French Open: The Action, Fashion and the Romance

The French Odyssey

As the French Open enters its second week, the tennis fever has started to grip the city of Paris. The tennis arena at Roland Garros is unique in more ways than one. Yes, every Grand Slam major is unique and has its own characteristics, but there is something about the French Open which is vastly different from the other slams. Wimbledon, played on grass is known for its fast play, and the other two slams, the Australian and the US, played on hard courts render a completely different experience. Yet, French Open is one of those slams, which stands out.

Red Devils

The red clay of the Roland Garros stands out from all the slams. The clay slows down the speed of the ball and produces more bounce. Now that means the players who are good at serve-volley, struggle on the red clay. Invariably that always means there are two separate champions at The French Open and The Wimbledon that follows it. Only ten players have been able to achieve this feat of having won both the Grand Slams, at some point in time. Only the great Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Fred Perry, Tony Trabert, Don Budge, Budge Patty, Jack Crawford, Rene Lacoste and yet another great in the making, Rafael Nadal have been able to win the two slams at the same time. More so, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal did this on more than one occasion. Even though Roger Federer won at the Roland Garros two years back, most tennis fans would question this feat, when it came at the back of Rafa’s absence at the Open. Even the modern day greats like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl have not been able to complete the brace. Neither the booming serves nor does the serve-volley game cut it on the red clay

Andre Agassi with his 1999 crown

This, in turn, helps baseliners to showcase a game which is widely different. It is similar to the style of play that the Spanish football team adopts as compared to the other attacking teams like Germany, Brazil and Argentina. The kick serve on the clay bounces a lot more when compared with the other surfaces. On the other hand, the ability to return the serve is also enhanced. Now the slow nature of the surface gives the players enough time to chase the ball around the court. This tests the fitness levels of the players and the ability to play long rallies. As a tennis fan, one just hopes to witness a very long rally. It is a test of stamina, and this is where the Spanish, the Italians, the French, the Argentine have mastered the art of playing tennis on clay. Rafael Nadal is a treat to watch when he plays those long rallies and runs around the court to win a point with a cross court top spinning forehand. More so, Novak Djokovic or No Djo as he is fondly called as, is making the clay court a home of his own. Having defeated Rafa in four finals, of which two have come on clay, he is the one to watch out for. A finale between him and Rafa is anyone’s dream and can be expected to be similar to the epic Wimbledon final between Rafa and Fedex.

The French Open is known to produce champions out of wilderness. Michael Chang is the youngest ever Grand Slam winner in the history of men’s tennis, and he did it at the Roland Garros. So did Gustavo Kuerten! And so did the likes of Sergi Bruguera, Thomas Muster, Albert Costa, Gaston Gaudio. The long rallies have also meant that the Roland Garros has been a witness to some of the most hard fought, gruelling encounters. Most readers would have been in their toddler years or wouldn’t have been born, when Bjorn Borg played one of the most amazing matches of his career in the final of the 1974 championship. His opponent in the final, Spaniard Manuel Orantes led the match with the first two sets in his grasp. Bjorg had lost the first two sets rather meekly when the score read 2-6, 6-7 (7-1). No one, including Bjorg’s greatest fans would have expected the Swede to win a set, let alone the championship. Bjorg turned the match on its head, and dropped just two games over the course of the next two sets to win the match. The scorecard was unbelievable to look at as it read 2-6, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1. This was his first French Open crown before he went on to win a further five. His last victory at Roland Garros was also yet another final which has been since remembered for years gone by. This time it was the lanky Ivan Lendl from erstwhile Czechoslovakia, who fought for the silverware. The two ran for every ball through the deepest corners of the Court Philippe Chatrier to produce a final that kept the favour swinging on both sides, one set after the other. In the end it was Bjorg, who went on to win 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Michael Chang, the youngest to win a Grand Slam, played yet another epic final, this time against yet another Swede Stefan Edberg. Edberg had already won two Australian and a Wimbledon title before he took on Chang. However, a determined Chang went on to win 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, becoming the first American to be crowned French Open champion since Tony Trabert did it in 1955. Such was the dominance of the players from Europe on clay, that the United States, inspite of producing a golden generation of players in the 70s, 80s and 1990s, was kept adrift of the French Open for 34 years. Chang’s victory had been preceded with one of the best matches to have been played at the Roland Garros, when he toppled three time champion and the reigning world number 1 Ivan Lendl in the fourth round. Lendl, the crowd favourite appeared to be coasting towards a victory in straight sets after taking the first two sets 6-4, 6-4 and a break up in the third. Chang broke back to claim the third at 6-3. Chang suffered from severe cramps in the fourth set which he won at 6-3, and considered retiring with him leading 2-1 in the fifth. However, Chang produced one of the best displays of tennis to win the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. The match lasted 4 hours and 37 minutes and is still considered to be one of the best ever played!

The 1991 finals saw American Jim Courier beat his compatriot Andre Agassi 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win yet another gruelling battle. Agassi, in his own autobiography “The Open” is said to have played the worst tennis in the last two sets on a surface which till then he “hated” the most. It was apt for him to complete his career slam at the same venue 8 years later when he played a dramatic five setter to beat Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Fashion Fiesta

Paris, alongwith Milan is most often called the Fashion Capital of the world. And no wonder, the players set the stage on fire with their fashionable outfits. If it was Mary Pierce, who broke the white tradition with her black bold outfit at the 1994 edition, the Kournikovas, the Williams, the Sharapovas gave the word “Dressing” an all new meaning. And the men’s tennis was not to be left far behind with Rafa going on to play in a sleeveless tee and Fedex adorning the red colour that epitomises his nation.

If glaring outfits are just not the only things to watch out for, the Roland Garros is also known to be a host for celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Michel Lacoste, Melanie Maudran, Erica Moulet.

Aishwarya Rai at the Roland Garros

If fashion did not prove to be a showstopper, then romance bloomed. Paris, long been thought as the best destination for honeymooners, lives to its expectations both on and off the court! The most famous tennis couple won the French Open together in 1999 and fell in love with each other. Yes none other than the Casanova of Tennis, Andre Agassi meeting his beloved Cleopatra Steffi Graf! And guess who comes to watch the players in action? Celebrity couples Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Tony Parker and his ex Eva Longoria, Thierry Henry and his ex Nicole Merry, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen. Not far to be left behind are Indians in this list with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Lara Dutta becoming regulars.

So the French Riviera is only expected to be getting livelier at the 2011 edition, as one gets to witness the action, fashion, romance of the French Open. My money is on No Djo, where’s yours?