By Chris Oddo | Monday, May 25, 2015
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will open their bids in Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 3.
On each day of the French Open we will provide you with notes on three matches to watch, plus notes and numbers to keep you well-equipped for the day ahead.
SEE THE COMPLETE DAY 3 SCHEDULE HERE
1. Novak and Rafa on Chatrier
Two steamships destined to collide in the quarterfinals will open their French Open campaigns on Tuesday. Both with a heavy load of cargo, baggage, history and expectations. That’s Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While both are expected—and probably will—roll to victory on Day 3, tennis cognoscenti will be looking to read between the lines of each performance.
Will Nadal, who faces French wild card Quentin Halys, be sharp, with depth on his groundstrokes and a relatively high winner to unforced error ratio? Will Djokovic take Jarkko Nieminen to the woodshed or will he show some nerves and possibly find himself in trouble for a moment or two? As far as the unthinkable goes, it’s doubtful that either will lose a set tomorrow. But Tuesday’s matches for the pair of clay gurus will start the narratives rolling for the week to come. We’ve been building intensity and excitement ever since the moment the Miami Open ended, now it will build to a fever pitch starting on Tuesday. Let the games begin...
2. Kristina Mladenovic vs. Eugenie Bouchard, 4th Match, Lenglen
Eugenie Bouchard has managed to stay in the Top 10 despite a run of poor form in 2015, but the Canadian has a bevy of points to make up from here to the end of Wimbledon. She’ll be facing a rising Frenchwoman that pulled one of the upsets of the tournament in 2014, when she took down Li Na in the first round. She goes by the name of Kiki, and Kristina Mladenovic is a true talent that possesses a stylish yet powerful game and a love for the clay.
Bouchard will likely have to be very good to make it to round two. Will she be?
3. Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jack Sock, 4th Match, Court 1
Grigor Dimitrov has been on the cusp of something bigger ever since he reached the Wimbledon semifinal last year, but while the talented, diverse Bulgarian proves on a daily basis that he has the tools to be elite, the results seem to lack. Meanwhile, Jack Sock has been rising ever since he hit the ground running at Indian Wells this year. He’s got a devastatingly good forehand and a great attitude on the court. He goes for the big shots and seeks to dictate. He’s also very solid on clay.
This will be a very intriguing matchup of two potentially elite players with very big personalities.
By the Numbers
300 Number of clay-court wins David Ferrer will own if he can defeat Lukas Lacko on Tuesday. He’d become just the second active player to hit the mark.
57-1 Serena Williams’ all-time record in the first round of majors. Her only loss came in 2012 to Virgine Razzano in Paris. She’ll face world No. 190 Andrea Hlavackova on Day 3.
22 Number of matches Novak Djokovic has won consecutively. The Serb has not lost since falling to Roger Federer in the Dubai final in February.
7-9 Eugenie Bouchard’s record in 2015, which includes 1-3 on clay. Her opponent for Tuesday, Kristina Mladenovic, is 8-3 on clay.