French Open: Nadal, Serena hit Paris on major roll

Scan the list of past winners and runners-up. There's Gaston Gaudio and Albert Costa, Guillermo Coria and Martin Verkerk, Andres Gomez and Mariano Puerta. Not so much a "Who's Who." More like a "Who's He?"

The women's list features fewer out-of-nowhere names, yet does include those such as Iva Majoli, Anastasia Myskina and Francesca Schiavone, who all won the French Open while never making it past the quarterfinals at any other major championship.

With the year's second Grand Slam tournament set to begin Sunday at Roland Garros, there is little thought being given to that sort of stunning outcome, thanks to Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.

Nadal won his record seventh French Open title last year and is 52-1 for his career at the place. Consider, too, the nearly perfect way the Spaniard has played after seven months off the tour because of a left knee injury: Since returning in February, Nadal is 36-2, reaching the finals at all eight tournaments he's entered, winning six.

The No. 1-ranked Williams, meanwhile, has been unbeatable lately. She arrives in Paris having won a career-high 24 consecutive matches and is 36-2 with a tour-leading five titles this season. That's part of a stretch in which she's gone 67-3, including titles last year at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the London Olympics.

That 70-match stretch of excellence dates, probably not coincidentally, to her last match at Roland Garros, a shocking loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano of France in the first round in 2012. It is her only opening loss in 50 career Grand Slam tournaments.

While there certainly are other women who realistically can harbor hopes of lifting the trophy in a little more than two weeks - defending champion Maria Sharapova is the best example - Williams appears to be playing as well as ever at the moment.

ON TV

• What: French Open, early-round play

• When: 2 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2; 7 a.m. Sunday on Tennis Channel; 9 a.m. Sunday tape delayed on Channel 4; 2 a.m. Monday on ESPN2