The French Open decides to split the First Round matches at the event over the first three days so we begin on Sunday with 16 Men's and 16 Women's matches taking place.
Below you can find my picks from the first day:
Andy Roddick v Nicolas Mahut: Now I have been saying for a while that I think Andy Roddick will retire after playing the US Open this year and some of his performances recently have shown how far he has fallen as a force in the Men's game.
However, I still think he will be too good for Nicolas Mahut who has barely played any clay court tennis this season and one who has never really enjoyed playing on the surface as indicated by his 9-13 record since 2008.
The biggest issue I have with this match is how much Andy Roddick is motivated to win a couple of Rounds here. I think he will want to so he can ensure he is seeded when it comes down to the events at Wimbledon and the US Open later this year as he won't want to end his career by being drawn with a top ten player in the First Round of a slam.
Roddick has won all 4 previous meetings with Mahut and I think he can do enough to earn his way into the Second Round.
Fernando Verdasco - 8.5 games v Steve Darcis: With the longer matches on the Men's side during the Grand Slams, the bigger spreads are less of a concern and I think Fernando Verdasco is going to be too strong for Steve Darcis here.
Verdasco beat Darcis 6-1, 6-3 in Barcelona earlier this season and I think he has far too much know how on a clay court for the Belgian player.
I expect Verdasco will be able to create enough pressure on the Darcis serve and should be able to move through this contest 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Igor Sijsling v Gilles Muller: I am a little surprised that the Dutch player is considered the underdog in some places as this is a pick 'em contest for the most part. Igor Sijsling has come through qualifying so will be used to the conditions here, while Gilles Muller was forced to retire from his last match a couple of weeks ago.
Sijsling's best results have come on the clay courts, although he spends most of his time off the Main Tour. However, he should have the edge over Muller who does not spend a lot of time on the slower surfaces and I expect that could be the difference.
The Dutch player also holds a 2-0 head to head lead over Muller and looks worth taking for a small interest.
Ana Ivanovic - 6.5 games v Lara Arruabarrena-Vechino: Ana Ivanovic has been showing some decent form on the clay courts so far this season and she should be confident in this match having won the French Open before.
She is playing a young Spanish player that spends almost all of her time exclusively on a clay court, but I think Ivanovic is a level too high for Lara Arruabarrena-Vechino.
Arruabarrena-Vechino has really lost heavily when she has been beaten and Ivanovic has handed out a few heavy defeats and this looks like a chance for the Serbian to move through with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
MY PICKS: Andy Roddick @ 1.83 Coral (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 8.5 games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Igor Sijsling @ 2.00 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Ana Ivanovic - 6.5 games @ 1.92 Bet365 (2 Units)
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