Beleaguered Nantes manager Michel Der Zakarian. Photo: Jean-Pierre Muller
Nantes got through four different coaches the last time they were in Ligue 1 and by the end of this week the newly-promoted side could be on their second of the season after losing 2-0 to Bordeaux at the weekend.
Current boss Michel Der Zakarian, a former title [...]

Olympique Marseille players celebrate. Photograph: Frank Perry/AFP
An eight-goal thriller, two refereeing cock-ups, late goals and a shockresult that no-one saw coming: Ligue 1 got off to a cracking start at the weekend, even if the name of the team at the top of the table has a familiar ring to it.
Grenoble, playing [...]

The new Liverpool capture David N’Gog, who signed from Paris Saint Germain. Photograph Barry Coombs/PA
Liverpool have made their sixth signing of the summer with the capture of the French striker David N’Gog from Paris St Germain. The 19-year-old has signed a four-year deal at Anfield and follows Philipp Degen, Andrea Dossena, Diego Cavalieri, Vincent Weijl [...]

Expect plenty of the above this afternoon. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
Second set: Federer 0-1* Nadal The last player to win the French without dropping a set was Borg. Don’t bet against it happening again. That’s another love game for Nadal, who slides to his right to intercept a decent Federer approach at 40-0 and makes the [...]

Sharapova wasn’t at her best against Rodina. Photograph: Christophe Karamba/EPA
The abrupt and startling retirement of Belgium’s Justine Henin, aged just 25 and the French Open champion for the past three years, did not come as a major surprise to Maria Sharapova, who has taken over from Henin as the world’s No1 and is the top [...]

Ivanovic got over a nervous start to advance. Photograph: Phillipe Perusseau/EPA
Second seed Ana Ivanovic was forced to dig deep before reaching the second round of the French Open with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson.
Last year’s defeated finalist soon established her dominance in the opening set, but was made to pay for some [...]

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic took time to adjust to the clay of Roland Garros. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty
Third seed Novak Djokovic scrapped his way into the French Open second round despite dropping the first set against the German Denis Gremelmayr, who was making his debut at Roland Garros.
Djokovic eventually triumphed 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to preserve his [...]