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Analysis: Roland Garros 2014

Serena Williams, Li Na, Sharapova, Ivanovic - women contenders at Roland Garros 2014

Who's in the running for the women's number one spot at the 2014 French Open? Can Li Na, Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanovic topple wondrous Serena Williams?

Serena Williams - will the wondrous one keep her place at the top?
Serena Williams - will the wondrous one keep her place at the top?
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Serena Williams

The entire fortnight of Roland Garros could be spent talking about the wondrousness of Serena Williams.

She's been on the circuit since September 1995 and she'll be 33 in September. But age appears not to be withering her. She keeps winning.

At the Italian Open - the last clay court event before the French Open - she did encounter resistance.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes

The Serbian 11th seed Ana Ivanovic took their semi-final into a third set after winning the second 6-3.

Williams’s response?

“Well, I just took my time and I was, like, Serena, you have to relax. I was a little uptight and a little anxious. I got a little angry. I realised I needed to have fun and I thought if I lose I’m going to go out with my friends, have some pizza and some pasta and that got me relaxed.”

While the thoughts of toppings and sauces were swirling through her head, the ball was whirling past Ivanovic, who’s no shrinking violet among the slugger sisterhood. The Serb was pulverised 6-1.

Williams's reward was a final against the Italian 10th seed Sara Errani, a player she'd beaten in their previous six matches.

The American said she was nervous that the Campo Centrale crowd would galvanise the local girl to feats beyond her normal powers.

Perhaps the partisans did. Errani kept the first set competitive - she was only down by one break of service. But in the effort to stay in touch, she injured her left thigh.

The second set was a 6-0 stroll for the top seed as she claimed her third Italian Open crown and the 60th of her career.

Seventeen of those championships are grand slams - a haul that puts her sixth on the all-time list.

She will be the hot favourite for the 2014 Roland Garros crown. The only hiccup may well be the thigh injury that forced her to withdraw from the Madrid Open a week before her conquests in Rome.

If Williams does defend her Roland Garros title, the accomplishment will be considered utterly banal, such is her dominance. She won her first grand slam in 1999 at the US Open. That grand slam number 18 beckons 15 years later underlines her gift at making the extraordinary seem quite simple.

Li Na

Strange world order where the top guns are in their 30s. Li turned 32 on 26 February, 10 days after she rose to her highest singles ranking of world number two.

China's Li Na attends a training session for the French Open tennis tournament
China's Li Na attends a training session for the French Open tennis tournament Reuters/Vincent Kessler

In terms of silverware Li cannot compare with the alpha female Williams. Li has won nine WTA singles titles including two grand slams.

The first came three years ago on the clay at the French Open. That victory made her the first grand slam singles champion from an Asian country.

Li underlined her major credentials when she claimed the Australian Open in January.

Though she lost at the Italian Open in the quarter-finals to the eventual finalist Sara Errani, Li will be one of contenders for Roland Garros.

The surface suits her aggressive baseline game. She moves well and has the potential to blast opponents off the court.

Indeed, in the third round at the Italian Open, she was up against the Australian Samantha Stosur, an opponent who'd foiled her in their previous six encounters.

Li won it 6-3 6-1. The key, she said, was simply using her power against Stosur rather than seeking to wear her down through gruelling rallies.

Many tennis analysts consider Li one of the cleanest and hardest-hitting players on tour today.

If the seeding goes to plan, Li should be up against Williams on Saturday 7 June. Finesse won’t be the first tactic on their agenda.

Maria Sharapova

Having once had her movement on clay compared to that of a cow on ice, Shaparova must have founder her win at Roland Garros in 2012 all the sweeter.

Sharapova is one of a handful of women who have claimed titles at all four grand slam venues.

She lost in the 2013 final to Serena Williams but comes into Paris in form. She garnered back-to-back titles in Stuttgart and Madrid. A testament to her competitive instincts.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

"I really challenge myself to improve on clay courts because that was never my favourite surface in the beginning of my career," Sharapova said in Madrid.

"I've done a really good job of transitioning from the hard courts to the clay and really improving physically and recovering well from match to match.”

She added: "I've benefited from that in the last couple of years. I enjoy playing on all surfaces. I like the challenges they all bring. But I'm really happy about changing my results on clay the last few years."

Ana Ivanovic

One of the Serb’s favourite TV programmes of the moment isaward-winning fantasy drama Game of Thrones.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia hits a return to Petra Martic of Croatia during their women's singles match at the French Open tennis tournament, 26 May 2013
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia hits a return to Petra Martic of Croatia during their women's singles match at the French Open tennis tournament, 26 May 2013 Reuters/Philippe Wozajer

Ivanivic's career to date has been the stuff of dreams and nightmares.

She announced her promise back in 2006. She reached the second round at the Australian Open, the third round and Roland Garros and the last 16 at Wimbledon.

At the start of 2007 she was in the final at the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova got the better of her that day.

But revenge came at Roland Garros when she disposed of the Russian on the way to the final. Justine Henin thwarted her in Paris.

The following year though Ivanovic was crowned champion beating Dinara Safina in straight sets in the final. The number one world ranking soon followed.

Since that high, there has been a fall.

Ivanovic failed to make a grand slam quarterfinal in her subsequent 17 major tournaments and by July 2010 had dropped to 65 in the world.

Game of Thrones
, through its often unsavoury characters, considers the issues of loyalty, crime, punishment and hierarchy.

The latter concept will be of particular interest to Ivanovic. She reached the quarter finals at the Australian Open earlier this year by beating Serena Williams.

She’s back in the top 20 and featuring again in the quarter and semi-finals of competitions.

At the Italian Open in Rome in May, it took a clearly ruffled Williams three sets to see her off and Ivanovic will be a salient dark horse at Roland Garros where she does have pedigree.

It will also be about belief and whether she truly regards herself as one of the enduring leaders on the circuit or a cameo queen.

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