The 2009 French Open is set to be as exciting as in the years past with Rafael Nadal as the defending men's champions and a women's field that is wide open..
Then world Number 2, Rafael Nadal claimed his fourth straight title with a staright sets victory over Roger Federer in the final. Fortunately, Nadal was not the only reason to watch Roland Garros in 2008, and the 455,417 fans who flocked to the Porte d'Auteuil in Paris over the 15 days (setting a new record) enjoyed some spectacular tennis, particularly in the men's singles competition. While the weather gods did not smile on the tournament, the local players certainly provided more than enough rays of sunshine to compensate. Gaël Monfils became the first Frenchman to make it into the final four since Sébastien Grosjean in 2001, while there were also plenty of other memorable moments, including Gustavo Kuerten's emotional farewell to Philippe Chatrier court and any number of epic tussles, including Gonzalez .v. Wawrinka, Ljubicic .v. Davydenko and Ferrer .v. Hewitt.
The women's singles saw plenty of drama, thanks in no small way to beaten finalist Dinara Safina, but of course all eyes were on Ana Ivanovic from start to finish. Having fallen at the final hurdle to Justine Henin in 2007, the photogenic Serbian won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros at the tender age of 20, with the recently retired Henin handing over the Suzanne Lenglen Cup to her successor in a symbolic changing of the guard.
Stay tuned for an even more exciting 2009!
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