The 2006 French Open started today. This is a Grand Slam that is physically very hard to win due to the surface. It is totally grueling for the players’ bodies. Clay is so much slower and thus require incredible precision with ground strokes and long rallies.

My picks to win the French Open are:

Men’s Section: Rafael Nadal
Women’s Section: Justine Henin-Hardenne

Watch out for
Amelie Mauresmo as well. She’s #1 and she’s the hometown favorite. I would also love to see Martina Hingis making a full comeback. I do not think she has enough weapons in her strokes to win in 2006 but I would love to see it!

Even though Roger Federer is considered to be one of the greatest ever, I do not think clay is his best surface. In addition, Nadal is just too tough for him. A clay court specialist such as Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gaston Gaudio or veteran Carlos Moya may surprise everyone.
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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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