Analysis for Ljubicic-Volandri (French Open)

Head-to-head record 3:0

Big serving Croat Ivan Ljubicic will face Italian clay-courter Fillipo Volandri in the third round. There is no doubt that Ljubicic is much better and more experienced player than his Italian opponent but it is just a matter of fact that his style of play is not suited to clay at all. He has probably the best second serve on ATP circuit and his powerfull shots are always very dangerous on hard courts but he doesn´t like to play on clay. We are aware he made a great success in Paris last year when he was beaten by Nadal in semifinals! But it should be mentioned, that last year was his best so far and he was playing really great tennis on all surfaces. He plays in a much worse shape this year having pretty poor claycourt record - 3-4. We should also add, that even if he managed to get into semifinals at Roland Garros last year, his overall tournament record is still average - 8-7. Volandri can be rated as a pure claycourter. He has almost nothing to show on faster surfaces as his main weapon is his movement. He has already won 2 ATP titles on clay but his career-best result comes from this year when he defeated Gasquet, Berdych and Federer in Rome. Moreover, he hasn´t lost even a single set in Paris yet and we think that he is able to send Ivan Ljubicic home. Volandri´s odds at this level should be worth taking.