2011 Internazionali BNL D’Italia Begins On Monday
For the 2011 clay court tennis season the Internazionali BNL D’Italia marks the deep stages. The tournament in Rome which Scheduled to start on Monday, May 9th will be the second to last event before the Roland Garros (the French Open).
This year, a couple of guys have already proven their abilities on the clay courts of Europe. In Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Rafael Nadal has clinched back to back titles. In Munich, Nikolay Davydenko recently captured the title. In Estoril, Portugal, Juan Martin Del Potro won his second title of the year.
By winning the event in his hometown of Belgrade, Novak Djokovic made an impressive debut to his clay court season. Reaching the finals in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Spaniard David Ferrer has been one of the hottest clay courters so far.
For the trophy in Rome, all of these names will be contenders. Roger Federer is one name that’s been awfully silent this clay court season though. Federer has performed poorly, by his own standards based on the previous years, heading into mid may. With little match experience Federer comes into Rome as the third seed. This season, Andy Murray has limited match experience on the clay as well. Until entering the ongoing tournament in Madrid, both Federer and Murray hadn’t played since their losses at Monte Carlo. By an early loss to Tomaz Bellucci in Madrid, in fact, Murray’s confidence has already been hurt.
Morale of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Murray going into Rome next week as speaking of Madrid, the tournament will play a major factor in the shape. Nadal has made the smart decision to skip some clay court events this season to avoid injuries due to excessive match play as he will be the first seed in Rome. For this tournament on Monday, check out online free sports picks for odds.