Vinay Venkatesh and Bill Simons
Paris
One hundred years ago, Paris hosted a grand gathering. The fabled 1924 Olympics gave us lots of innovations and the fabled tale of a devout Scottish runner and intense Jew who tried to sprint beyond countless obstacles to gain Olympic glory – Chariots of Fire.
One hundred years later, not that much has changed. Paris still has its little gardens and enchanted back alleys. Mute walls still hold their secrets. Fearless ladies don’t hesitate to clip the fragrant blooms of their neighbors’ jasmine trees.
A father dutifully peddles his bike, along with his young triplets: such a well-ordered clan. Massive murals share images of an African fencer. The games begin in just nine weeks. Banners abound and signs tell us, “We have been waiting for you.”
And all of tennis has been waiting for its king of clay. Last year Paris headlines blared, “A land is without its king.”
Now Rafa is back in his realm. An imposing statue celebrates his reign, during which he won 14 times.
But today we note that Rafa’s hair is thinning. The man whose shots seemed to hit nothing but the lines has deepening lines on his face. More to the point, Nadal is now No. 276, hasn’t played a best of five match for almost a year and a half, and for the first time since 2004 is coming into Roland Garros without having won a single title this year.
No wonder questions swirl.
At a packed Saturday press conference a Spanish photographer jostles with an Italian writer, as reporters take in every word the sage offers. Nadal speaks of the magic of Roland Garros. Then an imaginative writer asks, “Rafa, you said this is a magical place. Has just being here made your body feel better?…When you come here do you hit the ball harder?” “No, unfortunately not. [That] is not the magic,” said Rafa.
“When will Rafa retire?” is the foremost question in tennis these days. And, as the art and craft of retirement has become the most common conversation in the press room, we think of our favorite quip on the topic. Actress Betty Davis once told us “I won’t retire as long as I have my legs and my make-up box.” Nadal rarely wears make-up and his fans hope his legs still have their legendary turbo power.
For months Nadal has given us many a hint that this is his last season. There was a teary homage to him in Madrid. And in Rome, thousands packed a promenade to bid the mighty gladiator farewell.
However, Nadal is holding his cards close to his chest. He’s even signed up to play the Laver Cup in September in Berlin. As for the moment he says this French Open is, “maybe the last one, maybe not…I don’t want to create a big confusion…It’s a big, big chance this is going to be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last, sorry, but I will not, because I cannot predict what is going on.”
Rafa won’t give us any definitive exit strategy, but his thinking is “very simple.” There are three things: he’s enjoying playing; he and his family like the travel; and he wants to play in a healthy way, “without limitations.”
Retirements have been the story of this season. Danielle Collins said this year would be her last. Then she tapped her inner Serena, played lights out and soared. And great Scot Andy Murray, the best one-hip player in tennis history, has definitely said this would be his last season. We envision him quitting at Wimbledon. Imagine the tears. Then again, there’s always the Olympics or even the US Open.
Dominic Thiem’s bum wrist still remains a bummer, so he’s stepping aside. Garbine Muguruza is retiring and soon plans to marry the jogger she met in Central Park. And the retirement list for this year, which includes Stevie Johnson, Richard Gasquet, Diego Schwartzman and Alize Cornet, goes on and on.
Roger Federer insisted that retirements need not be perfect. “You don’t have to win something huge…and then say ‘OK. I did it all.’ It can be completed in a different way, as long as you enjoy it – and that’s what matters.” Roger’s retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup was epitome of Federerian perfection.
Some players are slow to retire. The fading Michael Chang played a slew of challengers until he finally hung it up. Martina Navratilova won the US Open doubles with Bob Bryan at age 49, and then finally quit. Sometimes early retirements shock. John McEnroe has never forgiven Bjorn Borg for suddenly leaving the game at 25. Ash Barty’s “I’m out of here” retirement when she was 25 was a body blow to the WTA. At the net, Boris Becker whispered to Pete Sampras, “I’m retiring” after their 1997 Wimbledon match. Sampras departed without a fuss months after he won his then record-setting 14th Slam in New York. In contrast, his arch rival Andre Agassi gave a scintillating speech. He told 23,500 US Open fans, “The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn’t say is what I have found…You have given me your shoulders to stand on, to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you.”
For many, retirement is a gut-wrenching necessity they just have to accept. When seven-time Slam winner Justine Henin retired for the first time, she admitted, “In the past, my gasoline has always come from something negative. [I figured] I didn’t need the adrenaline of competition to be happy.” But Henin confided she then “would look in the mirror and the woman I saw was so lost. I felt so empty.” When she returned after a 20-month retirement, she gushed, “It was a great feeling to take the racket and say, ‘Okay, I can be in love again with my passion.’”
Venus Williams, who is now No. 454, once said, “I’m good at tennis. What else am I going to do?…Retiring is the easy way out. I don’t have time for easy.” Now Venus watchers wonder whether she’ll play Wimbledon – or, for that matter, any other future tourney.
As for Rafa’s future, a lot will be revealed on Monday afternoon when he plays the controversial German Alexander Zverev. He’s been twice accused of domestic violence and a hearing will be held in Berlin on May 31, in the middle of the French Open.
When asked a while ago about the ATP’s tepid response to Zverev’s first domestic violence case, Rafa said “It’s honestly been so difficult to talk, being in my position, no?…I have a good relationship with Sascha. I like him and often practice with him. I wish him all the best, [but] he knows he was wrong. He recognized that very early…
“As a sport we have to be a positive example, especially for the kids…So from one side I don’t want the penalization of Sascha because I like him and have a good relationship with him. On the other hand, as a fan of this sport I’d like to see something harder.”
On Monday, tennis fans will see something hard. Rafa will have to play perhaps the most in-form player in men’s tennis, the world No. 4, Alexander Zverev. As Monica Puig said, “At this point you don’t really know what to say about Rafa. Either he enters the court and he’s Superman, or he’s just not feeling it that day. All I know is that I’m not ready to see him go.”
WHAT MAKES NOVAK PLAY? A low-key Novak Djokovic said he has low expectations and high hopes for Roland Garros. Anything but a title isn’t satisfactory for him. The defending champion explained that one of the reasons he’s playing is to rewrite history, and he doesn’t want to talk about his recent problems because that would be opening Pandora’s box.
ALCARAZ TAMES A WOLF: Carlos Alacaraz, who was wearing an athletic sleeve on his arm, said, “You’re not going to believe it, but I’m not sure what is wrong with my arm. I listen to my doctors but then forget what they say. I do what they tell me to do. They tell me it won’t take too much time to heal. But I’m a little scared to hit every forehand 100 percent.” So before his first round match his fans feared that the wolf might be at the door. But the Spaniard blew down JJ Wolf’s house 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.
LAMEST CONTROVERSY OF THE DAY: After rebuffing a late-match rally by the surprising Italian Lucia Bronzetti, Naomi Osaka won just her third French Open match since 2019. Her day was controversy-free until she said her daughter is now beginning to walk and run, so she often has to catch her before she falls. But self-ordained parenting experts in the press room insisted Naomi had to just let the kid fall on her own.
AMERICA WATCH: San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima (No. 68) defeated UC Santa Barbara wildcard Nicolas Moreno de Alboran, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-2, to advance, and will next play No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz, who won his first round in five sets. Qualifyer Katie Volynets from Walnut Creek is though to the second round, as are Floridians Amanda Anisimova and Sofia Kenin who took out German Laura Siegemund. UCLA’s Mackie McDonald, who’s from Piedmont,CA, will be looking for his first win of the year when he takes on the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor. Aliso Viejo’s Alex Michelsen faces No. 11 Alex de Minaur.
