It is May 24th...You Know What that Means...

The French Open has officially begun!

And with the French Open comes two things that tennis fans can expect. The first being, long matches and the second, upsets.

Roland Garros is known for longer matches because the red clay surface slows down the ball, which gives players more time to track down a ball therefore causing longer points. The longer points and slower surface create a different game; a game that requires thinking not necessarily power. Therefore upsets are more likely because a lot of the big time players like to hit the ball hard and win the point immediately off of big serves and big forehands. So when Ivo Karlovic the number 26 seed played Lleyton Hewitt it is not really that big a surprise that the big man lost. The red clay surface worked against his tall frame and big serve. All Hewitt needed to do was make him run and keep the ball in play wearing Karlovic down.

Although the Karlovic-Hewitt five set match is the only match that can be really be labeled an upset, because Karlovic was seeded and Hewitt was not, there were still a lot of other close matches. For example, Sam Querrey's loss to Ernests Gulbis was in four sets and Frenchman Gilles Simon, who is seeded 7th had a tough five set match.

Simon's match strikes me as interesting because you would think that since he is French and he is playing in France he would have some home court advantage. You would also presume that since the French Open is known for its red clay surface that Simon would be a pro on the surface and have an edge over the competition, especially an American like his opponent Wayne Odesnik. Well scratch that out of your mind because if you were betting on Simon to beat Nadal and restore French tennis at the French Open then you should probably stop betting and keep your day job because you will definitely need the money. Simon did come up with some big shots but he just didn't look as comfortable as you would like him to be out there.

Simon is a talented player but I think the pressure of playing in France might be getting to him. The French fans like the English fans at Wimbledon are tough critics and they will be the first to cheer for their countrymen when they are playing well and the first to criticize them for not playing up to standard. Will the five set match in the opening round boost Simon's confidence or tear him apart; we will just have to see how the tournament plays out for him.