by Michael Mewshaw
Even the rawest beginner in freshman French is familiar with the phrase “plus ça change.” This year at Roland Garros that Gallic adage squirms like an earworm in every journalist’s brainpan. Article after article has emphasized that as much as the infrastructure has changed, the French Open remains essentially the same. A pure expression of Parisian style and elegance baptized with champagne and accompanied by culinary excellence. Court Philippe Chatrier, razed to the ground last spring, has risen like a phoenix in enlarged form, and next year it will have a retractable roof. Court 1, the Bullring famous for its intimacy and intensity, is scheduled to be demolished at the end of this tournament. But not far behind it, the new Court Simonne Mathieu looms like a giant greenhouse, a graceful ensemble of plate glass and extruded steel. For someone like me who has attended the French Open for the past forty years, these alternations are slightly jarring, but the dislocation fades with each day. By the end of the first week things will surely have settled into the new normal.
One dramatic change, however, has gone largely unremarked. Along with a numbered and computer coded press credential, every reporter wears on a lanyard around his neck a card entitled “How to React in Case of Danger,” then subtitled, “Before the security forces arrive, these behaviors can save you.” There follows a series of postage stamp size cartoons that suggest how to escape or hide from a bloody attack, and of course how to alert the emergency services with phone numbers provided for three different branches of security.
One glance at this tableau of terror cartoons and it seems that the bucolic enclave of Roland Garros has morphed into war-torn Syria. Reporters are urged to help others before fleeing and to warn people to avoid the danger zone. Barricade yourself in a safe place, the card advises, and stay flat to the floor. Turn off the lights and cut the power to all electrical devices, especially the ring tone on cell phones.
When rescuers show up – the cartoons leave little doubt that help will finally arrive – keep in mind a couple of rules of thumb. Don’t run at security agents or make any abrupt gesture. Just raise your hands and open them to show you’re not carrying a weapon.
Armed with such sensible advice, I suppose I should feel completely safe at Roland Garros. But I confess I’m nostalgic for the days when Ilie “Nasty” Nastase and John “Mad Dog” McEnroe represented the largest threats to public order. Some changes will simply never be mistaken for things remaining the same.
Michael Mewshaw is the author of 22 books, most recently The Lost Prince: A Search for Pat Conroy.
CARDIAC KIDS SERENA AND NAOMI SURVIVE: Many a WTA star won’t be vying for the French Open crown. Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Angie Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams all come to mind. And yesterday and again today, it seemed clear that the two most charismatic WTA players in the game would be heading back to America.
Serena, who had played only nine times this year, withdrew from the Italian Open and was pictured on the eve of Roland Garros in a wheelchair at France’s Disney World. And Monday it looked as if she might lose in the first round of a Slam – for only the second time in her career.
She came out against Russian world No. 83, Vitalia Diatchenko, wearing a striking black and white outfit. But she could hardly strike a ball. She was nervous and rusty, and lost the first set 6-2. But the 23-time Slam champ promptly turned the match around and won 12 of the next 13 games to prevail 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Matters looked even worse today for a nervous and out-of-control Naomi Osaka. The 21-year-old lost the first set of her opening match to Slovokia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-0. Broken three straight times, Osaka said she felt the pressure of being No.1, of not having ever played on Philippe Chatrier Stadium, and the weight of hoping to become the first player in history to win a third major in a row after winning her first two Slams. Schmiedlova, who is No. 90, twice was serving for the match. She wilted and the resilient Osaka – who muttered, buried her face in a towel, kicked at the clay and offered sarcastic gestures – eventually again showed her grit and steely intelligence. She went on to win 0-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
QUOTEBOOK:
“This absence of [tennis] tactics, maybe it’s what America likes, but it’s not what I like.” – Toni Nadal
“The random cruelty of the game has a way of culling even its most talented players.” – Zach Baron
“Everyone says I am having a tough year. I’m still No. 5 in the world. That’s not that tough.” – Alexander Zverev
“Osaka’s good at finding her way through trouble. You don’t win two Slams just by cruising along.” – Radio Roland Garros
“Rafa is the main favorite to win the title – it wouldn’t be fair to pick anybody else but him.”– Novak Djokovic
“As long as I feel like I can beat the best, I’ll stay. As long as I’m having fun and feel like I can still stay at big tournaments and beat the best, I’ll stay a little longer.” – Roger Federer
A BROTHERLY LOVE LIKE NO OTHER: The Bryan brothers are amazing. Along with Serena and Venus, Bob and Mike are tennis siblings like no others. It seems like just the other day they were skinny, wide-eyed kids with junior varsity serves playing their first US Open. Security thought they were ball boys. Sixteen seasons ago they won their first Grand Slam here at the French Open. Monday they’ll be ranked No. 1 for the 500th week. That’s not all that shabby, considering that earlier this year Bob came back after having serious hip surgery. Today the Bryans won their opening round match, which had to make them feel good. The last time they played here, in 2017, they lost in the second round. They told Inside Tennis that the best tennis decision they’ve ever made was in San Jose years ago when they both agreed to focus on doubles. Never mind that at the time brother Bob was doing okay in singles. Loyalty and longevity are key Bryan strengths.
So what has been the impact of Bob and Mike on the world of “twindom?” Well, when Mirka Federer learned that she was pregnant with her first set of twins, she told the Bryans that her first thought was of them. Bob and Mike offered their own kudos. They said Roger Federer winning 20 Slams was one thing, but his being the father two sets of twins may well be his greatest accomplishment.
SAY IT ISN’T SO: After one round has been completed, Taylor Fritz is the only American man left in the singles.
BUSINESS AS USUAL: Two-time Slam champ Victoria Azarenka, who’s ranked No. 43, has faced one tough foe after another early in tourneys this year: think Karolina Pliskova (twice), Serena, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza and Ash Barty. After her gritty win today over former French champ Jelena Ostapenko, she’ll go on to face No. 1 Naomi Osaka. Azarenka quipped, “It would be nothing new. Just the usual second round match.”
