Five things we learned from day nine at Roland Garros
The highs and lows, and all the knife-edge action from the French Open. Here's a break-down of the day's highlights.
Issued on: Modified:
Cut out the Mexican Waves, really
We have mentioned this. But clearly not enough French visitors to Roland Garros are reading the daily review – more fool them – and taking note: triumphalism is fatal. In Jo-Wilifried Tsonga’s fourth round match against the Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych on day eight, there was a Mexican Wave at the change of ends just before Tsonga served for the match. He promptly lost his service and eventually the set. In the fourth round match between the French 20th seed Richard Gasquet and the top seed Novak Djokovic, Gasquet – already two sets down and reeling – broke Djokovic to trail 3-4 in the third set and give himself a fighting chance of survival. But during the change of ends … you guessed it … there was a Mexican Wave. And even after the umpire had asked for the centre court crowd to stop because the players were on the court and ready to resume, the people continued for another self-basting minute before entering into another couple of seconds of self-congratulatory applause. Do we really need to say what happened next? Yes, we do. After the hurrahs, the sighs. Gasquet’s first serve went into the net and so did quite a few of his other shots as he promptly dropped his serve to trail 3-5. Djokovic gleefully accepted the invitation to kill off the home favourite.
Coming back from a set down is a cunning game plan
For the third match in a row, the women’s top seed Serena Williams won after losing the first. To the names Anna-Lena Friedsam and Viktoria Azarenka add Sloane Stephens. The 22-year-old American pulverized Williams in the opener taking it 6-1 in 24 minutes. The second was a tighter affair with Williams claiming it 7-5; And the third was where the experience counted. The last time Williams had such a sequence was the US Open in 1999. And she won the title.
Loving the crowd is a cunning game plan
Over the past few years, there has been a shift to address the crowd in French. This has been caused to a certain extent by the post-match interviews. Former playes Cedric Pioline or Fabrice Santoro accost the winner and ask a few questions. Of course international smoothie Roger Federer had no problems doing this. But Rafael Nadal? Novak Djokovic? Serena Williams? Non.
But two years ago, Djokovic started with a few phrases as did Williams. Nadal joined the bandwagon this year too. And the people who are in the stands applaud their tentative trots into the language of Molière. But a word of warning for the Francophone nouveau … pray they don’t start doing Mexican Waves before you serve for the title.
Speaking French is a lifestyle choice
The review remembers a very hostile time when the centre court crowd booed and whistled La Serena. It happened in a quarter-final clash with Justine Henin, the Belgian darling of the people at the time – perhaps because she spoke French. Back then Serena glowered and hinted at dark things like racism. But now all is love and Serena. After her three set victory over Sloane Stephens, the review asked Williams how she gauged this change. “Yeah, I think it was a little edgy in the past. I don't know ... but I think when you see someone a lot, you kind of get used to their face and every year you get used to seeing them. Maybe, I don't know.”
She added: “I kind of have this affair with Paris where I spend some time here. I have a place here. I love coming to Paris. So it's like this … it's like my love of the city and I think people know that and they realise that. Speaking the language kind of helps a little bit, too. People can see that genuinely this is a place, whether I'm playing Roland Garros or not, I love to be here and I just love - I love the city.”
Realist Andy is a numbers man
Following his fourth round victory over the unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, the British third seed Andy Murray was reminded that he had reached his 17th consecutive grand slam quarter-final. It was described as “unshowy consistency”. Murray minted the moment. “Well, I don't think there are loads of players that have done that,” said the 28- year-old. “Unfortunately I'm playing against guys that make some of the things I have done look pretty average because of how good they have been.”
The record books show that former world number one Roger Federer had a sequence of 36 straight grand slam quarter finals – or better – between Wimbledon in 2004 and Wimbledon in 2014. “So, yeah, in comparison to that, it's nothing,” deadpanned Murray.
The quarter-final match on day 11 between top seed Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal is not the match of the year.
How do we know this? Because Nadal says so. “The matches of the year are finals,” said Nadal after his four set win over the unseeded American Jack Sock. “That's the way it is. We shouldn't be misled. We are aware of the fact that this is a quarter-final match.
Nadal, who has beaten Djokovic twice in the Roland Garros final, added: “Of course, I would have preferred playing Novak in the semi-finals or the final but we are in the quarterfinals.” Oh don’t be so coy. The review has decided to dub it the clash of the century. No, match of the millennium.
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