Here is a look at some players to watch in the men's and the women's fields at the French Open, which begins Sunday:
Men
Kei Nishikori
Nishikori, who shocked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last year, is a legitimate threat to win a Grand Slam. He is comfortable on red clay, where his stunning ball striking pushes opponents deep behind the baseline. Like Djokovic, Nishikori can transform a baseline rally off either side with breathtaking pace and accuracy. He has had a solid clay-court season, reaching the semifinals of Madrid with wins over David Goffin, Roberto Bautista-Agut and David Ferrer - all stellar clay-court players - before losing to a red-hot Andy Murray. Nishikori's two-handed backhand, which he loves to take on the rise, is one of the game's best.
Roberto Bautista-Agut
Bautista-Agut was voted the ATP Tour's most improved player in 2014 after cracking the top 20 for the first time. A superb clay-court player, Bautista-Agut has transformed himself from a tireless baseline retriever into a more offensive player with an uncanny sense of when to change tactics. The best-of-five format favors Bautista-Agut, whose mental toughness and physical conditioning make him one of the toughest outs in tennis. He beat Thomaz Bellucci and Pablo Cuevas to reach the quarterfinals in Madrid. He has the game to make a deep run on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Thanasi Kokkinakis
When you think of the next great star in men's tennis, the lithe and powerful young Australian Nick Kyrgios comes to mind. But there is another player from Down Under, Kokkinakis, a 19-year-old from Adelaide who last week won the clay-court title in Bordeaux, battling through qualifying and then winning five matches to boost his ranking to 83rd in the world. Kokkinakis shares more than Greek ancestry with Kyrgios. At 6 feet 5 inches, he, too, possesses a booming serve and a powerful forehand. A dangerous floater in the draw, Kokkinakis has the game to pull off a few upsets and go deep into the second week.
Women
Carla Suarez Navarro
One of the few women on tour with one-handed backhands, Suarez Navarro arrives in Paris full of confidence. She reached the final in Rome, defeating Eugenie Bouchard, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep before falling in three sets to Maria Sharapova. Suarez Navarro has an exceptional feel for the ball and a deft drop shot, an important weapon on red clay. She mixes spin, height and pace to upset her opponents' rhythm, and her unique game style is a refreshing contrast to the ubiquitous power game.
Daria Gavrilova
Gavrilova began 2015 ranked No. 233 in the world and in just five months has climbed to 45 in the WTA rankings. She upset Ana Ivanovic, 7-6, in the third set of a spellbinding match at the Fioro Italico in Rome before falling to Sharapova in the semifinals. She wins with a genius-level tennis IQ, outstanding movement and the ability to compete at a high level from the first point to the last. Her meteoric rise is remarkable, and she looks like a future top-10 player.
Victoria Azarenka
After being sidelined with injuries last year, Azarenka is regaining championship form. She had triple match point against Serena Williams in Madrid but lost, 7-6, in the third set when her nerves got the better of her. But Azarenka's fearless ball striking, punctuated by her trademark high-pitched shriek, makes her a looming threat in the draw. Azarenka plays to win, and if she can survive the first week, look for her level of play to rise.
© 2015 New York Times News Service