Mats Wilander
  • Nadal is the perfect clay-court player

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander analysed Sunday's French Open final which saw Rafael Nadal crowned champion at Roland Garros for a record eighth time.

    Mats was impressed by his 6-3 6-2 6-3 win over David Ferrer and enthused over the quality of the man who is nicknamed 'the King of Clay'.

    Nadal is the perfect clay-court player, Mats said. If you built one from scratch, he'd be just like the Spaniard.

    His clay-court game is incredibly strong against all kinds of opponents and it's not just Roland Garros he has dominated, but Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome too.

    However, Mats also had words of

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  • Ferrer to beat Nadal? It’s not impossible

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander has been analysing Sunday's French Open final between Spaniards Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer.

    The bookies make Nadal a huge 1/10 favourite to triumph at Roland Garros for an astonishing eighth time but Mats feels all is not lost for Ferrer, who is playing in his first Grand Slam final at the 42nd attempt.

    Mats highlights the fact that Ferrer is yet to drop a set at Roland Garros and says Nadal hasn't reached his best level - aside from that famous semi-final win over Novak Djokovic of course.

    While Nadal has been looking a bit tired, Ferrer is fresh as you can

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  • Djokovic so close, but relaxed Rafa prevails

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander was wowed by the tremendous French Open semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, with the Spaniard finally winning in five sets.

    Mats says the key to Nadal's success was the way he managed to relax in the final set, which he won 9-7, and was able to hit his way out of trouble.

    Nadal began to hit the ball harder and find the corners - a trait normally associated with Djokovic when he is under pressure.

    The Serb was so close to inflicting Nadal's second ever defeat at Roland Garros - which was impressive in its own right given all the conditions suited

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  • Serena impossible to beat at her best

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander was wowed by Serena Williams's dominant performance in her 6-0 6-1 semi-final win over Sara Errani at Roland Garros.

    Mats said there was nothing Errani could do against the superior serve and power of Williams - who is "on a mission" as she prepares to face Maria Sharapova in the final.

    Our expert says Sharapova has some cause for hope despite the incredible form of Williams, as the clay suits the world number two and defending champion.

    Mats also turned his expert eye to Sharapova's semi-final win over Victoria Azarenka, which was an altogether closer affair.

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  • Djokovic has better chance against Nadal in semis

    Eurosport analyst Mats Wilander was hugely impressed by Novak Djokovic, as the world number one saw off the challenge of veteran Tommy Haas to reach the French Open semi-finals.

    Djokovic will now meet Rafael Nadal for a place in the final, and Mats believes the Serb stands a better chance of beating the Spanish clay-court master in the semis rather than in the championship game, as he explains in the video below:

    Mats also casts his expert eye over how Nadal won through, with a straight-set victory over Stanislas Wawrinka, and says the conditions suited the world number four:

    On the women's

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  • Nadal not yet at his peak

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander believes Rafael Nadal is not at the peak of his powers just yet.

    Defending champion Nadal has been in decent but not dominant form at the French Open.

    Wilander thinks this is because the Spaniard, who only recently recovered from a serious injury, does not have quite as much power as previously.

    "Nadal is not as ferocious compared to the other guys any more, the other guys being such good ball strikers.

    "They are coming out knowing they need to hit it hard, to hit winners, and Rafa’s forehand doesn’t look as ferocious.

    "I really think it’s very close, I don’t

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  • Sharapova’s hidden depths

    In his regular Hawk-Eye feature, Mats Wilander analyses why Maria Sharapova is such a formidable opponent as she continues the defence of her French Open title.

    Her high-risk tennis pays dividends, as Mats reveals in the video below.

    Mats also took a look at Novak Djokovic's heavy win over up and coming Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

    Read More »from Sharapova’s hidden depths
  • Wilander: Serena’s incredible serve makes her unbeatable

    Mats Wilander looks at how Serena Williams's serve and comes to the conclusion that she is virtually unbeatable.

    Serena breezed past Sorana Cirstea 6-0 6-2, extending her winning streak to 27 matches and laying down a marker of her title potential.

    The American has dropped a mere six games, and Wilander believes that her power and repertoire of different serves makes her a truly formidable opponent.

    "Can she be beaten? Her serves make sure that she is always on the front foot and attacking, which makes life pretty impossible for her opponents," he said.

    "There is no doubt that her serve is

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  • Stosur’s serve a huge asset

    Former finalist Sam Stosur's serve once again was the talking point after another impressive display at the French Open in Paris.

    With the ball in her hand, ninth seed Stosur has often been favourably compared to some of her male counterparts, and it was no different after her second-round win over Kristina Mladenovic at Roland Garros.

    "Sam played a really, really solid match. It was really impressive, especially the serve," Mladenovic said after her 6-4 6-3 defeat. "She was serving just amazing, I would say like a man today, really."

    Stosur next meet Serbia's Jelena Jankovic, but before she

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  • Tsonga needs to get forward to get ahead

    Roland Garros crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga despatched Jarkko Nieminen to reach the third round of the French Open, but there are still cracks in the Frenchman's game.

    Eurosport expert Mats Wilander uses Hawk-Eye to take a look at Tsonga's return, and suggests he needs to keep getting forward if he is to progress much further in Paris.

    Tsonga beat the veteran Finn in straight sets, 7-6 (6) 6-4 6-3 and will next meet fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

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About Mats Wilander

Swedish tennis legend Mats Wilander is one of the greatest players ever to pick up a racquet. The seven-times Grand Slam champion rose to the very top of the game in the late 1980s, and has now become one of tennis"s pithiest commentators. Edgy, opinionated and never less than brutally honest, Wilander exclusively offers Eurosport the benefit of his frankly brilliant chat.

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