TENNIS - FRENCH OPEN:WHEN ANDRE AGASSI won the French Open in 1999, becoming only the fifth man to claim all four slams, his place in history stole up on him without the world peering on with lurid expectation. It came as an almost complete surprise. By contrast for Roger Federer the expectation has been growing ever more feverish for four years.
In 2005 Federer reached the semi-finals and for the past two years he has been the beaten finalist. On all three occasions it has been Spain's Rafael Nadal who has denied the Swiss the place in history that most believe is his by right. Yesterday the quest began again, Federer stepping out on the Court Suzanne Lenglen and winning his first-round match 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 against the American Sam Querrey.
Federer lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and there were further signs against Querrey that Federer's game is no longer the smooth-running, finely grooved article that swept him to 12 grand slam titles. In Australia against Djokovic it was the forehand that suddenly and startlingly fragmented, while over the past few weeks he has been shanking his backhand with increasing regularity.
"I'm sort of relieved about getting through the first match, and I think from now on it should get easier," he said. It was not a remark anybody much believed.
Women's third seed Jelena Jankovic, for her part, was keen to distance herself from the favourite's tag after kicking off her Roland Garros campaign with a laboured first-round victory on a rain-affected day in Paris.
Jankovic and Venus Williams were the leading players to progress in the women's draw on day two, which was cut short when the heavens opened midway through the afternoon.
While Williams, the eighth seed, needed three sets to get past Tzipora Obziler just before the rain came down, Serbia's Jankovic was a 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 winner over Monica Niculescu.
The likes of second seed Ana Ivanovic and 2002 winner Serena Williams progressed on Sunday, but Jankovic does not believe she should be hoisted up into that company as the challenge hots up to succeed retired reigning champion Justine Henin.
"I don't really look at myself as a favourite," said the 23-year-old, who reached the semi-final here last year before losing to Ivanovic.
"I'm a much better and mature player so I have a good chance. But I'm taking it one match at a time.
"Justine was the one I had most trouble with. I could never beat her - now that she's gone, I've more of a chance."
Only one seed - Alona Bondarenko (23) - fell yesterday, with Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic taking the scalp of the Ukrainian. Otherwise, it was a comfortable day for the seeds.
Patty Schnyder, the 10th seed, opened her campaign with a run-of-the-mill 6-3 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Bychkova, while Hungary's Agnes Szavay, the 12th seed, and Karin Knapp, the Italian seeded 32, also won.
