By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, May 27, 2015
Day 5 of the French Open features Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and many others. Find out what we're watching here.
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. Rafael Nadal vs. Nicolas Almagro, 2nd Match, Chatrier
Nicolas Almagro, the man who made so many Nadal fans angry in 2014 in Barcelona when he over-celebrated his colossal win over Nadal before shaking hands, will try to do the unthinkable on Day 5. Defeat the king of clay and end his 36-match winning streak at Roland Garros. But Nadal has already hit back at Almagro twice, defeating him at straight sets in Miami and Barcelona this year, and he owns a career edge of 12-1 against his compatriot.
Still, Almagro is a very talented clay-courter, one who has amassed 254 career victories on the surface, and should provide a great litmus test for just how ready Nadal is to tackle his tenth Roland Garros title. At his best, Almagro has the game to push Nadal. Whether or not he’ll do it tomorrow remains to be seen, but many are looking forward to this battle nonetheless.
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Francesca Schiavone , 1st Match, Bullring
A battle of two former champions that are trying to reclaim their games. One, Schiavone, is so far gone it’s hard to ever imagine her coming back. The other, Kuznetsova, was a finalist in Madrid. We know Kuznetsova has a deep run in her, but can Schiavone use the sight of an old familiar foe on the other side of the net for inspiration? If not, we’ll aways have this:
3. Borna Coric vs Tommy Robredo, 3rd Match, Court 2
Let’s see where Borna Coric is really at in terms of toughness, in best-of-five matches, on clay. And there’s nowhere better to find out for the young Croatian than against Tommy Robredo, the warrior Spaniard who has been to five Roland Garros quarterfinals.
By the Numbers
67-1 Rafael Nadal’s lifetime record at Roland Garros. Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?
16-14 The score of the third set of Francesca Schiavone’s victory in Australia over Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2011. At 4:44, it was the longest Grand Slam women’s singles match ever.
7 Novak Djokovic is looking to win Roland Garros and become just the 8th man in history to complete the career Grand Slam after Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Rod Laver, Rafael Nadal and Fred Perry. He’ll face Gilles Muller on Day 5.
55-2 Serena Williams’ all-time record in second-round matches at Grand Slams. She lost to Garbine Muguruza last year at Roland Garros, and lost to her sister in 1998 at the Australian Open.