IMAGINE: Before Rafa Nadal prevailed over Jack Sock, Jim Courier said, “This might be a tad bit premature, but if Sock wins the title going through Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Federer it would be a Hall of Fame-type performance … Back up the Brinks truck.”
SUPERMAN BLINKED: Rafa Nadal‘s forehand faltered repeatedly against Jack Sock. Ted Robinson called it “a rare humanity.” At times, Sock actually dictated to the King of Clay, who was predictable on his serves, often tentative during rallies and didn’t convert break points. Ultimately, it was Justin Gimelstob who noted, “As great as [Rafa] is physically, mentally that may be his greatest strength.” Today, Sock—like John Isner before him—won a set off Nadal in Paris before falling to the claymeister. (Isner took Rafa to five sets in 2011.) For many American men who’ve lost in Paris, the soothing mantra has always been, “There’s always Wimbledon.” But for Sock, the Wimbledon doubles champ, it’s on to the doubles. And his performance on the clay here in Paris suggests great things may be on the horizon. Might Sock be the new top-flight men’s player American tennis fans have been looking for?
WHY JACK SOCK IS BETTER: Improved first serve, backhand, fitness and confidence.
NO DIRTY SOCK: Jack Sock said he wasn’t going to buy one of those souvenir packages of French Open clay that are sold at Roland Garros souvenir stands.
GO FIGURE: A quarterfinal match—Nadal vs. Djokovic—is unquestionably the match of the year. After a struggle with Jack Sock, observers wonder whether Nadal will come to the match with significantly reduced confidence … Kei Nishikori is the first Japanese player to reach the French Open quarterfinals in 82 years … For the first time since 2011, Maria Sharapova failed to reach the French Open final … Alison Van Uytvanck went into the French Open ranked No. 93 in the world, and only the third-ranked Belgian player. Now she’s the new Belgian No. 1 and by far the lowest-ranked player to reach a Slam quarterfinal this year.
CHOOSE YOUR ICON: Early on in his career, people said Jo-Willy Tsonga looked like Muhammad Ali. Now Chris Bowers has said the Frenchman looks like the young Nelson Mandela.
SERENA, THE COMEBACK QUEEN: Once, back in the heyday of the NBA, coach Red Auerbach would regularly light up a cigar when his dominant Boston Celtics team had a win under its belt.
It’s not quite the same thing with Serena Williams, but in tight matches, when she’s struggling, time and again, all you have to do is look for her to offer a fist pump after a winner or yell “C’mon!” and you know the match has turned.
Thirty-one times in Grand Slam matches—far more than anyone else, including heroic battlers such as Francesca Schiavone—Serena has come from a set down to win. At this year’s French Open, she’s done it three times in a row: against Anna-Lena Friedsam, Vika Azarenka, and now Sloane Stephens. As a teen she did it in the US Open against Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez and Monica Seles. In the 2011 US Open final, as Serena was unleashing a mighty comeback against Sam Stosur, she yelled out “C’mon!” when a seeming winner was still in play. She was called for hindrance, lost the point and her surge fizzled. Stosur won the Open.
Today, after being walloped 6-1 in the first set by the suddenly resurgent Stephens, Serena found herself down 2-3, 15-30 in the second. When she came out on top of a long, decisive rally, she yelled her loudest “C’mon! of the match. Ted Robinson noted, “You could just feel [the match change] at that moment.” Gone was Serena’s lethargic play—her slow feet, errant forehand and questionable decision-making. As she’s done so many times, she turned on a switch. The charge was on. An improved Sloane hung tough, but it wasn’t enough—Serena claimed a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
TIMEA, THE COMEBACK PRINCESS: There are countless stories of abuse in tennis. So often, fathers want to live their lives through their daughters, and understandably, often the abused victims—say Jelena Dokic, for example—work hard to not even talk about it.
But not Timea Bacszinsky. Engagingly quirky and talkative—it’s no accident that her coach has compared her to a “big book”—the rising Swiss player has been forthcoming about her fight to establish true independence from her controlling dad, a struggle that almost led her to quit the sport at the age of 22. (Bacszinsky pulled out of the 2012 Olympics for personal reasons.)
A year-ago, Bacsinszky first shared her story with the New York Times’ Ben Rothenberg, and at a memorable press conference at Indian Wells this spring, she expounded on it for an inquisitive Mary Carillo. Today, during Bacsinszky’s 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 upset of No. 3 seed Petra Kvitova—like many of her big wins this year, a come-from-behind victory—Carillo relayed the details: Bacsinszky severed all ties with her father, underwent years of therapy, and overcame injuries. For a brief spell, the onetime child phenom even left the game entirely to work in restaurants and bars and pursue hotel management.
Now Bacszinsky is in the quarterfinals of the French Open, and she may be set for a possible semifinal date with comeback queen Serena, who praised her “never give up” on-court tenacity earlier this year.
LUCIE’S LONG ROAD TO THE TOP: For years, Lucie Safarova has had a rep as perhaps the most talented current WTA player to never reach the top 10. Her career has been a bridesmaid’s tale defined by nervy near-misses such as an inches-out shot that would have given her a win over eventual champion Li Na at the 2013 Australian Open. Referred to by some as the nicest player on tour since Kim Clijsters‘ retirement, sporting Safarova has notoriously had trouble pulling the trigger. That changed today as she used her lethal lefty forehand to decisively out-winner sniffly defending champ Maria Sharapova on the way to a 7-6, 6-4 fourth-round upset. You’d have to go back to 2007 for the last time Safarova straight-setted a defending champ—Amelie Mauresmo at the Aussie Open—at a Slam. Her victory today likely brings the 28-year-old into the elusive top 10—and knocks Genie Bouchard out of it. A pair of Americans—coach Rob Steckley and doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, with whom she won this year’s Aussie Open women’s doubles title—have had a role in Safarova’s steady climb.
SAY WHAT? Timea Bacsinszky said spontaneity was one of her greatest strengths.
JUST A LITTLE OVERKILL: When a fan ran out on court after Federer‘s first-round win and asked for a selfie, Roger was not pleased. The next time we saw Fed in public, he had 13 security guards.
BOOMER MARKER—THE BORG DIVIDE: While talking about athleticism in tennis, Nick Lester said, “I most confess I wasn’t around when Bjorn Borg was [playing].” Lester’s broadcast partner Chris Bowers then replied, “I most confess that I was.”
QUOTEBOOK:
“If Roger says it’s dark, then off the court they go.”—Pat McEnroe, on the dominant role the Swiss plays in the game.
