Roger Federer must be breathing a little easier. The somewhat beleaguered Swiss, still seeking that elusive French Open crown with time running out, won't have to face archrivals Novak Djokovic or David Nalbandian as he attempts to reach a third consecutive final. A repeat of Rafael Nadal's blockbuster with Djokovic in the Hamburg Masters semifinals appears likely for the same stage in Paris, while the United States, 0-for-9 in last year's opening round, will have -- sigh -- at least one man in the second round.
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Justine Henin is back at the French Open.
Fortunately for the rest of the women's field she hasn't changed her mind about retirement -- the Belgian is at Roland Garros for a press conference tomorrow.
In Henin's absence, Sharapova, seeking to complete her Grand Slam collection, is the top seed, but has a tricky path to the semis. Sharapova's half, however, doesn't feature the Williams sisters, Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic, last year's beaten finalist.
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Women's field looks pretty comfortable for the top seeds in inital stages too and in the absence of Henin, the battle must be between Sharapova/Ivanovic/Jankovic and co. A fit Serena might still be a handful though.
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