Kuerten may uphold formbook

Roland Garros, home to the French Open Tennis Championship, is a perennial graveyard for the game's elite. Like a benign patron, these championships espouse the virtue of the underdog, the famous red clay cloying at the feet of men and women who encounter little difficulty annexing the other three Grand Slam titles.

Pete Sampras has never won in Paris, nor Martina Hingis, icons of success around the world, both of whom have amassed a string of Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon titles. The 28-year-old American has only made the semi-final on one occasion, yet despite a poor track record on clay maintains that he can complete his curriculum vitae with a French Open title.

Wishful thinking? Possibly. To win at Roland Garros athleticism, determination, patience and, principally an all court game are a prerequisite. Sampras can certainly measure up in the first three but it is in the latter respect that offers an achilles heel.

There is no better exponent of serve and volley in men's tennis, a fact illustrated by his record in the other Grand Slams, but on the clay at Roland Garros, his main attributes become diluted by the slowness of the surface. Sampras is not as one dimensional as the boom-boom clique of Greg Rusedski, Mark Philippoussis, Richard Krajecik and Goran Ivanisevic whose serve is the ultimate arbiter of success and failure, but he is not equipped for a war of attrition from the baseline.

For Sampras to succeed he would have to his best form and sustain it for the fortnight, an obscure prospect. While he may benefit from being in the easier half of the draw, the potential pitfalls in the shape of Sweden's Thomas Enqvist and primarily the 1997 French Open champion, Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil make it a perilous journey which he may not survive.

Kuerten, ranked 66 in the world and unseeded when he won in 1997, is enjoying excellent form of late on clay and probably deserves the mantle of favourite. Disputing this claim in the bottom half of the draw is the equally impressive Australian and twice US Open champion Pat Rafter. His success in the World Team Cup in the singles (played on clay) smack of the ideal preparation.

Number six seed Alex Corretja (Spain), Sebastien Grosjean (France) and Felix Mantilla are all capable of shattering the seeding pattern as is Karol Kucera. In the top half, world number one and current Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov is obviously afraid of heights judging by his reaction to reaching the pinnacle in the world ranking: six first round exits this season.

However, he is a former champion at Roland Garros (1996) and certainly possesses the ability to win, albeit if he can conquer a brittle temperament. Another past winner (1989) Michael Chang awaits him in the first round. Marat Safin, Albert Costa, Cedric Pioline, the mercurial Petr Korda and twice former champion Spain's Alberto Berasategui will harbour genuine ambition but defending champion Spain's Carlos Moya and the outrageously talented if volatile Chilean Marcelo Rios could make it to the semis.

Hingis, if she can overcome her tendency to be a little lazy with her footwork, which will be exposed on clay, is the player to beat in women's singles. A second round match with France's Amelie Mauresmo, whom the Swiss woman beat in the Australian final should be interesting not least because Hingis called Mauresmo "half a man" in reference to her physique after that final.

Venus Williams, winner of the Italian and German Opens on clay, her sister Serena and three-times champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario will challenge the world number one in the top half while Mary Pierce, Lindsay Davenport, Anna Kournikova and former champions Monica Seles and Steffi Graf are huddled in a bottom section of the draw laden with talent.

And for whom the kiss of death? Gustavo Kuerten and Martina Hingis to prevail.