Grand Slam Tennis: Done and dusted with the clay, it's time to move on to the grass!

The French Open has just got over and Rafael Nadal has come away with his eighth Roland Garros title. While you might want to take a break and catch your breath, there’s another Grand Slam to get ready for in just two weeks. The transition from clay to grass can be hard, especially since the grass court season lasts only four weeks.

The AEGON Championships, held at the Queen’s Club in London every year, has traditionally been the most important tune-up event for the men. Although Roger Federer and Nadal have chosen to play in Halle (Nadal withdrew on Friday after his thrilling five-set semi-final win citing doctor’s orders), the Queen’s Club attracts a much stronger field with four of the world’s top eight players lining up this year (in contrast, Federer and Nadal were the only top eight players signed up for Halle). Here are some of the plots to keep an eye on for as the tennis gets underway in London.

What is Andy Murray’s fitness level?

The world no. 2 skipped the French Open due to a lower back injury, and after watching the Nadal-Djokovic semi-final, he said he was glad he didn’t make the trip to Paris since he would not have been able to play at that level. Murray’s decision to skip Paris had as much to do with his back injury as it had to do with his keeping an eye on the bigger prize – the Wimbledon singles title. Murray has been practicing for nearly two weeks in London and hopes that the extra time on the grass will make him better prepared than some of his other peers.

As the top seed, Murray has a bye in the first round and then could meet the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the second round. Seventh seed Alexandr Dolgolpolov or former Wimbledon quarter finalist Bernard Tomic loom as quarter final opponents. Murray is a two-time champion here at Queens and will be hoping he sets himself up nicely for a deep run at Wimbledon and a chance to end the British drought that is closing in on eight decades.

Can the Berd fly in London?

Tomas Berdych is the no. 2 seed in London this week. The Czech, who made his debut on Twitter earlier this week, has a big game that adapts naturally to grass. Berdych has made the finals at Wimbledon once before and also won the Halle title a few years ago. Berdych has had a consistent season this year and will be hoping to put his first round loss in Paris behind him. The Czech has an easy draw to the quarter-finals where he could meet the fifth seed Marin Cilic.

The Croatian, who won at Queens last year, is on the verge of breaking back into the top 10 for the first time in three years but will need to deal with Feliciano Lopez, a Spaniard whose game is actually suited to grass, in the second round and Frenchman Julien Benneteau, another dangerous player on grass.

Welcome back, Juan Martin del Potro!

The former US Open champion was the other top player who had to pull out of the French Open after being struck down with respiratory problems that needed treatment in Argentina. Del Potro has struggled with niggling injuries and health concerns over the past few years following his wrist surgery and his ability to play seven best-of-five sets over two weeks is always in doubt. Potro has never won a title on grass and his height makes it difficult for him to bend low on the grass. And his draw is not exactly a cakewalk. A first round bye could be followed up with a second-round against former Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse, a third round with the Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen and a quarter-final against 2010 champion Sam Querrey, four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt or rising Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Will Jo-Wilfried Tsonga live up to his potential?

While everyone has been focusing on the Big Four, not many have been paying attention to the fact that the Frenchman Tsonga is beginning to display some consistency at the majors. Tsonga has reached two semis and one quarter final in the last four Grand Slams. The Frenchman’s all-out attacking style suits the grass courts which is why he has reached the semis at Wimbledon two years running.

With a new coach, Roger Rasheed, by his side, Tsonga is beginning to uncork some of the potential in his game. And he has a relatively easy draw up to the quarter-finals where he could meet the big serving South African Kevin Anderson, who is playing the best tennis of his life and will be a dark horse at SW19 this year, or compatriot Benoit Paire, the flamboyant Frenchman who was picked as the future no. 2 player in the 2018 world rankings by the French newspaper L’Equipe.

From the grinding baseline slugfest in Paris, it’s time to get ready for some attacking serve and volley tennis in London. The Queen’s Club event is just the start of a four week journey that takes tennis back to its roots and culminates in the oldest and most prestigious tournament there is – The Championships at Wimbledon.