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.

There's a handful of players who if they get on the roll it's almost impossible to beat them: Gustavo Kuerten, when he's healthy, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.

Last week from Hamburg, Kuerten said he didn't consider himself a favorite. Maybe for him that's a way to take a little pressure off himself coming in as the defending champion, yet he knows he's one of the best clay-courters in the world -- if not the best.

Lleyton Hewitt

Player

Mal's Analysis

He's the top seed. It's the second consecutive Slam that he's been the top seed. He should fare better here than he did at the Aussie Open when he had chicken pox. Ironically, with his game you'd think he'd fare well on clay, but he hasn't. He's had more success on grass than red clay in his career. He's not my absolute favorite, but he's the type of player who has enough pride and enough guts that when he gets on a roll he can be dangerous on any surface.

Gustavo Kuerten

Player

Mal's Analysis

He's coming off an injury and surgery with only a few tournaments under his belt. His ability to move well on the clay is his strength and the hip is the backbone of what you need on clay. He's still in the top three or four favorites to win. One of the biggest struggles for him is if he's match tough yet. Is his body physically ready and is he mentally ready to play five-set matches for two weeks? But still, he is Gustavo Kuerten.

Tommy Haas

Player

Mal's Analysis

He made a good statement a couple of weeks ago when he made it to the finals of Rome because he is a player who has typically had his best results on a faster surface. For him, it's a big step to get to the finals, even though he lost. It makes you notice that here's a guy who has every shot in the tennis book and now he's doing it on clay -- a couple of week's out from the French Open. Those are signs of a player who is gearing up to win a major. His drawback is going to be his shoulder injury because a big part of his game is to serve his way out of tight situations. If he can't do that, then he's not winning the French Open.

Roger Federer

Player

Mal's Analysis

I love the passion that he shows to the game. He seems to really appreciate the success that he's having. He won last week in Hamburg, and he looked like he was crying afterward. I've never seen a player cry after winning a Master's event. He seems to appreciate his God-given ability. You like to see that and someone who is willing to go out and fight. He can do anything with a tennis ball and a tennis racket on any surface, and there's no reason why he can't do it at the French Open this year. He has what Sampras had at his best. Sampras had a better serve and Federer has an infinitely better backhand than Sampras. Everything else in their games is similar: they move so well, both have power, both have finesse and both make their way into the net. Federer is one of the best in the world, but I think he'll surprise a lot of people at the French Open this year. He has the ability to win it outright -- without help as other players drop out of the draw. He can literally beat anyone in the draw.

Juan Carlos Ferrero

Player

Mal's Analysis

The Mosquito. One of those players who is quiet. He won't make a lot of commotion in the press or be emotional on the court. He just goes out there and methodically beats the daylights out of his opponents. He's been as far as the semifinals here in the past. He's won Tennis Masters Series events before, but he hasn't made that the leap in a major. When he has reached the semis at Roland Garros, he lost to Kuerten. If Ferrero ever wins a major in his life, it will be the French Open.

Andre Agassi

Player

Mal's Analysis

Andre Agassi is a player, as well as Roger Federer, who can beat anyone at anytime on any surface. For Agassi, the trick is to get on a roll. Especially early in tournaments he can be a little vulnerable to some players. He's not as good as he once was, although he's able to play great tennis. He might not be able to produce the tennis he played in '99 again for two weeks. But you have to consider him a potential champion when he walks out onto the court because he has the ability to play great tennis. The advantage he has over every other player is experience. With the exception of Sampras, he's won more majors and more tournaments than any other player in the draw. Don't be surprised if you see him deep into the second week. Since he won the 2001 Australian Open, his best results in a major is the semifinals at Wimbledon last year. With all of the success he's had, you can't make the argument that his best surface is red clay; he's definitely a better player on hard court. Like Sampras, I'm sure he's eager to see if he can win one more major. In typical Agassi fashion, he's kind of defying the odds. He wins Rome and goes into this championship as the legitimate top third or fourth favorite.

Juan Ignacio Chela

Player

Mal's Analysis

He's coming off of last year where he was suspended. He fought his way back through challengers. He's right now got his ranking to where it should have been last year. He's just now coming into his own. You look at his physique and you say this guy doesn't eat enough. You look at him on the tennis court after two and half hours, he's walking around real slow and looking like he's about to keel over, but you're shaking his hand because he's just kicked your butt. He's unassuming. He's not flashy. He won't spark a lot of interest from the press. He's not going to pack the stands. But he's tough to beat when you get him on his best surface, which is red clay. He's experienced enough. The first seed he'll play is Sebastien Grosjean, a tough player. But Chela, a true clay-court player, against a hard-court player like Roddick, just gives his opponents fits.

Andy Roddick

Player

Mal's Analysis

He's not ready to win the French Open, but if you think about it, every player when they win their first major it's kind of a surprise. If you are one of the top contenders, Andy Roddick isn't the player you want to be meeting in the third or fourth round. He's talented enough to knock you off. Look for him to want to build on last year when he beat Michael Chang in five sets with crowd support and a lot of adrenaline and then having to default against Hewitt because of a turned ankle. He has a dogged personality. He's going to give it everything he has.

Pete Sampras

Player

Mal's Analysis

One of the things we see out of Sampras right now is a quality that has made him a 13-time Grand Slam winner. A lot of people thought maybe he should retire. He hasn't won a tournament since Wimbledon 2000. This is his lowest seeding at a major since probably 1990. But he continually says, tennis still motivates me. He wants to win. No one believes he will, but he's going for one reason: to win the tournament. That's one of the things that's made him who he is. He's not just going to play his way in and take home a little prize money. His biggest challenge is Albert Costa in the third round. People know Sampras is not coming onto the red clay confident. They know he just lost on grass to a clay-courter at the Davis Cup. Andrea Gaudenzi is coming into their first-round match knowing that he can beat Sampras.