Day 4 Preview: Federer and Djokovic Back in Action on Wednesday in Paris

By Chris Oddo

Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

(May 29, 2012)—Looking to build momentum after so-so first-rounders, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 2009 French Open champion Roger Federer will headline the festivities on the men’s side tomorrow.

But it won’t be the world No. 1 who gets to play on Court Philippe Chatrier.

In a nod to Federer’s brilliance of year’s past, and the fact that he’s a former champion at the French Open, Federer will play his second-round match against Adrian Ungur of Romania on Chatrier, while Djokovic will play the first match of the day on Court Suzanne Lenglen against Slovenian Blaz Kavcic.

Federer, who will be bidding to became the all-time Grand Slam win leader tomorrow (he’s currently tied with Jimmy Connors at 233), has never played the Romanian before. The five-time French Open finalist has never lost in the second round of a Grand Slam event so it shouldn’t cause him too much worry.

But Federer’s 27-year-old opponent has never lost a Grand Slam main draw match either. After failing to qualify for Grand Slams on thirteen previous occasions, Ungur gained direct entry to this year’s event and defeated David Nalbandian in the first round.

Djokovic, who is looking to reach his first French Open final and become the first man since Rod Laver to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, won his only previous encounter with Kavcic, a 6-3, 6-2 victory on the red clay in Belgrade.

Besides Djokovic and Federer, the French faithful will have lots to cheer for, as eight of the thirteen remaining Frenchman will be bidding for the third round tomorrow.

Gilles Simon will take on American Brian Baker on Chatrier in one of the more highly anticipated matches of the day. Simon owns a 7-6 career record at Roland Garros and he’s never made it past the fourth round. Baker, meanwhile, has taken the lead in the running to become the ATP’s comeback player of the year with his scintillating return from an injury-marred hiatus that took him from his perch as one of the game’s most promising players in 2005.

Baker won his first Grand Slam match since 2005 against Xavier Malisse yesterday. Tomorrow the wildcard will be bidding for his first trip to the third round of a Grand Slam.

Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will try to advance against German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in the final match of the day on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Tsonga, like Simon, has never been beyond the fourth round of his home Grand Slam.

Seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych will play Frenchman Michael Llodra in the Bullring (Court 1). The hard-hitting Czech has lost two straight matches at Grand Slams vs. Llodra, including one at the French Open in 2008.

In other action, ninth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro will take on Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, fourteenth-seeded Fernando Verdasco will take on Gilles Muller and twenty-first-seeded Marin Cilic will take on former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.

On a sentimental note, wildcard Arnaud Clement will look to prolong his French Open career against David Goffin on Court 1. Clement is playing in his fifteenth Grand Slam and his fifty-fifth overall (an active record).