The first week of the 2016 French Open has seen triumph and despair for players both on and off the court as they coped with the poor weather conditions disrupting play. There has been questionable clothing, on court conflicts, shock withdrawals and fairy-tale runs at Roland Garros.
Nobody is safe from injury
As the tournament was just getting used to the absence of 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer for the first time since 1998, another shock occurred. Nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the tournament. Dropping only 12 games in his first two matches against Sam Groth and Facundo Bagnis, the king of clay appeared on course to be a strong contender for his 10th title before a wrist injury destroyed his chances.
“I arrived here with a little bit of pain but something that I think I was able to manage. Every day was a little bit worse. Every single day we spent a lot of hours here working so hard to try to play.” Nadal said.
“I played with an injection on the wrist with anaesthetic.” He said about his second round match against Bagnis.
It is the first time that Nadal has been forced to withdraw during a grand slam tournament. The Spaniard is still hopeful that he will be able to play in the Wimbledon championships.
Nadal wasn’t the only player to fall victim to injury during week one of the tournament. Other notable retirements include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (groin), Alexandr Dogopolov (strained muscle) and Victoria Azarenka (knee).
Zebra stripes are in
Tennis has a history of players wearing questionable clothing, but never before has the issue divided so many. The Adidas Roland Garros Y-3 collection features a series of black and white zebra stripes. Players wearing the unique collection include Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Simona Halep.
“I enjoy it a lot, yeah” Dominic Thiem answered when he was asked if he liked being a zebra.
The zebra stripes have brought good luck to two players. Thiem will play Marcel Granollers for a chance to reach his maiden grand slam quarter-final. Meanwhile, Halep has already reached the last eight, dropping just one set. Long live the zebra!
#adidas #hug #RG16 pic.twitter.com/hZLttGm0yh
— tratinrose (@tratinrose) 28 May 2016
The resurrection of Ernests Gulbis
Despite being a former French Open semifinalist, nobody expected the colourful Ernests Gulbis to shine in Paris. He had won just four main draw matches going into the tournament and hasn’t progressed beyond the second round of a major tournament since the 2014 French Open. Nevertheless, back-to-back wins over Andreas Seppi and Joao Sousa followed by the withdrawal of Tsonga has elevated him to the second week of the competition.
“I’m satisfied the way I played, I’m satisfied with the way I hit the ball in the practice, in the first two rounds. I mean, the second round was especially really good regarding my game, from my perspective.” Gulbis said about his Paris performance.
Gulbis has also made headlines off the court after criticising the ATP Tour for their disparity in the treatment of players. The former top-10 player told Sport 360 that lower ranked players receive substandard help from organizers compared to the men at the top of the game.
“It’s such a different world when you’re playing well, when everybody wants you in their tournaments, when everybody puts you on the good courts, when everybody tries to please you. And then you know you come – two years ago I played semi-finals here, and this year, players who play on Court 18 they’ve been treated like s***,” Gulbis told Sport360.
Gulbis will play David Goffin in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Another French Open, another Alize Cornet Incident
The phrase ‘controversy in the French Open’ is becoming a bit too familiar for Alize Cornet. Last year it was a heated argument with an umpire during her fourth round match against Elina Svitolina. This year is it an ongoing argument with Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
The German has insisted that rules were broken during Cornet’s medical time-out. The Frenchwoman was cramping during the second set and received treatment throughout the third. The rules forbid any treatment for cramping. Maria, who is contemplating legal action, also accused Cornet of violating the 20-second rule between points in order to get rid of her cramp.
“We want this (legal action) because it was simply not fair in the match. I think that’s important for the sport. It’s not about the defeat. I accept that,” Maria said.
Cronet, who went on to win the match 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, remained surprised about Maria’s sharp criticism.
“I didn’t understand why she was so mad at me. She even told me when we shake hands that she thought I was not playing fair,” Cornet said during her press conference.
Don’t expect to see these two dancing with each other at any future players party.
The run of the underdogs
Everybody loves an underdog story and the French Open has two this year. Shelby Rogers started her season at an ITF $25,000 event in America and has only defeated one top-100 player on the tour this year before Roland Garros. She now finds herself in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
The 23-year-old achieved her milestone with a trio of wins over seeded players Karolina Pliskova (17), Petra kvitova (10) and Irina Camelia Begu (25). She has become only the ninth player ranked outside the top-100 to reach the last eight in Roland Garros since 1983.
“It was an amazing atmosphere. I really enjoyed playing on that court. It was a great experience. I think that’s a very important point on backing up a big win. I guess I have done that pretty much this whole tournament, starting with the first round, because that was a huge upset for me and kind of set the tone for the last few matches I have played.” She said after her fourth round win over Begu.
“I keep reminding myself to play one point at a time and that this is just another tennis match, but that’s getting a little bit harder to as the rounds get further.”
In the last eight, she will play Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
The other underdog of the French Open is 28-year-old Spanish player Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The world No.55 had never progressed beyond the second round at the French Open, losing in the first round four consecutive times. His poor record was smashed when he stunned Jack Sock in five sets to reach the fourth round. In the last sixteen, he produced one of the best wins of his life when he defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets.
Großartige Performance! Ramos-Vinolas deklassiert Raonic. #FrenchOpen https://t.co/yAvYKeSnq5
— Eurosport.de (@Eurosport_DE) 29 May 2016
Ramos-Vinolas will play his maiden grand slam quarter-final against defending champion Stan Wawrinka.
