Projections for Serena Williams and her prospects of defending her title:

 “I was pleasantly surprised at Serena doing so well [in Rome, where she won the title]. I honestly was…and that to me puts her right up there as the lead favorite. It's not going to be easy. She struggled last year. It's so much about motivation and so much about fitness for her, those two things.” – Chris Evert
 “(O)n Serena, it just kind of makes you even consider more, never underestimate Williams, because any other player would be so undercooked coming in with no tennis, and then just, boom, wins it. So just basic Serena, like never underestimate her, and now she's the favorite to win the French.” - Brad Gilbert

Reactions to Novak Djokovic's loss in Rome and Roland Garros prospects:

“Djokovic's loss is a blessing in disguise for him because this guy has won so much in the last year and a half, two years that the pressure is off. A little bit of the pressure is off after you lose. You just almost feel relieved when you're winning so much, and I think he can just take a deep breath and sort of go back and regroup.” – Evert
 “The pressure is not off. It's like I'm watching the Dubs (Note:  Brad’s beloved Golden State Warriors). The Dubs had this amazing season 72-9.  It's not to come in second place.  It's not to lose in the semis.  To me there's no other result that Djokovic is looking for other than winning the French….Djoker is the best player to have never won an individual Slam since Borg at the US Open.” – Gilbert

Thoughts on Rafael Nadal's resurgence on clay, having won Monte Carlo and Barcelona before strong results in Madrid and Rome:

“What makes it such a good advantage is that it's red. It's a red court. It's a red clay court. So any red clay court that he's ever played on he's had a huge advantage.”  - Patrick McEnroe
  “(H)is game is just completely suited to clay, where it gives him that one extra second to wind up because he does have the big back – the big ground strokes and the big wind-ups, and he needs a little more time. The ball sits up just perfectly for him.  He's a grinder. His physicalities are unbelievable. He can stay out there all day, and he can just outlast most of his if not all of his opponents, and he's got the patience.” - Evert

Opinions on equal pay for men and women when they play together, and the three sets vs five sets argument.  

“(W)hen the men and the women are together and they're both showcasing the greatness of global tennis, that I do think should be equal prize money. It's the entertainment value. It's the right thing to do.” – Evert
   “I think the best-of-five, best-of-three argument is silly because it has nothing to do to me with the length of the match. It has to do with the quality of what people are seeing and what people want to pay for. At the end of the day, that's really what it's all about.” – McEnroe
 “When they're playing together at Slams, it's no question. It's equal pay, and it shouldn't be about best of three or best of five. That's silly… when the tournament is making the TV deal, they're making it for both tours. So that's a moot point.” - Gilbert