French Open Review

The fortnight at Roland Garros has come and gone. During the two-week competition, fans witnessed everything from shocking upsets, to the usual matchups. As we transition from dirt to turf, there are several things we can take away from the events that transpired at the tennis season’s second major. In my French Open review, I will discuss the three biggest takeaways from this year’s tournament.

Generational Shift

From the start of the 2013 season, I noticed a generational shift taking place on the WTA Tour. The marque women such as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were upset early at the majors by much younger players. At the Aussie Open and Wimbledon, top-ranked Williams was beaten Sloane Stephens (then 19) and a 23-year-old Sabine Lisicki. In regards to Sharapova, the Russian was taken out in the second round of Wimbledon last year by the 20-year-old Portuguese player Michelle Larcher de Brito.      

In addition to aging, the reason why we are seeing the top women upset at the majors is because of the fearlessness of today’s top women prospects. Most players when stepping on the court to play Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova are so awestruck by the presence of these great champions that by the time they get their head into the match, it is too late. Conversely, youngsters Eugenie Bouchard, Simona Halep, and Garbiñe Muguruza possess the inner belief where they can compete with the best players on tour. The 2014 French Open was a perfect example of the threesome’s fearlessness.    

If you have not realized from my previous blogs, I am a huge fan of Serena Williams. Coming off a victory in Rome just a week prior, Williams was my favorite to win the French Open. However, the 17-time grand slam champion ran into an impenetrable wall in the second round, Garbiñe Muguruza. In all my years of watching Serena Williams dominate women’s tennis, never before have I seen her utterly manhandled by an opponent. Typically, when Williams starts a match slowly, she manages to find her imposing game. After losing the first set quickly 6-2, I expected Williams to change her game plan to counteract the powerful, flat hitting of the Spaniard. However, as quickly as Williams fell behind in the first set, she also did in the second, dropping her serve in the opening game of the set. The world number one looked befuddled throughout, unable to fully get her teeth into the match. Moreover, the 20-year-old Spaniard did what very few players have been able to do, take the racquet out of Serena Williams’ hands. In the hour-long encounter, Garbiñe Muguruza displayed the composure and determination of a seasoned champion.

The 2014 French Open represented a changing of the guard on the women’s side. After much anticipation, the young guns are finally beginning to make an impact on tour. The Williams/Muguruza match represented the apprentice schooling the master. Going forward, I expect a greater generational shift to take place. Lastly, based on the performances by Halep, Bouchard and Muguruza, it is fair to say that the future of the WTA Tour has arrived.

Aussie Champs, Top Players Falter

One of the most shocking developments of the 2014 French Open was the early exits made by the reigning Australian Open champions. For the first time in the Open Era, both Aussie Open champs were eliminated in the opening round. In my French Open preview, I had mentioned the reasons why Li Na and Stan Wawrinka would lose early in the tournament. Based on the events that transpired during their respective matches, my analysis of the players was spot on.

Prior to the tournament, I anticipated Stan Wawrinka making another deep run at a major. Throughout his career, the Swiss number one has had the most success on clay, winning the Master Series event in Monte Carlo and making the final of both Madrid and Rome. However, Wawrinka’s impressive form in Monte Carlo did not carry over to the red dirt at Stade Roland Garros. In fact, his form was quite the opposite.

During Wawrinka’s first round match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the world number three looked completely out of sorts. Garcia-Lopez, a former top 30 player who has beaten the likes of Nadal and Murray, appeared un-phased by the matchup against the reigning Aussie Open champ. After quickly dropping the first set, as expected, Wawrinka fought hard to level the match at a set all. However, the Australian Open champ’s game completely deserted him; as a result, Wawrinka managed to win only two games in the final two sets.

Was the pressure too much for Wawrinka to handle? The Swiss player disagrees. Contrary to his belief, pressure was definitely a factor in Wawrinka’s performance. A player let down following a championship run are common on both the men and women’s tour. The last major champion to lose in the first round of the subsequent major was then eight-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal last year at Wimbledon. On the women’s side, 2011 Wimbledon and U.S Open champions Petra Kvitova and Sam Stosur both lost in the opening round of the next major. Pressure is something that even the greatest champions to ever play the game have succumbed to. Stan Wawrinka was the latest grand slam champion to be affected by the stress of being a grand slam champion.

Contrary to Wawrinka, Li Na has dealt with the pressures of winning a major before. After winning her first major at the French Open in 2011, the Chinese number one won only a handful of matches the rest of the year. Not only does Li Na have to cope with the pressures of the tennis community, she has to bear the weight of the entire Chinese nation.

The big question going into the French Open was whether Li Na learned to manage her emotions after winning the previous major. In my French Open preview, I had mentioned the importance of Li Na maintaining laser-like focus, which she often struggles with during matches. Li Na’s first-round opponent was another talented youngster, 21-year-old Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic. After a breakthrough 2013 season, Mladenovic has struggled in 2014, and has seen her ranking fall outside the top 100. However, if you have ever watched the French Open, the French crowd is like the 12^th man in football, providing a confidence boost to the native players.

Li Na, like Stan Wawrinka, dropped the first set against the 103^rd ranked Mladenovic. However, unlike her male Aussie Open counterpart, Li squandered two opportunities to capture the opener. The world number two quickly regained her championship form, taking the second set against the local favorite 6-3.

At the start of the decider, it appeared that Li had finally sunken her teeth into the match, and would run away with the set. After a hold to open the set, Li failed to win another game. The errors began to fly off of the Aussie Open champ’s racquet, committing 37 in the match. Instead of continuing to apply pressure on the young Frenchwoman, Li’s focus wavered, thus allowing Mladenovic and the French crowd to hang around. As Li lost her focus, Mladenovic regained hers, clinching the match on her second match point, 6-1.

The great Billie Jean King once said, “Pressure is a privilege.” How a player copes with the pressure separates the generational champion from the all-time great. Pressure means that there is an expectation of you to produce an anticipated outcome. The great champions of our sport, Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova to name a few, have used pressure as fuel to produce the desired outcome. I am not implying that Stan Wawrinka and Li Na are not great tennis players. However, some players respond to pressure better than others.   

 A Young Star Is Born

In previous blog posts, I mentioned that American tennis, especially on the women’s side, has a surplus of young players. Based on the American women’s performances at the 2014 French Open, there was one player in particular who truly impressed me. Her name is Taylor Townsend.

Townsend, the former number one junior in the world, entered the public spotlight under unfortunate circumstances. In 2012, Townsend was denied a wild card into the U.S Open because the USTA felt that she was not fit enough to compete. Townsend, just 16 years old at the time, went against the USTA’s decision and flew to New York to compete in the junior event, without any financial backing. Thankfully, the situation was resolved, and Townsend has been able to get back to what she does best, tennis.

Prior to the French Open, three ITF challenger events held in the United States. Based on the results of the American men and women, a main draw wild card is awarded to the man and woman who perform the best at these events. After winning the ITF titles in Charlottesville and Indian Harbour Beach in both singles and doubles, Townsend was given the wild card into the French Open.

Playing in her first main draw at a major as a professional, my expectations were modest for the 18-year old American. Townsend received a favorable first-round opponent, fellow American Vania King. After handily beating King 7-5 6-1, the young American faced a much tougher opponent in the next round, 20^th seeded Frenchwoman Alize Cornet.

Much to my surprise, Townsend rushed out to a 6-4 4-1 lead against the feisty Cornet. The young American exhibited the weapons that helped her become the top junior in the world, her lefty serve and forehand. When it appeared Townsend had the match in hand, Cornet fought back, winning five straight games to take the set 6-4. For most players, when they experience a let down such as Townsend’s, the following set most often times is a quick one. However, the final set proved to be the most enticing of all.

With the French crowd firmly against the 18-year-old American, Townsend exhibited the guts and determination equivalent to Serena Williams. Townsend showed no signs of disappointment after failing to close out the match in straights sets. If anything, losing the second set motivated the American to finish out the match in winning fashion.

When Townsend closed out the match 6-4 in the third, I was overcome with emotion. Why do you ask? It is performances like Townsend’s that inspire me to work hard in order to succeed. Townsend proved all the people who doubted her fitness, as well as the French crowd who fully supported their compatriot wrong. In sports and in life, you cannot teach someone a fighter’s mentality. This mentality is something that a person is born with. Taylor Townsend proved that she possesses a quality that many of the tennis legends displayed during their careers. If Townsend can retain the attitude she displayed in her two-hour and half hour match with Alize Cornet, the American has a bright future ahead of her. 

What were your takeaways from the French Open? Let me know in the comments section below.

In my next blog I will be breakdown the men and women’s Wimbledon draw.  

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