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Hitting the DirtTennis is in the midst of a shakeup as we head into the French Open, with a new member of the starring cast on the men’s side and the exit of a leading lady on the women’s. Novak Djokovic will come of age just before the French Open begins, but the Serb hopes to be celebrating more than just his 21st birthday in Paris this year. Having won the Australian Open and two of the five Masters Series events played so far, he represents the first true threat to the duopoly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have maintained over men’s tennis for the last three years. If Djokovic can match or outperform Nadal at the French Open, he’ll become the world’s second-ranked player and end Nadal’s record run in the No. 2 spot. See our rankings breakdown going into the event here. But outperforming Nadal will be no easy task, as the Spaniard looks as strong a force on clay as ever. The three-time defending French Open champion comes in having won 108 of his last 110 matches on the surface - the last two wins coming again Djokovic and Federer. And what of Roger Federer? He too will play underdog to Nadal as he tries once again to win the lone major still eluding him. The women’s field is still absorbing the shock of Justine Henin’s sudden retirement. It leaves Serena Williams the only former champion in the field, and a host of other semi favorites that include Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams. Read more about Henin’s retirement here and the impact on the women’s tour here. Serena and Sharapova have been the year’s strongest performers, but both have played sparingly and neither is at her best on clay. Ivanovic, Jankovic and Kuznetsova are more comfortable on the surface, but each has shown nerves during the final stages of Grand Slams. Will one of then triumph, or will a fresher face prevail? It promises to be an intriguing two weeks.  Follow the French Open on TENNIS.comStay up to date with all the French Open action at TENNIS.com, including on-site reporting, live scores, draws, news updates, photos and - if necessary - weather reports. TV viewers in the United States will get wall-to-wall coverage of the event on TV and online, with the Tennis Channel, ESPN and NBC all taking turns to provide broadcasts from the grounds of Roland Garros. Don’t lose track of what’s on when – keep the TV schedule handy as you plan your channel-surfing. Find out how the favorites are feeling going into the event, and who the darkhorses might be with this week’s men’s and women’s previews, and check back during the weekend for a bracket breakdown. The cast is always a little different at the French Open because of the red clay – we’ll tell you who have been the best performers on the dirt this year, and uncover some of the myths and realities of the surface. To get more background on the top names, see TENNIS.com’s players section for biographical details and photo galleries, and check out the Stats charts to find out who leads in all the usual categories - and a couple of quirky ones.  On Newsstands NowTENNIS Magazine - 40 Years of Open Tennis - The Doyenne of the Dollar Bill - Mr. Smooth - The Way to Hit the Ball, Searching for Anna, and much more View Table of Contents | Click Here to Subscribe  Also On NewsstandsSMASH Magazine - Jelena Jankovic - Talking to Tennis' Newest Drama Queen - Before they Were Stars - Tennis Camp Survival Guide - Cool Racquets and Shoes Click Here to Subscribe  Longboat Key Club & Resort Maybe it’s because we’re a world-class tennis resort. Or because two-time Australian Open winner Johan Kriek runs our Kriek/Eagleton Tennis Academy. Maybe it’s our 45 holes of golf, luxurious spa, private white-sand beach and newly renovated suites. Whatever it is, it’s all here. And it’s all yours. Call 800-922-1009 or visit longboatkeyclub.com.  Don’t Miss…
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