The top pick is Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten. He's played exceptional on clay this year. He's won three tournaments on the dirt – including Monte Carlo – and reached the finals in Rome. The first-round loss in Hamburg isn't significant because he only had one day off after Rome. That loss could actually be good for him because he won't be going into the French Open fatigued as opposed to Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is tired.

	Mal's Picks
	Washington Former ATP Tour pro MaliVai Washington is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis during the French Open. Washington, a tennis analyst for ESPN, reached the 1996 Wimbledon final.

Of course, Ferrero has the potential to win the tournament. But he's been struggling with a groin injury.

The draw has good matchups for the Americans. There are seven Americans in the draw and four of them play qualifiers in the first round. You can't ask for more than that. It's important at big events like the Grand Slams to get that first match under your belt to build a little confidence. In your first round, you don't want to play some clay-court specialist.

In every major you always have a couple of players who sneak through and you're thinking "Where did this guy come from?" Roger Federer could be one of those guys as well as Carlos Moya. When you get into the second week of a major a lot can happen.

Gustavo Kuerten

Player	Mal's Analysis
	Even though he plays a clay-courter in the first round in Guillermo Coria, no matter who he plays, and even if it's not even his best tennis, he's going to beat 95 percent of the players on clay. That other 5 percent – Andre Agassi, Juan Carlos Ferrero or Marat Safin – he'll beat them, but he might have to play his best to do it.

Juan Carlos Ferrero

Player	Mal's Analysis
	Ferrero has the potential to win the tournament, but a groin pull is the worst injury you can have on clay. You don't want to go into a Grand Slam dinged up a little bit. You want to be physically fresh and healthy.

Carlos Moya

Player	Mal's Analysis
	Carlos Moya has not had a good clay-court season, but maybe he's saving it up for the French Open. He's not going into it confident or playing his best tennis, but nonetheless he's still a great clay-court player and has shown that in the past.

Roger Federer

Player

Mal's Analysis

Based on the draw, his chances are good. He says clay is not his best surface, but there's no reason why it can't be. He's quick around the court and has the ability to stay on the baseline when he needs to, attack the net when he needs to and he has a big serve. When you put that together, he could do well on clay. He faces a qualifier in the first round and then either Sargis Sargsian or a qualifier next. So look for him to get to the third round – possibly the fourth – with really no problems whatsoever. He's young and earlier this year he's shown some exceptional tennis. He could be one who sneaks through -- blink and he's into the second week.

Andre Agassi

Player	Mal's Analysis
	Agassi has the toughest early round of the Americans. In the first round he plays Thomas Johansson of Sweden. Give the edge to Agassi in that match. Agassi has a potenial second round match against Albert Costa and he's a good clay court-player. Costa reached the semifinals at Hamburg.

Pete Sampras

Player

Mal's Analysis

Sampras has a qualifier in the first round. The good thing for Sampras is that he'll come in rested because he hasn't played a ton of matches. The biggest obstacle for Sampras is that guys who would be intimidated by Sampras on grass, believe they can beat him on clay. They think this is a great opportunity to beat a seed because they've seen so many guys beat him on clay. Don't be surprised if Sampras goes a few rounds, but don't be surprised if he goes out early. On some level, he knows the chance of winning the French aren't that big – he'll give it everything he has – but there's a part of him that probably walks out onto the court not feeling real confident in his chances in that particular match. One thing that could help him out tremendously is his experience. He's been through every pressure situation a player can be in and still come out on top. He's still dangerous, but there are a lot of players in the early portion of the draw who could potentially beat Sampras.

Andy Roddick

Player	Mal's Analysis
	Andy Roddick can do well here. His first two matches are winnable for him – first Scott Draper and then either Michael Chang or Alexander Popp. He could have his best Grand Slam here making it through to the third round.