EXCLUSIVE! Former British number one and Eurosport analyst Greg Rusedski predicts that Novak Djokovic will be the biggest threat to Rafael Nadal's bid for a fourth straight French Open title.

The undisputed king of clay is fresh from victory at the Hamburg Masters, where he beat Roger Federer in a thrilling final, and remarkably has yet to be defeated at Roland Garros since his debut in 2005.

"If he's on form I can't see anybody stopping Nadal," says Rusedski. "The only guys who stand a chance are Federer and Djokovic.


"Federer's had a difficult year recovering from glandular fever, but he's starting to show signs of coming back. Losing to Radek Stepanek in Rome will have been tough to take though. You don't associate him with defeats like that.

"For that reason I think Djokovic is the more likely. He's the man of the moment and poses a bigger threat to Nadal than Federer."

As for British hopes, Rusedski believes Andy Murray must adopt a more attacking stance to progress through the early rounds.

"Andy's sometimes too defensive," he says. "He needs to take it on, be more aggressive. His coach Alex Corretja used to play a long way behind the baseline, but I think Andy needs to balance that with coming to the net and conserving energy.

"He has the game to do very, very well at the French, but for this year I think getting to the second week should be his goal.

On the women's side of the draw, Rusedski is backing world number two Ana Ivanovic to win her first Grand Slam on the clay. The 20-year-old Serb finished runner-up last year, and could replace Maria Sharapova at the top of the WTA rankings with victory in Paris.

"I like Ivanovic," says Rusedski. "Sharapova's not doing great at the moment; she's susceptible on the clay. Serena Williams will be in the mix too, she'll be licking her chops without Justine Henin in the field."

Last year's champion Henin announced her retirement on Wednesday, bowing out ranked number one in the world, and at just 25 years of age. Of her nine Grand Slam titles, four were won at the French Open (2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007).

"I was quite surprised," says Rusedski. "She's been a great player and she maximised everything she had. She obviously got to the stage where she wanted to move on, which is perhaps understandable when you think most women are out there by the time they're 16.

"I think she may come back, but if she's going to it will be in the next six months. If she leaves it longer than that it won't ever happen."

For those who are playing in the French Open this year, Rusedski says the atmosphere and ambience of the event make it a unique experience in tennis.

"The French Open really is a beautiful Grand Slam," he says. "The cheese and ham baguettes, the red wine, it's a really sociable and enjoyable tournament to be part of.

"The crowd are really knowledgeable too. They're not afraid to boo bad play, and let their emotions come out in the open. It's one of the best Grand Slams there is."

(via Eurosport)

French Open - Countdown: Rusedski on Roland Garros