Bill Simons
Paris
PARIS PASSION SHOW: It’s a long, sad tale. Powerful, imposing American men have often fallen short in France. Jack Kramer, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick all won Slams elsewhere – and all bit the dust on Parisian clay.
And, of course, the French love to unleash their emotions and take it out on Americans. It’s sort of a sporting pastime in Paris. Last night was a particularly intense example. With veins bulging, the patriotic throng on Court Suzanne Lenglen lit into Taylor Fritz, playing against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.. There was a non-stop and often creative barrage of chants, boos and whistles. Still, noted writer Eleanor Preston, “For all the whooping and hoopla during points, Fritz held his nerve.”
When Fritz finally won in four sets, he put his finger to his mouth and gestured “Shush” to the crowd. Then they went bananas, letting their villain have it. Before his long delayed on-court interview began, the American was left to stand almost helpless on court as the rowdy crowd howled.
Radio Roland Garros said, “It’s unfair to put Taylor in this situation. Standing there and allowing him to be booed.” But the Californian got the last word in. When asked about the match, he said, “The crowd was so great for me. I had to let it fire me up. They cheered so well for me that I had to make sure I won.”
Touché!
MON DIEU: There are no more French men or women in the draw. Worse than this, the sun is setting on France’s golden generation. Last year, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon retired. Gael Monfils, who has been fighting injuries, won a thrilling first-round match over Sebastian Baez, but then had to withdraw.
Richard Gasquet, who for years thrilled us with one of the most beautiful flowing backhands we have ever seen, lost in the first round to No. 78 Arthur Rinderknech.
SAY IT ISN’T SO: For the sixth straight night, there hasn’t been a woman’s match on Court Centrale.
RAFA UNDERGOES SURGERY: Rafa Nadal, who last year left Roland Garros after his French Open win on crutches, continues with medical issues. He is now undergoing arthroscopy surgery to check his left hip muscle that has sidelined him since January.
SCOUTING REPORT OF THE DAY: Eleanor Preston said that Taylor Fritz is “not exactly a player you associate with inventiveness…but then his tennis IQ kicks in.”
GO FIGURE: Two months ago, 16-year-old Russian Marri Andreeva was No. 304 in the world. She’s now No. 97.
THIS MAN KNOWS HOW TO SHUT IT DOWN: Alexander Zverev said that before his Thursday night match, he slept until noon and then took a nap just before going on court.
LIFE’S NOT SO BAD: The moon is almost full. From the balcony of your Arbnb, you spot a spectacular light show from the Eiffel tower and on the radio you hear the patriotic French crowd sing La Marseillaise to encourage Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. But Taylor Fritz eventually prevails at 11:04 PM.
THE UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST WHO SHOOK UP THE TENNIS WORLD: Once again at the French Open there was mystery and intrigue relating to the Ukraine war. After navigating two prior press conferences in Paris, in which she was confronted about her stance on the war, Belarusian Aryna Sablenka called off her third press conference.
French press authorities said that she spoke with a select group of journalists, but they never revealed who these media members were. And the standard fine for skipping a press conference was waived. A transcript was issued quoting Sabalenka: “For many months now I have answered these questions…and been very clear in my feelings and my thoughts. These questions do not bother me after my matches. I know that I have to provide answers to the media on things not related to my tennis or my matches, but on Wednesday I did not feel safe in the press conference.
“I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches. For my own mental health and well being, I have decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me.”
All this drama erupted because one bold part-time journalist pushed Sabalenka hard and shook up the tennis world. Let us explain.
*****
Daria Meshcheriakova is a young, slight Ukrainian woman with brown and orange glasses who used to work for the German embassy. Then when bombs exploded near her apartment she fled Urkaine. The part-time journalist who writes for the Ukrainian website ua.tribuna.com, left her homeland ten days after the war broke out. She and her cat Tony settled in the Netherlands.
Before the French Open, virtually no one in the tennis media knew Daria Meshcheriakova. But in Europe, her Ted Talk and participation at a journalism seminar had drawn good reviews. Now the AP, the New York Times, Inside Tennis and others are asking for in-depth interviews from a journalist who seemed to come out of nowhere and who, at Roland Garros, had twice confronted the No. 2 player in the world.
Meshcheriakova recalled the problematic history of Belarus and its dictator Alexander Lukashenko. She asserted that he actually lost the election and he repressed the protests by violent means. “So many were injured, put in jail and tortured.
“Lukashenko had to stay in power for his closest ally Putin. But the majority of people wanted him to resign.” Daria claimed that Sabalenka, along with some other athletes, signed a letter in 2020 in support of Lukashenko. “She saw that he was cracking down, but didn’t want to lose her financial support.” Daria asserted that the Belarusian government pays Sabalenka pays $200,000 per year.
In Aryna’s press conference after her first match, Meshcheriakova was outspoken. She noted that Sabalenka soon could become No. 1 and should be a role model. Daria asked Aryna what her message was to the world and added that Ukrainian players just “want to know from you [whether you] either condemn or support the war…You say it’s politics, even though missiles launched from Belarus do not choose if it’s a politician or tennis player.”
Sabalenka replied, “I said it many, many times: Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody. Normal people will never support it.
“Why [do] we have to go loud and say…we don’t support war? If it could affect the war anyhow, if it could, like, stop it, we would do it. But unfortunately, it’s not in our hands.” Then she drew attention by saying, “That’s the part about Ukrainians…
“Secondly, my message to a lot of young athletes who are from small countries…[is] that they can do well…whatever they want to. This is my main message as World No. 1…to bring the joy for people. I don’t know.”
In Sabalenka’s next press conference Meshcheriakova again spoke out. She asked the Belarusian, “In 2020 you signed a letter to support Lukashenko, in times when he was torturing and beating up protestors in the street. And then eventually you showed up celebrating the new year with him.”
Aryna replied, “I have no comments to you.”
Meshcheriakova then asked, “You keep saying that nobody supports war, nobody, but can you speak for yourself and say: ‘I…flatly condemn the fact that Belarus is attacking Ukraine with missiles, and I want it to stop?’ ”
Sabalenka repeated, “I’ve got no comments to you.”
The WTA’s other Belarusian star, the often outspoken Victoria Azarenka, hasn’t spoken out about the war. Still, Meshcheriakova asserted that Vika actually doesn’t support the invasion and donates money to Ukraine. She noted that Lukashenko has invested in Aryna’s career. So she feels trapped and doesn’t want to be ungrateful.
When asked if the families of Russians and Belarusians would be endangered if the players spoke out, Daria said, “They always have a choice. They are strong and wealthy and can take their parents out of the country. You are free to say and do whatever you want. When you are a rich person and don’t speak? Come on – seriously. They have a choice.”
Daria revealed that her mother contacted her yesterday and said the Russian media was actually calling Daria [who is Caucasian] a “Negro transvestite.” She asked her daughter to come home. But Meshcheriakova replied, “I’m a journalist and this is my job.”
She told the New York Times, the AP and Inside Tennis that she was grateful to Americans: “Without your support, we would have lost the war.”
