NO KIDDING: After getting his clock cleaned by Roger Federer, Gael Monfils said Roger’s “game is a pain in the ass.”
SAGE OF THE SEASON: Just before Sweden’s last Grand Slam champion, Thomas Johansson, left home to come to Paris, he wrote, “[I] won’t be blogging tomorrow because I’m going to Paris to see Robin Soderling beat Nadal in four sets.”
JESUS AND DIOR: Where else but in Paris would you have a magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur, featuring Jesus, Socrates and Buddha on its cover and a naked blonde on the back selling Dior perfume.
THE ANDY RODDICK/JACKIE KENNEDY CONNECTION: The most curious five degrees of separation French Open concoction that came to our minds went something like this. Andy Roddick’s coach, Larry Stefanki, was coached by the legendary Tom Stow, who coached many a Californian (most notably Don Budge) who, right after winning the ‘38 French championships was invited by the celebrated cellist Pablo Casals to a private concert in the musician’s Paris apartment. In turn, at the height of the Camelot days, Casals was invited by JFK and First Lady Jackie to play at a glittering White House gathering.
A CONCEITED WAY OF AMUSING YOURSELF: After the crowd backed Soderling, Toni Nadal contended, “The Parisian crowd is pretty stupid. The French don’t like it when a Spaniard wins. Wanting someone to lose is a slightly conceited way of amusing yourself. They show the stupidity of people who think themselves superior.”
WELCOME TO PARIS: Mustachioed tennis fans with pipes… Dreamy-eyed couples passionately making out…Woman in purple heels with creamy pearls…Big cigars, little cars, cafes that craft the art of hanging out, intriguing bookstores…A harpist at the Metro stop playing Pascal…A media van that offers Beethoven’s Fifth as Paris’ night lights bounce playfully off the Seine, while the Eiffel Tower looms constant and Notre Dame is on the horizon…a sing-song language and wine that flows without pause.
WITH RN OUT RF BEAT RS AT RG: Translation: With Nadal out Fed beat Soderling to win the French.
PRETTY IN PINK: Seeing Nadal in his stunning pink shirt brings to mind Maria Sharapova, Chris Evert winning her last French title sporting a classy pink Ellese sweater, Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open, Justine Henin and Bud Collins’ pants. Now, of course, the question arises: will Nadal ever play in pink again?
NOT JUST YOUR AVERAGE COQUETTISH GAL ON THE BASELINE: Tennis delighted in Sharapova’s return. After all, as Christopher Clarey noted, “you could see her as she galloped along the baseline and coquettishly tucked those stray strands of hair behind each ear before a serve.”
JUST WONDERING: Will Sharapova come into her own by the end of the summer, shake off her rustiness and face a still-fabulous-after-all-these-years Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open final…How would Justin Henin do if she returned to the tour…Next year, will Rafa lighten his load and reduce his match-packed pre-Roland Garros grind…Aside from occasional fatigue, are Nadal’s weaknesses on clay an attackable second serve and a sometimes-too-conservative game plan?
KISS A GIRL, TEST POSITIVE FOR COKE?: Nadal vigorously defended his friend Richard Gasquet after the Frenchman tested positive for cocaine. Said Rafa, “He’s most certainly not taking cocaine. You know what the world is like today. You go to a party…if you kiss a girl who’s taken cocaine, anything can happen. This can destroy your career and this is most unfair.”
JUST DOESN’T COME THROUGH ON TV: Svetlana Kuznetsova, who appears to be just another dour Russian jock, is actually a fun-loving, insightful and personable young woman. But she delivers little of the charisma and slim beauty of fellow Euros like Sharapova, Ivanovic and Jankovic, and her deep-winter voice and chunky athleticism just don’t appeal.
ROLE REVERSAL: Isn’t it usually kids who hang up on their parents? But when Kuznetsova called her mother from center court to gush about winning the French, her mom hung up on her.
TENNIS’ DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: After Venus Williams lost early in Paris, marketing whiz John Korff said her exit would “have no impact on her endorsements…Wimbledon and the U.S. Open are brand makers…The French only gets your clothing dirty…[Venus’] clothing line is so obscure that winning or losing will have little impact.”
CATTIER THAN THOU: Before the historic men’s final and the less than historic woman’s final Serena Williams said, “Clearly, women’s tennis is better than men’s tennis. There’s no comparison. It’s way cattier, so it’s way more exciting to watch.”
NOT EXACTLY GRACIOUS LOSERS: After losing to Tathiana Garbin, Marion Bartoli said that Garbin’s clan shouted when she made errors and added “It’s not sports like. They’re Italians.” A reporter then noted that her grandfather was from Italy, Bartoli countered, “I’m from Corsica”… After being beaten by Kuznetsova, Serena claimed, “I lost because of me and not because of anything she did.”
TIGER TALK: By winning Slam No. 14, Fed not only equaled Sampras’ hallowed mark, the Swiss pulled even with Tiger Woods. Woods, who was actively in touch with Fed as he closed in on his title, said, “Roger was impressive to watch…It’s phenomenal how he’s moving again. He was hurt for a while. His back was bothering him, and then he had the whole mono thing…But it’s truly remarkable when he gets it going. He just hits shots that nobody else can hit.” While Woods can appear steely on the golf course, he was biting his fingernails during the RG final: “I was as nervous as can be for him…I was yelling at the TV — the whole deal.”
RICOCHET-GATE: Serena blasted a ball that seemingly ricocheted off Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Despite TV replays that showed otherwise, the Spaniard said that the ball didn’t hit her. Serena insisted her foe was a cheat. On court Williams was livid, calling out, “I’m going to get you in the locker room for that. You don’t know me.” She told the ump “she better not come into net.” Afterwards, Serena, who has been involved in infamous incidents with Jennifer Capriati and Justine Henin explained her smack, saying with a wink, “Well, I am from Compton, so, you know…”
CURIOUS QUESTIONS:
• “I asked you [Roger] the question on Friday, and you said, ‘Ask me the question on Sunday.’ I can’t remember what it was, though.” — A reporter to Roger Federer
• “Why does ESPN broadcast the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?” — A reporter to ESPN execs on a pre-French Open conference call
CURIOUS PRESIDENTIAL ADVICE: During his visit to Roland Garros, the Serbian President Boris Tadic told Jelena Jankovic that “if you eat fruit after a meal you will get fat.”
TAKE THAT GM: GM officials made bankruptcy sound fine, so maybe it wasn’t that surprising that many top stars did some fancy spinning in Paris. Federer said Rafa’s defeat “definitely creates some mind plays…in some of the players’ minds…knowing that now their section is open. Mine hasn’t been affected in a big way because I’m on the other side of the draw”…Nadal himself claimed that fans remember athletes based on their wins, not defeats…After nearly losing 6-0, 6-0 Sharapova said that a score in a match didn’t matter.
INTRO TO FRENCH 101: RG lovers are familiar with the French terms for match point and set point: balle de match and balle de set. So not surprisingly, just as Sharapova was on the brink of being double-bageled, press room wise guys suggested there should be a balle de bagel.
WIN OR IT’S OFF TO THE HOME FOR WAYWARD LOSERS: After a reporter asked Federer, “You waited 27 years to win in Paris. You won the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open much earlier. Does that give a special flavor to this trophy?” Roger responded, “First, I never waited 27 years, because 27 years ago I was just born. My parents never told me, If you don’t win Roland Garros we take you to the orphanage.”
BEST ARMS EAST OF MICHELLE O.: Gael Monfils.
LOVING IT: Years ago when kid Agassi came to France, the culinary capitol of the universe, he promptly headed for McDonalds (or was it Burger King?) Anyway, after his win over Roddick, Monfils was spotted leaving a Paris McDonalds toting two bags of fast food.
RED SEA ALERT: Going into the quarters, Federer’s record against the rest of the remaining RG field was 38-1 and there were no past champs left in Paris.
OUCH!: Andy Roddick told the showboating Gael Monfils, “You’re not good enough to be that cocky.”
MISSION POSSIBLE: One reporter suggested that Robin Soderling was sent on a special mission from Sweden to protect Bjorn Borg’s record of four straight French Opens. BTW: Borg’s record of five straight Wimbledons also still stands thanks to Nadal’s win over Fed last year.
TOP 10 ROLAND GARROS STORYLINES:
1. Victory: Fed creates history, wins 14th major, collects career Slam. Best of all time?
2. Rafa Falls: Nadal comes to earth, RG domination in dust.
3. Rockin’ Robin Soderling breaks through to final.
4. Doosey Kuzy: Svetlana wins second Slam
5. No. 1 Collapse: Safina falters in third Slam final.
6. Move over, here’s Sharapova: Maria returns.
7. Americans in Paris: A-Rod and Serena battle to the 2nd week then dissolve. Bob Bryan/Liezel Huber win mixed.
8. I’m a Woman Hear Me Roar: Grunting brouhaha by teen Michelle Larcher de Brito.
9. Eastern Euro-chaos: Serbians falter/Romanians and Slovakians soar.
10. Croat the Helm: Karlovic sets ace record.
STANDING UP TO RAFA: Reflecting on his fellow Swede Soderling, Mats Wilander said, “It’s really nice to see someone stand up to Nadal mentally and not be bothered by anything and let Nadal take his time and not worry about it and be in Rafa’s face.”
BATTLE OF THE UPSETS: All great tennis champions have suffered shocking defeats. Little Michael Chang dropped mighty Ivan Lendl at the ‘89 French. Little-known Jelena Dokic downed defending champ Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon in ‘99. Boris Becker lost to Peter Doohan at Wimby in ‘97, George Bastl dropped Pete Sampras at Wimby in ‘02, Scanlon dropped John McEnroe at the ‘83 U.S. Open, Dick Stockton beat Bjorn Borg at the ‘77 U.S. Open, and Lori McNeil beat Steffi Graf at the ‘94 U.S. Open. But even though it was just in the fourth round, was the highly obscure Robin Soderling’s four-set win over Rafa (with his four straight RG titles and 31 consecutive matches at the French Open with the loss of only four sets) the greatest upset in men’s tennis history?
FIGHTING THE WAR WITH KNIVES AND OTHER SECRETS OF RUSSIAN RESOLVE: Six of the eight French Open quarterfinalists were Eastern Euros, including surprise semi-finalist Dominika Cibulkova, of Slovakia, Miami champ Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, Romanian Sorana Cirstea and three Russians we know well: Dinara Safina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In contrast, aside from Venus and Serena, no American woman made it past the second round at RG. So, theories abound as to why the Russian Revolution succeeded. Kuznetsova said they, “work hard to have a different mentality — completely. Different…It’s not only coming when we grow up [that] it was so difficult. It’s also coming through the war, because our grandparents… were fighting in the war [WWII] and things were extremely hard. They had to go with nothing, without maybe bullets, only with knife, and still to go to war. They teach their kids to be always strong. Always we have difficult moments when we grow up. We always learn to be strong.” Sveta added that the legacy of the war is still part of Russian life. “I played final on 9th of May with Dinara in Rome this year, and even in Rome I felt this [is] big. They celebrate [Victory Day] in Rome. It’s huge in Russia. Everybody is drinking and celebrating the victory. I’m very proud for my country that they made it…Russia is very big patriotic country…We still believe a lot in God. Yeah, the war made [a] big change in everybody — even until this point. We will never forget about it.” Kuznetsova then gave the Cliffs Notes version of Russian tennis history, touching on the pivotal role of former President Boris Yeltsin, Anna Kournikova, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin and Sharapova. “Everybody did something for Russian tennis,” Kuzy contended, “We’re all pulling it forward.”
I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST HEARD: RG’s Court Centrale throng whistled in protest of The Mighty Fed after Roger complained about a call.
TIMES CHANGE: IT’s Matt Cronin said on Roland Garros radio that in the 21st century you no longer telegraph your shots, you must “tweet them.”
DAVID DOES IT AGAIN: David (that would be the 5-foot-3 Dominika Cibulkova) came within two points of double-bageling Goliath (that would be the 6-foot-2 three time Slam champ Maria Sharapova).
BEING A PRO IS NEVER HAVING TO CRAM FOR A FINAL?: If Andy Roddick ever wins the French Open, don’t expect him to give his acceptance speech in French like the crowd-pleasing Jim Courier did. Roddick, who’s been coming to France for 10 years, had a French coach and is sponsored by the French companies Babolat and LaCoste, confided that, like many Americans, his French is suspect. “Getting through menus is fine,” he said. “Understanding fair bits is fine. Speaking it is very below average.” As for the possibility of studying French, Andy confessed, “One of the things that being a pro tennis player has afforded me, is never having to go to school again in my life. So I relish that opportunity.”
EXCHANGE OF THE MONTH:
S.L. Price: “Where are we with the women’s game right now?”
Mary Carillo: “Beats me.”
HEADLINES
• Now Roger Federer Will Always Have Paris
• No Man is an Island… Except for Nadal
• Kobe. Tiger. Federer. Their Greatest Pursuit Is the Pursuit of Greatness
• The Grunting Has to Stop
• Sveta’s War
THE POPULARITY PULSE: A poll in the French daily L’Equipe reported that 66 percent of local fans prefer Nadal, while 33 percent voted for Fed…Sharapova said she’s more popular now then when she was No. 1.
EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL: After losing at Roland Garros, Nadal confessed, “Right now, my preparation [for Wimbledon] is the swimming pool of my house.”
RAFA RETIRES (NOT!): After Nadal’s loss, a reporter asked Fed, “The question…has been, what does Roger have to do to beat Rafa? You don’t have to answer that anymore. Are you relieved?” Roger responded, “Um, he didn’t retire, right?”
THE MAJORCAN MAYAN: Elizabeth Kaye wrote that Nadal’s “golden-umber skin, deep-set inky eyes and prominent cheekbones evoke 19th-century paintings of Mayan chiefs…Though he has more muscle mass and power than any other player, his aspect is light, like a big convivial kid who borrowed his father’s body for a special occasion.”
TWENTY SOMETHING: Federer’s astounding record of reaching 20 straight Grand Slam semis is far ahead of any other guy. Incredibly, Chris Evert reached 34 straight semis. Roger was elated, saying, “It’s the ‘in-a-row’ that seems incredible to me. Twenty semifinals is incredible, but 20 semifinals in a row? It’s even more incredible, even to me. Sometimes I lose sight of it because of all the tournaments I play…but that’s probably the one I’m most proud of.”
IT’S BEEN DONE ALREADY: Some said that, after his wondrous comeback from two sets down against Tommy Haas, Federer should name his kid Roland. But it’s sort of been done before. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario’s dog was named Roland Garros.
FEDERER EQUALS BEAUTY: Years ago, Dustin Hoffman gave a shoutout to Jimmy Connors at the Academy Awards. This year, at the Tony Awards, the producers of God of Carnage spoke of the cast of the show, saying “How beautiful they are — the acting equivalent of Roger Federer.”
THE GLATCH IS HALF EMPTY (OR IS THE GLATCH HALF FULL?): Appealing American Alexa Glatch, was the hero of America’s recent Fed Cup win over the Czech Republic, and scored an impressive upset at the French over Flavia Pennetta before losing in the second round. Only ranked No. 116, she got a Wimbledon wildcard and is the most promising U.S. youngster out there. The Newport Beach product hopes to reach the top 50 or 60 within a year.
ON THE WATERFRONT: Juan Martin Del Potro said he didn’t have a clue about the origin of his name (which means ‘of the port’).
GONZO JOURNALISM: Imagine a player with Pancho Gonzalez’s sweet serve and Fernando Gonzalez’s domineering forehand.
LATIN QUANDARY: The very southern nations of South America — Chile and, especially, Argentina — have been producing strong players of late. But the middle and northern nations of the continent (and the rest of Latin America, for that matter) are far behind.
MOST SIGNIFICANT SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT: Federer’s “shot for the ages” inside-out forehand winner that turned his dicey fourth-round match against Tommy Haas around on a dime, allowing him to come back from two sets down to win.
MOST ACROBATIC SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT: After the ever-spectacular Gael Monfils pulled off an astounding third set dive ‘n scramble winner, his appreciative foe Jurgen Melzer offered the Frenchman a low-five, and the crowd launched a spirited wave.
TV SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT: The close-up gray elder Bjorn Borg seemingly peering over Federer’s shoulder.
TV DISASTER OF THE TOURNAMENT: NBC failed to broadcast the captivating Federer-Del Potro semi.
ASININE MOMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT: After a wretched call late in his match against Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez sat down on court and erased the disputed mark with his backside. (See lead photo.)
THE MAGICIAN WHO CAME LATE TO THE PARTY: Retiring French magician Fabrice Santoro with his two-handed wonders off both sides admitted, “My style was almost already out of style when I came on the circuit in the ‘90s. I had a game from the ‘70s…I was already 20 years late. To be competitive for 20 years when you arrive with a 20-year deficit was not easy. Therein lay all the challenge and the beauty of my career. I had to constantly try to find solutions to trouble the players, to be successful, to keep my job.”
EVEN PAVAROTTI GOT THE YIPS: Nerves were a continual theme throughout the French Open. Nadal, surprisingly, confided that he was nervous throughout his loss to Soderling. Even the seemingly serene Federer said, “We’re all nervous at this stage of the competition. I felt it yesterday and I felt it again today in the warm-up…I was tired, I was nervous, and I didn’t feel really good.” Roger said he had trouble sleeping, didn’t eat well and felt dizzy. But, “once out on court, I get my act together.”
DRAMA MAGNET: Arguably, Nadal has prevailed in the most scintillating three-set match of the year (his 4:02 sizzler over Novak Djokovic in the Madrid semis); the most captivating five-set match of the year, his 5:14 Aussie win over Fernando Verdasco; and (sorry, Michael Chang, George Bastl, Richard Krajicek, et al) perhaps the most stunning upset in all in tennis history, when he lost in four sets to Soderling. And, lest we forget, the guy won last year’s Wimby final, which many say is the best match of all time.
MONO-OH-MONO: Roger talked about his bout with mono, saying, “I had issues last year. We all know what they were. People sometimes don’t give you time to actually let them heal or figure them out. I’m not the type of guy who’s scared of going into matches not feeling great…I don’t care if I lose three times first round, I want to see where I’m at…I can also, of course, decide not to play for three months and then come back very strong again. That’s not the road I chose. I’m the guy who likes to face it and see if I’m good enough or not.”
OUCH! THAT ONE HURTS: Nikolay Davydenko said he was glad he was out of the top 10 so he didn’t have to deal with the media.
GO FIGURE: Leander Paes said he would give away one of his doubles trophies just to see Federer win…The two strongest nations in women’s tennis — Russia and Serbia — drew each other in the first round of the Fed Cup. The U.S. will travel to Italy for the Cup final in November, then face France in the first round in ‘10.
WIND ASSISTED: Wimbledon chief Tim Phillips told IT that the seven minutes and four seconds it took to close the new Wimbledon roof was a record. But it was wind assisted.
BEING FOR FED, MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU’RE SORRY: After a crazed fellow came on court during the French final and tried to plunk his hat on Roger’s head, Federer recalled the various streakers who’ve interrupted his matches. “I remember the English guy was actually quite funny. He looked at me and goes, I’m so sorry I have to do this. I was like, Okay, just don’t touch me, you know.”
THE FORCES OF HELL: Richard Williams told IT that he was “proud of Serena the day before her mom ever got pregnant.” Williams added that his mother is his hero. “My mom taught me. Everything you see in Venus and Serena was taught to them by my mom, because I taught it to them. So their training actually goes back to the ‘40s and ‘50s…My mom wouldn’t let all the evils in hell stop her, under no circumstances. My mom was a winner. I didn’t have no dad in the house, but I had a mom…The evil forces of Hell were afraid to come her way. They never came her way. Sometimes they’d come my way, but they wouldn’t come her way…My mom was a kick-ass person, no matter who it was or what it was. She didn’t believe in turning around or giving in. My mother reminds me of Serena. My mom was unbelievable.”
WHAT’S SAID IN ROME DOESN’T STAY IN ROME: Early in the clay-court season in Rome, Serena said she was “the true No. 1,” despite the inconvenient reality that Dinara Safina held the top spot. But after her loss to Kuznetsova, she admitted, with a distinctly sly smile, that the Russian has “definitely authenticated [herself] as the world No. 1. She’s there. She has won four tournaments.” Serena’s mind games may well have taken their toll on young Safina, who feeling great pressure to prove her ranking was justified, was done in by her nerves in the final and played dismally.
BEST NEVER TO SLAM: Many a top woman hasn’t yet won a major — No. 1 Safina, No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, plus newcomer Victoria Azarenka. On the men’s side, there’s No. 3 Murray and No. 5 Del Potro, plus Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Nikolay Davydenko.
HENIN IN THE HOUSE: When it was announced that Justine Henin would do a press conference at Roland Garros, reporters joked that French officials might just give the former No. 1 a special exemption and slot her right into the draw into the Round of 16 and she’d do just fine. Anyway, the Belgian again told the press how she loves to play in Paris. “This tournament has been my tournament for so many years.” Since Justine retired in May ‘08, the No. 1 spot which Henin called home for so long turned into a revolving door that five different players — Sharapova, Ivanovic, Jankovic, Serena and Safina — have walked through. Justine noted that the “tour needs a leader” and that Safina needed to take the “next step” or that Maria might “take the lead pretty soon.” Henin, who spoke on how difficult it is to adjust to life after tennis, insisted she’s not coming back and said she has “a dream to have children,” but not right now.
FLAWLESS FED: Federer is known for his near-flawless approach to tennis and its little details. Now his wife, Mirka, is due to deliver their first child at a perfect time — the gap between the end of Wimbledon and the height of the North American hard court season when Roger resumes tournament play. (Of course, may we note, Mother Nature sometimes has her own plan.)
REAL ESTATE WATCH: First it was the roof. Now Wimbledon officials say a new, 2,000-seat Court 3 will be built in time for the ‘11 championships, replacing the famed Graveyard of the Champions… Roland Garros hopes to build a snazzy new center court stadium with a roof by ‘14.
SLAP ON THE AUSTRALIAN WRIST: The ITF decided not to suspend Australia over its decision not to play a Davis Cup tie in India, instead they were fined a nominal $10,000 and their choice of ground for their next home tie was taken away.
THE ALBATROSS OF PERFECTION: Elizabeth Kaye noted, “Tennis is a mental game, and everyone who plays it has an inner narrative that serves as a self-fulfilling prophecy or as a self-created stumbling block. Federer’s narrative is one of perfection, an enviable storyline provided you’re winning. But when you’re losing, perfection is an albatross — a ‘monster,’ as Federer puts it — because it doesn’t permit even the most cursory failure.”
PAIN AMIDST THE GAME: The Air France disaster midway through the French Open sadly brings to mind that many a horrific occurrence seems to happen during big tennis matches. John Kennedy Jr. died during the ‘99 Davis Cup, the death of Princess Di in ‘97, the crash of the SwissAir flight in ‘98 and Katrina all occurred during the U.S. Open and 9/11 came two days after the U.S. Open.
QUOTEBOOK:
• “Everybody has advice for Federer. Get a coach, Roger. Use a larger racket. Whatever, change. Do something new, Roger. Do something different. But maybe it’s hardest for him to adjust because he knows what everyone has told him, that he is the most beautiful tennis player who ever lived.” — Frank Deford
• “Muhammad Ali came up with rope-a-dope, an aging Michael Jordan perfected the fadeaway jumper: The great ones adjust, sending a signal not only to their rivals but also to all the newly emboldened.” — S.L. Price on Federer’s refusal to adjust his game to Nadal’s attack
• “It’s not deja vu, it’s Robin who?” — Ted Robinson on Robin Soderling
• “Rarely have so many wanted so much for one athlete.” — Ted Robinson
• “Roger Federer has officially done it all.” — Eurosport
• “It’s always good to think the unthinkable.” — Chris Bowers
