“I don’t think I’ve played that well since San Jose (February),” Blake said. “I really felt like my old self out there, it’s the first time in a long time. Even if I don’t win another match here I’ll still feel good about my clay game. But I’m not ready to stop, I would really like to win this tournament.”

If Simon can get past American Robert Kendrick in his opener, he is looking at a possible second-round match up with wildcard and former French Open winner Gaston Gaudio. Russian Nikolay Davydenko, if he advances to the second round, is looking at a potential match-up with unseeded former No. 1 and former French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.