Tag archive for ‘Roland Garros’
Rafa’s Marked Man: Henri Cochet
Rafael Nadal has a fourth straight Roland Garros title within his sight, which would place him in a tie for second for most French men’s singles titles with France’s Henri Cochet. The French Musketeer won at Roland Garros in 1926, 1928, 1930 and 1932 and is considered by some as the greatest French player of all-time.
25 Years Ago Today: Noah Triumphs!
It was 25 years ago today on June 5, 1983 when Yannick Noah set off the perhaps the biggest celebration in French tennis since the Four Musketeers won the Davis Cup for France for the first time in 1927, by becoming the first man from his nation to win the French Open singles title, defeating Mats Wilander in the final. June 5 is a day of big occurrences in tennis history, as seen below in this exclusive early excerpt from my upcoming book On This Day in Tennis History.
J’Adore Paris
It doesn’t hurt to have the fans behind you (that way, you don’t get booed) when you’re trying to win your first grand slam — and Jelena Jankovic knows this.
She’s already planting the seed by writing “I <3 Paris” on her bandaged right arm for her quarterfinal match against Canary Islander Carla Suarez Navarro. Jelena [...]
Can American Men Win On Clay?
The two Americans who advanced the farthest in the men’s draw were not who you would think - Wayne Odesnik, reached the third round, who is primarily a challenger level player, and Robby Ginepri, who reached the fourth round and is making his way back into the top flights of tennis after a slump.
Borotra: The Least-Known Musketeer
Throughout the French Open fortnight, hardly an hour passes with mention of the famed four French Musketeers. Their victory over Bill Tilden and the United States in the 1927 Davis Cup Challenge Round - that brought the Davis Cup to France for the first time - necessitated the construction of Roland Garros stadium for the 1928 Davis Cup Challenge Round and eventually for the French Championships. Their success and domination of tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s was a major reason why the French Championships achieved its status as one of the four major championships in tennis - the national championships of the first four nations to win the Davis Cup - the U.S., Britain (Wimbledon), Australia and France - were recognized as “the majors.”
Mondays With Bob Greene: Roland Garros First Week
Bob Greene, the esteemed former Associated Press tennis writer, wraps up the week that was in international tennis with his “Monday’s With Bob Greene” column – a revival of his popular weekly feature at the AP. This week Bob summarizes the first week of the French Open.
Roland Garros: Top Half Preview
Roger Federer has to be happy with his first three matches thus far. Other than a slight test from Albert Montanes in round two, he has advanced fairly easily and he seems to be gathering steam. He is moving very quickly on court, and conserving energy by not being pushed to five sets thus far. Even better are the opponents he may face this coming week. Julien Benneteau has been playing very well on clay as of late, but will not provide Federer with much of a challenge. He’s quite simply out of his league against the world number one. Federer dispatched Benneteau in straight sets in their only previous encounter last summer on hard courts, 6-3, 6-3.
Why Is Nadal So Good On Clay, Grass And Hard Courts?
Nadal’s advantage is the incredible amount of spin that he generates off of his forehand wing - this makes timing very difficult for his opponents. They are constantly having to take the ball on the rise to hold there position on the court. Nadal’s court coverage, foot speed andknowledge of how to construct points on the clay are a huge advantage. He has the patience and the killer instinct to wait for the right opportunity to force an error from his opponent or to hit a winner while inside the baseline.
Federer vs. Ancic – Remember when…
Roger Federer will face Croatia’s Mario Ancic in Saturday’s third round at Roland Garros. Most people are quite familiar with the most famous match between these two players - the first round of Wimbledon in 2002, when Ancic, an 18-year-old qualifier, defeated the much-hyped Federer, one year removed from his titanic fourth-round upset of Pete [...]
Ask Bill: Here Comes Taylor Dent
It is great to see Taylor Dent taking his first steps on the comeback trail. He entered $50,000 Challengers in Carson, Calif., last week (losing in three sets to former NCAA champion Cecil Mamiit) and will play Yuba City, Calif., next week. TD is a net-rushing Californian who has been sidetracked for over two years with a career-threatening back injury. In fact, his situation seemed so dire that he began a career as an on-court teaching professional.
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