder, has La Monf shot his wad in the 16th Arrondissement with that brace of second-week losses to Federer?
Bedeviled by injuries and ailments that have prevented him from playing more than six events this year, Monfils hasn't reached a quarterfinals in a Grand Slam or Masters event in 2011; he's just 9-4 overall. Unless he pulls a really lucky draw, his most likely reaction to the brackets will be a huge. . . gulp!
Monfils will be up against it at this event for a variety or reasons, ranging from the expectations of his countrymen to his lack of match-play conditioning. He's not the only one in that position, either. At each major, it seems, there's an entire group of players—we'll call them "Gulpers"—who have their work cut out, often because they've been unable to keep their games in tip-top shape. Let's take a look at some of the other Gulpers, with their ranking, record for 2011 [up to the end of Rome] and their best result at Roland Garros, respectively, right behind their names.
!Caro Caroline Wozniacki (No. 1; 34-7; QF, 2010): Wozniacki has been under significant pressure to justify her status as the No. 1 ranked player ever since she finished atop the rankings pile for 2010, and she acquitted herself well in the first, hard-court quarter of the year. She had no reason to feel shame losing to Li Na in the semis of the Australian Open; it was a competitive match and Li was on a hot streak.
But Wozniacki hasn't played so well on clay, and the new "book" on Caro suggests that the way to beat her is to keep her hemmed in and go for the big shot when the opportunity presents itself. LIke Lleyton Hewitt, that other well-known counter-puncher, Wozniacki's game seems more effective on hard courts. This will not be her only opportunity to win a major, and the world won't come to an end if she doesn't get it done in Paris. But the criticism—and pressure—will certainly mount with each missed opportunity to confirm the validity of that ranking.
Roger Federer (No. 3; 28-7; W, 2009): Most players would kill to have a 28-7 record for the year, and semis or better at every tournament he's played but two. But this is the same Federer who spoiled us with his excellence. Does 23 Grand Slam semifinals in a row ring a bell?
Still. . . the popular theme over the past few months is that Federer has slipped over the peak of the hill and is now on the downhill side; just how quickly he descends, if he descends at all, remains to be seen. For that reason, a good performance by Federer (quarters or better) would really make his life easier, while an early-round upset would add to the feeling that Federer is slipping, quickly. Nobody said it's a fair world.
Francesca Schiavone (No. 5; 14-11; W, 2010): The flip side of being a "surprise champion," no matter how well-deserved the title, is that you have to defend it a year later. Schiavone is 30, and her so-so record this year, which includes four first-round losses, does not bode well. But this Italian lady has a great deal of flair and strong emotions. Let it rip, Frankie. Maybe you don't have to pay the piper just yet. . .
Jurgen Melzer (No. 8; 12-10; SF, 2010): Think of Melzer as a poor man's Schiavone. He didn't win Roland Garros last year. But he never made a semi before last year, either, and that performance powered a year-long surge that broke him into the Top 10 at age 29. Alas, Melzer has struggled this year, winning just four matches in the five Masters 1000 events played this year. I don't even want to now how many rankings points he stands to lose in an early exit from Roland Garros, but it will be enough to put the ki-bosh on the Melzer surge. To compound his woes, Melzer defaulted his first-round match in Rome to Florian Mayer (Melzer has had back problems this year), but as far as I know he hasn't withdrawn from Paris.
Sam Stosur (No. 7; 19-12; R/U, 2010): There are striking similarities in the situations of Stosur and Melzer, with one significant difference. Stosur really helped her cause last week when she made it to the final of Rome (where she lost to Sharapova). It was her first title match of the year, and may give her enough confidence to gulp a bit less audibly when the draw comes out. The worrisome thing is that Stosur tends to react poorly to pressure (as was demonstrated by her third-round loss in her home tournament, the Australian Open). Last year, the only thing standing between Stosur and the title was Francesca Schiavone. Granted, the Italian champ played a fine match, but still. . . it was a golden opportunity to join the Grand Slam winner's club, and those don't come very often for the Stosurs—or Schiavones—of this world very often.
Fernando Verdasco (No. 17; 13-11; 4R 2007 to '10): Last year, a brilliant clay-court campaign vaulted Verdasco into the Top 10, but he's since plummeted to No. 17 (it figures that among all the players whose rankings you might have expected to see go over a cliff in recent weeks—including Monfils, Melzer, Stosur—only Verdasco appears to be taking the punishment for his poor play). This guy probably doesn't know where to turn at this point, but a good run to the final eight of Roland Garros (or better) would be adequate balm and help insulate him from further insult as the grass and hard-court seasons approach.
!Jelly Jelena Jankovic (No. 10; 24-11; SF, 2007, '08, '10): Who would have thought, back when Jankovic finished No. 1 in the world in 2008, that she would be struggling to keep a place in the Top 10 in 2011? But as we all know, sh. . . Petkovic happens. Those losses to Petko in Miami and Stuttgart are just two of the many testaments to Jankovic's unpredictability and recent lack of confidence. But Roland Garros in a way is where it all began for Jankovic, with that wonderful "Serbian Summer" of 2007. The "gulp" factor is hard to measure, but if Jankovic can control it she could have an excellent tournament in this topsy-turvy year. She certainly needs it.
Nikolay Davydenko (No. 30; 13-11; SF, 2007 and '05): It's strange; Kolya the Obscure started the year with a bang, with a win over Rafael Nadal in the semis of Doha (he would lost the final to Federer). After that, though, Davydenko didn't win a match until Barcelona, and he's a miserable 1-6 in Grand Slam and Masters play. Davydenko missed Roland Garros last year, so he doesn't have rankings points at stake. But he's played well in Paris almost every year, so an early loss would only deepen his woes.
Ana Ivanovic (No. 22; 9-8; W, 2008): No matter how you cut it, losing early at a tournament you've won, especially if it's a major, is a devastating blow. Ivanovic has felt a fair number of those in a truly puzzling career marked by wildly fluctuating proficiency. She's struggled some with injury (and is currently nursing a bad wrist that could hamper her at Roland Garros), but this appears to be one of those cases where it's a lack of confidence that causes shots to go awry, rather than the other way around. That Serbian Summer sure seems a long time ago, and Novak Djokovic's success (he was the third member of the trinity that year) makes the struggles faced by Ivanovic and Jankovic that much more puzzling—and poignant.
Novak Djokovic (No. 2; 37-0; SF 2008, '07): That "gulp" you just heard is the sound of Novak Djokovic swallowing the ATP tour, whole.