ROLAND Garros will look the same this year as it does any other.
A vision of reds and greens, spectators fanning themselves as discreetly as possible to combat the heat between points, this venue located in Paris's 16th arrondissement is one of the signature settings for world sport. Something, however, will undoubtedly feel different. The reason for the disturbance in the force is a change in the fortunes of Rafael Nadal, the man who has made this place his manoir for the last decade. The Mallorcan, winner of nine of the previous 10 French Open titles, who has lost just one of his last 66 matches here - to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 - has hit hard times.
Courtesy of a seedings system which takes more cognisance of the fast-moving make-up of the ATP World Tour rankings than previous form on a particular surface, he limps in with the unheard-of ranking of seventh.
The relentless Novak Djokovic is at the top of that list right now, the odds-on favourite to benefit from the Spaniard's mid-season uncertainty, competing a career slam - and perhaps the second stage of a seasonal one should he do so.
But in truth the corollary of Nadal's slump on this surface comes in the form of a certain 28-year-old from Dunblane. Andy Murray, who spent his birthday resting his body after withdrawing from the Italian Open after capturing the first two clay court titles of his career in successive weeks in Munich and Madrid - the latter culminating in a comfortable first-ever win on clay against Nadal, has had a few of his critics gulping back their words.
The Scot has 'only' ever reached the semi-finals here, first in 2011 then again in 2014, but clay is a surface he knows well from his time at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona. He is unbeaten since his marriage to Kim Sears in Dunblane - he scrawled 'Marriage Works' on the lens after his Madrid win - and with a Frenchwoman in his corner in coach Amelie Mauresmo, the Auld Alliance should be alive and well.
Patrick McEnroe, brother of John, former US Davis Cup captain and current ESPN pundit, is one such critic. A minor Twitter spat between the two men ensued when he criticised the Scot after his defeat to Djokovic in the Miami Open final ["Hey Andy it might not be your trainer's fault #lookinthemirror" his tweet read] but the outspoken New Yorker, who won the men's doubles here with Jim Grabb in 1989, and recently departed his role as head of player development with the US tennis association, feels he has played his way into contention this fortnight.
"It's great to see Andy Murray playing this well," said McEnroe. "I mean, I really had my doubts, as you probably know, at the end of last year about where he was.
"He's turned it around in a huge way," he added. "It's been impressive what he's been able to do. Obviously to win back-to-back clay court titles, you certainly wouldn't have predicted that. Maybe it's a combination of getting married and the female coach. He has a lot of female influence around him. He's always had his mom, who has been a strong figure his entire tennis life.
"I don't think he's the favourite," McEnroe said. "But he has certainly played himself into contention in a big way. So if he can get through relatively comfortably week one, there's no reason he can't be a legitimate threat in the final weekend. It's not like he's going to tighten up."
It wasn't so long ago that Murray was even further out in the world rankings than Nadal. The Scot was clinging on to the world's top dozen tennis players back in September but now it is the Spaniard about whom a few premature tennis obituaries are starting to emerge. Just how much of a blow to his already wounded psychology would it be if he fails to live up to his former glories in Paris?
"Obviously Nadal has lost quite a bit of confidence," said McEnroe. "You can see that by some of the big misses that are coming into his game, seemingly coming out of nowhere and some of them at crucial times in a match. When he gets out wide, to me it looks like he's a half a step slow. It's almost impossible to know for sure if it's the longevity factor, the miles, the wear and tear he's put on his body. But I don't think any of us are really surprised that this would happen to him earlier than Djokovic or obviously Roger [Federer].
"Now, that being said, I still think he's the second favourite," he added. "But this could be a real crossroads tournament for him. I don't see him sticking around if he drops out of the top 10, if he loses relatively early, which is actually possible. Somehow he's always found a way to get himself ready here so I think it would be a huge psychological blow to him. I never underestimate the heart of a champion. I don't think it's his heart, though, that would do it. I think it's his body."
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