V e r i t a s . S o p h i a . I u s t i t i a

-- stop whining.
-- and do what? -- go exercise, go jogging. there's a park and you can always use the pool at the condo. Or go to the gym.
-- I don't want to swim. I don't want to go to the gym. -- look in the mirror, you're so top heavy your legs look positively stunted, scrawny in relative proportion.
-- don't want to do anything. I want to lie in bed and have people visit me.
-- You're not there anymore. -- Well maybe that's why I enjoyed my stays so much. Maybe I have Munchausen's, I love the beds, I crave the attention, I love being the sane one and yes, I love the meds, they make me so happy. -- Peace of mind. -- or things just crashing and you've got the perfect alibi in your diseased brain. -- No, I do not have a rectal disorder. I just sit on the toilet seat and wait for it to pass.
-- because I don't want to do it in front of you. that would be predictable.
-- shut up. you don't know anything. meet people? who is there to meet? i'll bore them. they'll bore me.
-- then shut up about being lonely. about being bored. -- let your books keep you company. keep buying those cds. keep adding to those lists. -oh my god, they kept me sane. make them make them make them. please keep making them.
-- you're not the one. i am.
-- daily routine of waking up in panic, avalanche of aches and pains, black coffee, back to bed.
a/c has to be on. curtains? sometimes drawn. depends.
- ooooooooooo -- say hello to me first. -- i hate talking to all of you because I am better than all of you.

-- sometimes i think so, but what does it matter. Oh my gosh, the cog?
-- no. it's still a blank. i bought a book. 17 bucks. seize the day. (that's quite a famous book isn't it?)

So it is, for the third year running, the French Open champions are, no surprises here, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin. Twelve months and the results are the same- Henin crushes her final opponent, Nadal wins in four. Rafa played a good match in the final against Roger Federer, building momentum quickly after losing the second set, but it wasn't as brilliant a performance as the one he produced in the semis against Novak Djokovic. Why? Because he didn't have to. Where Djokovic went all guns ablazing at Nadal with every intention at making his first Grand Slam final, Federer, a portrait of calm in the final of every major not named Roland Garros, never looked like he believed he could win the title he wants so badly. After failing to capitalize on 10- yes 10- break points in the first set, the clearly frustrated Swiss maestro finally managed with the help of some scorching backhands to break Nadal and win the second set. But that was the only time any of Federer's strokes managed any impact on the match. He wasn't exactly sloppy, but the loss of set two only spurred his opponent to unlease his famous topspin forehands with more venom in the third and fourth sets and Federer was hitting backhands from shoulder high... To put it bluntly, Nadal made the world number one look out of his depth on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday. Djovokic said after his semifinal loss to Nadal that if you play really really well against Nadal, you can maybe win a set... According to that theorem then, Federer did play really really well. But maybe it was asking too much, even of the 10-times major champion to sneak three past the Spaniard, who came into the final having not dropped a set. After the trophy ceremony, Federer handed his runner-up's plate to his mum like it was a germy petri dish. And after three years of playing deep into the draw only to be stopped by the Spaniard, who can blame him? Magnus Norman, who lost in the 2000 final to Gustavo Kuerten, once said there's no worse feeling in tennis than losing in the final of the French. It's the most gruelling of the four majors, takes the biggest almighty toll on the body, and to get to the final and lose... well, it just kinda sucks, doesn't it?

At the start of the tournament, Federer was the favorite to win. So said the past champions, Wilander, Borg, Courier. He'd bageled Nadal at the Hamburg masters to end the Spaniard's 81 match winning streak on clay. And Federer definitely looked sharper than Nadal in the opening stages of the tournament. The tipping point, for me, and perhaps for Federer, was Nadal's win over Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round. Federer had barely broken a sweat, dismissing tour journeymen to get to the quarters, but Nadal was facing here a former world number one with Wimbledon and US Open titles under his belt. If Federer watched that match, he must have been grimacing. Not only did Hewitt not manage to even nudge Nadal out of his comfort zone, he was made to look like a rookie playing his first major. Something tells me Federer did watch that match because afterwards, the confidence and concentration he'd shown in the first four rounds was gone. He inexplicably lost his concentration and a set against Tommy Robredo in the quarters, then was at his worst against Nikolay Davydenko in the semis, crawling from behind in each set to beat the Russian, who clearly didn't think he could beat Federer after 8 losses to the man. Nadal meanwhile followed up his victory over Hewitt with a crushing wins over a very game Carlos Moya and newcomer of the year Novak Djovokic, carrying some serious momentum into the final. Momentum that steamrolled the Federer Express.

Justine Henin, meanwhile, quietly went about this year's French Open like she was baking cookies from a recipe book. They could've etched her name on the trophy already after she dismissed Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. Henin, whose overall weight probably equals Serena's in muscle, quite simply overpowered the most powerful hitter in the women's game. Check the stats. Her serve was bigger, and her groundstrokes carried more force than Serena's. Like Nadal, Justine had what looked like the toughest draw in the tournament. And yet she won it all without dropping a set. While she didn't exactly humiliate Serena in the quarters, it was actually quite shocking to see how she completely out-muscled the American. She saved the humiliation for her next two opponents, losing just seven games in the semis and final combined. Jelena Jankovic, touted as the player most likely to derail Justine at the French, was routed 6-2 6-2, and Ana Ivanovic, a surprise finalist who thoroughly buried Maria Sharapova in the semis, was thrashed 6-1 6-2. Which really was a shame, because Ivanovic is a much better player than what we saw in the final. She made more errors in that one match than she did the entire tournament, and her stage fright meant we never did get to see what it is that makes this Serbian teen a future major champion- a thunderbolt serve and groundies that seem magnetically attracted to the lines. Still, it's her first major, there'll be others no doubt. In the meantime, Rafa and Justine rule the terre battue for another year. Roll on Wimbledon.

FedEx and Ana looking bewitched, bothered and bewildered.

Roger Federer (1) vs Tommy Robredo (9)

What a difference a match makes. Consecutive defeats to Guillermo Canas at the first two Masters events of the year, yet another loss, and a very thorough one at that, to arch nemesis Rafael Nadal at the Monte Carlo final, and then bullied off the court at Rome by a player he'd normally put away with a saucepan instead of a racket, Federer was looking ghosted for the first time since he won his maiden Wimbledon title in 2003. Then he beat Nadal in the Hamburg final. One match, one win. And that's all it's taken to pull that arrow out of the mighty Achilles' heel, reverse time itself. Take a good look at him, that "you mean, I can... lose?" look is GONE. And the significance of that win for Federer cannot be overstated. He wants the Grand Slam this year, ergo he needs to find a way to win the French, ergo he needs to solve Nadal on clay. The win against Nadal could not have come at a more opportune moment. Indeed, in his first four matches at the French Open, I have to say, I have never seen Federer play better or look more relaxed on a tennis court, and that includes Wimbledon. Some mighty demons have been exorcised and he's gone through the opening rounds like they were practice sessions. He'll have another come Thursday against Tommy Robredo. No disrespect to the Spaniard. He is a top ten player and he did win the Hamburg Masters last year, albeit in a draw that did not include Federer or Nadal. Problem is Robredo hasn't a weapon to hurt Federer with. He is sound in all departments, serve, return, forehand, backhand, and like all his compatriots, can counterpunch on clay all day. But he's got nothing that can trouble the world number one. They've played seven times, and Federer's won 6 of those in straight sets. Make that seven come Thursday.

Nikolay Davydenko (4) vs Guillermo Canas (19)

Can anyone think of a better way for Federer to really make a statement at this year's French than to beat Canas in the semis and Rafa in the final? I can't. But let's take it one match at a time. Players don't come more consistent than these two. Davydenko's got some of the most solid groundstrokes in the men's game, hits hard, flat and deep, and almost always on the line. Pretty much like the player he beat in the fourth round, David Nalbandian. That was a very good win, because it could have gone either way, it was that close, and Nalbandian, to be honest, is a better player than Nikolay, which tells you something about the Russian. What he may lack in talent, he makes up for in sheer determination. Likewise Guillermo Canas, the comeback kid of 2007 and a two-time quarterfinalist at this tournament. I had my doubts about whether Canas, in his first year back from a two year drug suspension, could withstand the physical pummelling of consecutive best-of-five matches, but so far, the Argentine hasn't even been pushed to a fifth set in any of his matches. Only against Kristof Vliegen did he drop a set, but he's cruised through the rest of his matches, and his crushing win over Juan Monaco, who's been playing very well this year and yet only managed 6 games off the Argentine, in the fourth round, tells you just how well Canas is playing right now. He is riding high on confidence, having beaten Federer twice this year, and he'll be more than game against Davydenko. Both are deadly consistent but neither has a particularly powerful wing, so expect plenty of long 20-odd stroke rallies in this match. It's a close one to call, but Canas is just so frustrating to play, picking up everything, I don't think even a man as patient as Davydenko will be able stay with him. Canas in four sets.

Novak Djokovic (6) vs Igor Andreev

This one looks simple enough. World number 6 versus world number 125. But don't let those numbers fool you. Igor Andreev is a very good player. Good enough to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in 2004 (the last match Rafa lost before embarking on his 81 match winning streak) and he'd have shot up in the rankings (he was in the top 30 at one point) if it hadn't been for a serious foot injury that put his career in jeopardy. But he's back, and back in some style, taking out Andy Roddick in the first round and Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth. Thing about players who come back from a career-threatening injury is, they come back playing like every shot sings carpe diem. Just look at Kim Clijsters in '05... But back to Andreev. Huge serve and one hell of a massive forehand. Plus two big wins under his belt. Baghdatis said in his post-match interview he thought Andreev's forehand was harder to play than Rafa's. Now that's some compliment. Djokovic is the breakout star of this season. He's got more wins this year than anyone not named Rafael Nadal and has already won 3 titles this year, including a big one at the Miami Masters. We've not seen him at his best yet at this tournament, and that might have something to do with the media attention he's receiving. Lots of pressure when people are calling you the Next Big Thing. Still, Djokovic just has just a great game to watch. Everything about it is textbook perfect and if he brings his A game against Andreev, we've got a classic in the making. This one is going to be a long tough one, cos I see neither of them being able to just steamroll the other. It'll be a dogfight, but expect plenty of outrageous forehand winners from both players, and just based on form alone in this tournament, Igor Andreev in four sets.

Carlos Moya (23) vs Rafael Nadal (2)

The battle of the Mallorcans, this one. The two are close as brothers, and when Rafa first emerged on the scene as a 17 year old rookie in 2003, it was Moya who took him under his wings. Needless to say, Rafa worships the ground Carlos walks on. Though not enough to show Moya any mercy the first time they played. Rafa crushed Moya in the 2003 Hamburg masters, and damn did he look sheepish afterwards. Their head-to-head now stands at a decent 3-2 in Rafa's favor, and Nadal is clearly the favorite in this quarterfinal match. Federer has looked the better player thus far in the tournament, but Nadal's ruthless demolition of Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round shows Rafa's not about to just hand his title over. In fact, if Federer was watching, he should start feeling a little worried. As Rafa himself noted of the match afterwards, "ten times better today than the last days, no?" Yes. That match was telling also, because Hewitt must have come in thinking he had a spot at an upset. Afterall, he had really pushed Nadal to the brink in the Hamburg semifinals, tiring him out enough for Federer to notch one up against the Spaniard in the final. Rafa's had a long clay court season, and to be honest, I think it might have been wiser for him to have played a little less. Seriously, does he need that much practice on clay? Still, Rafa's stroll over Hewitt here shows the Spaniard's gotten over the fatigue of the long run-up to Roland Garros and is hitting his top form. Moya versus Nadal is gonna be a little like Williams versus Williams. They know each other's games inside out, and there'll be moments when one lets the other off the hook, cos, aw shucks, they're family... but when it comes to crunch time, Nadal will put his good friend and mentor, and the 1998 champion (Nadal was 12 when Moya hoisted that trophy!), out of the tournament in straight sets.

Justine Henin (1) vs Serena Williams (8)

This is the blockbuster we were all expecting, not hoping for, mind you, cos, seriously, did we expect either one of these players to, like, lose before the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam? The last edition of Bud Collins' tennis encyclopedia was published in 2002, and ended with Serena Williams pretty much winning everything in sight. Who'd have thought a year later, a feisty little Belgian, all of 5 ft 5, pale as a sheet, and pretty much as fragile as one, would emerge to upend the American from the top of the women's rankings? But Justine Henin did exactly that, beat Williams in the semifinal of this tournament in a match so contentious both of them won't be forgetting it for the rest of their careers, to win the first of her five major titles. Between them, they have won 13 grand slam titles, that's 10 more than the rest of the quarterfinalists put together. Make no mistake, THIS is the final before the final, and it'd be a massive shocker if the winner of this match doesn't go on to win the title. Henin is the two-time defending champion here, riding a 18 match winning streak at the French Open, and she's won the last 14 of those in straight sets, which is all the more impressive considering she's not been playing anywhere near her best in this year's tournament so far. Serena Williams pretty much won the Australian Open in January because she felt like it, ranked 81st in the world and written off by all but herself, and after a minor skirmish in the first round here, has pretty much steamrolled the rest of her opponents. Williams has won 6 of the 9 matches between the two, but the three Henin has won have all come on clay. This is a tough one to call, because when it comes to crunch time, the form book goes out the window with these two ultimate warriors on the women's tour. The bad blood between the two (refer Roland Garros 2003) has dried into a crusty respect over the years but still, expect neither to show any mercy come Tuesday. Justine is undoubtedly the better player on clay, her backhand skids low and her serve, despite her small frame, is nothing to scoff at. The red dirt gives her that crucial extra second to get to Serena's bullets, forcing the American to go for one more shot, or go for a little too much, turning the follow-up to would-be winners into unforced errors. Still, it's not as though clay turns Serena's bludgeoning groundstrokes into puff balls. Serena's still able to crunch them like no one else can and if Henin was out of the equation, I'd have no doubt she would overpower her way to the title. But the Belgian is here, and if anyone has the guts to stare Williams in the eye and not blink, it's this one here. They last met in the final of the Miami masters this year, which Serena won by the smallest of margins in a match in which, as Henin says, they "fought like tigers". The stakes are even higher here and the battle will be even more brutal. Don't expect either to give an inch, or come out with anything less than their A+ games. They know each other way too well and they know they will have to win it. No one's gonna lose this match and my money's on the three-time champion. Serena will not lose a three-set dogfight, so I am going for Justine Henin in two.

Jelena Jankovic (4) vs Nicole Vaidisova (6)

Let me say from the outset that I expect Jankovic to win this one. Now if Serena beats Justine in the first quarters, we're gonna see Jelena here pummelled in the semis. But if Justine wins, as their history suggests, we're in for a three-set dogfight, and who knows, Jelena might just come up tops for once. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Vaidisova had her breakthrough here last year when she reached the semis and led Kuznetsova by a set and break up, and would have made the final if she hadn't cracked under pressure. This 18 year old is a fast learner, so don't expect her to fold if she's got Jelena on the ropes. The problem is, Jankovic is playing out of her skin at the moment. She looked down and out in the third round, when Venus Williams had her doing splits with some of the fiercest hitting I've seen the elder Williams do in a while, but she dug deep, stayed with Venus and won the third set 6-1. Venus playing good tennis and losing six games to one, that's how good Jankovic is right now. For me, the match against Venus was the litmus test for Jelena and she showed she is definitely a title contender here. Jankovic and Vaidisova have similar games- they both hit a heavy ball, their backhands are their money shots, but the difference here is that Vaidisova is a Bollettieri girl, which used to be enough to win a major title, just ask Monica Seles, but isn't anymore. Vaidisova, like Maria Sharapova, another Bollettieri android, has no plan B when smacking the felt off the ball isn't working. She's not short on ego, none of the Bollettieri prodigies ever are, nor on pluck and she'll be on all-out offense in this match, but once she realizes Jankovic is returning her bullets with interest, I'm not sure she'll have any tricks up her sleeve. Jankovic in straight sets.

Ana Ivanovic (7) vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (3)

Kuznetsova's not won a title yet this year but she's had a stellar season nonetheless, reaching a whole clutch of finals. Maybe she should try winning them next... Still, she's had a good tune-up coming into this year's French Open, reaching the finals in both the premier clay court tournaments leading to Roland Garros- Berlin and Rome. She lost in Rome to Jelena Jankovic, whom as we've noted, is a contender for the title this year, and on Tuesday she'll be facing her conqueror in Berlin, yet another Serbian teenager, this time Ana Ivanovic, who beat her 7-6 in the third set in their Berlin final. Ivanovic is a great player, even better than Jankovic, in my opinion. Her serve is huge- so far, she's recorded the second-fastest serve in this year's tournament- her groundstrokes are clean and hard and her movement is superb. I think I've said this before, to me, she's a new and improved Lindsay Davenport... right down to the temperament, unfortunately. When Davenport was on, no one could touch her. But when she wasn't on, and the strokes were going long, her shoulders would slouch, the hangdog expression would come on, and half the battle would be lost. Same thing with Ivanovic. Plus, Davenport took a while to develop that champion's killer instinct, something Ivanovic is still lacking. Kuznetsova is only about two years older than Ivanovic, but she's the veteran here in this match, with two major finals and a US Open title. She's got great stamina, great speed and probably the most feared forehand in the women's game at the moment. Plus, she comes into the tournament having finally beaten Justine Henin for the first time in her career. On clay. Talk about confidence. That Berlin final won't even be on her mind. 7-6 in the third? Just a couple of points here and there. She lost in the final last year to Henin, and she knows her best shot at a second major is at this tournament. Ivanovic is in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and nerves will play a big part in this match. Kuzzie's been here before and won't need too much warming up. If Ivanovic doesn't shake off the jitters quickly, the match could be over very quickly. Still, Ana's too good to just roll over and her gritty win over the tenacious Anabel Medina Garrigues in the 4th round will have prepped her for a tough fight. Kuznetsova will start off the blocks fast, but I think Ivanovic will win in three.

Anna Chakvetadze (9) vs Maria Sharapova (2)

First question: Where is Amelie Mauresmo? Oh yes, she succumbed once again to her French Open nerves... either we should really stop considering her a contender for the title here, even though she's probably only second to Henin on clay, or that girl should jog her memory and remember she's already a two-time major champion... Anyway, Anna Chakvetadze disposed of Momo's conqueror Lucie Safarova in the fourth round and now finds herself rather unexpectedly in the quarterfinals of a major. A lot of media attention has been going to Chakvetadze's compatriots- the glamour and powerful lungs of Maria Sharapova, the powder-puff serve of Elena Dementieva, the exotic mystique of Anastasia Myskina, and then you have Kuznetsova, Petrova and Safina, and almost no one ever talks about Anna Chakvetadze. It's not that she's not any good. In fact, she might be the best all-round player among the Russians, and she's snuck very quietly indeed into the world's top ten. The comparisons with Martina Hingis have been made. Her subtle touch, her all-court game, her anticipation. Like Hingis, her biggest strength is that she has no glaring weaknesses. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova, not having played much since February, has managed, once again, to get into the latter stages of a major through sheer force of will. She had a titanic fourth round tussle with the crafty Patty Schnyder, saving two match points, but much like Serena did in Australia, Sharapova is actually playing herself into form in this tournament. Her game is ill-suited to clay, in fact she herself concedes she feels like a cow on ice on the surface, and the French crowd clearly do not like her as much as the advertisers do. But Shazza thrives on beating the odds and she's never made it past the quarters at Roland Garros. The crowd will be behind Chakvetadze in this match, and that'll only fuel Maria's determination. Anna's court craft will be a notch up from Schnyder's, but she's not at the level of a Martina Hingis yet, and though I expect her to downright humiliate a player of Maria's little subtlety at points in this match, I think Sharapova will grit her teeth, pummel Chakvetadze into submission and make it through to her first French Open semifinal in straight sets.