Roland Garros I

The first round matches

It’s upon us, friends, the Parisian air has wafted over and covered Italian espressi and Spanish paellas. No more Rome, no more Madrid. You’ve had your moment, now make way for the real star of the show: France. They may have *only* gotten to 7th place at the Eurovision Song Contest but they will always be number one in the clay court season. Be ready for French men shaking their perfectly tousled hair above their scarves and charmingly unshaven faces (wait, is that Louis Garrel?) and lipstick stained cigarette buts under summer hats.

It’s all so very French with one court in a garden and another one named after a fur-wearing, cognac-drinking woman who inexplicably is not me but Suzanne Lenglen instead. A woman after my own heart! Away with longevity, be gone measured living! We are in Paris. We drink wine, we smoke cigarettes, we cook things in butter and we have our eyes firmly set on these first-round matches.

Women

Iga Swiatek vs. Rebecca Sramkova

This is a re-match of their Australian Open second round encounter. Rebecca has had a formidable season already with wins over Mirra Andreeva who a week later ended up winning her first WTA 1000 title and Beatriz Haddad Maia. She’s very talented and very volatile. The same could be said for her opponent Iga if one just looked at her last few weeks on the circuit but a few weeks do not a woman make. A champion is so much more than just a shaky stretch. And yet, the first round is always the most complicated. The nerves are strained to the edge of bursting, the muscles tight with tension, the neck clutched in the grips of pressure. Rebecca is a real test for last year’s winner. After Iga beat Rebecca at the Australian Open earlier this year, Iga went on to have a fantastic run, holding match point against later champion Madison Keys in the semis. She will need it. Many dangerous opponents are looming in her half.

the time of year when moody paris becomes home to moody tennis players

Qinwen Zheng vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Qinwen won the last match she played at the Stade Roland Garros and, boy, was it a big one. She flew home to China an instant superstar with a gold medal clutching her neck instead of the grips of pressure. She has the heavy forehand, the athleticism and the competitive spirit to thrive in challenging conditions made of clay particles and food cooked in pounds of butter. But will it be enough against the finalist of 2021? Anyone who chooses the Instagram handle Nasty Pav has my sympathies and naturally the chops to play the big game on the big courts. How nasty can Pavs be on the red dirt of Paris? Chances are *very* and she’ll have to be against one of the best clay courters on the tour right now. Qinwen has the edge of current form, Pavs the advantage of having won their only previous meeting. Who will survive? Only the French gods can say.

Paula Badosa vs. Naomi Osaka

Paula against Naomi, Naomi against Paula. A blockbuster of its own kind, fashionable and handsome, powerful and striking. They may have never played each other but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to predict that this will probably be the best first round match of the tournament. As long as Paula is healthy we will be witness to a battle of power trying to match power interspersed with moments of calm, just like the calm before a storm when only the wild animals gather, where decisions will be made in front of thousands and patience will prevail. Will it be Naomi who undoes her last year’s squandered match points, who erases bad memories and replaces them with triumph, or will it be Paula who can soothe her chronic back pain for a day, halt it and hide it in the basement, maybe for a week or possibly two, and make use of the world’s best Advil: Winning.

The Indie pick: Leylah Fernandez vs. Olga Danilovic

The insiders know what’s up the others will after they’ve seen this match. While we don’t directly associate Leylah with clay court tennis, she did make the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 2022 and did all of that on a half-broken foot. She takes the ball early and down-the-line but at the same time is a real leftie who can open angles particularly on her forehand cross-courts. Angles are important on those slow clay courts of France when Paris unleashes the rain and they will be important against Olga who’s making progress year in year out but still has so much more to give to the tennis world. Tall and lanky with a big serve and an even bigger forehand, she’s won six matches here last year. From the Qualis into the Last 16 in the blink of an eye. This year, Olga’s a direct entry in the main draw with a tough first round to overcome. Go watch this match before they blow up and be the asshole who says “I knew them before they were big” afterwards.

the court named after cognac and funny hats

Men

Nicolas Jarry vs. Arthur Fils

Nicolas might have fallen in ranking since his career high was 16 just around this time last year when he made the Rome final but he is and always will be a dangerous player. He troubled Jannik Sinner in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year and he now faces Arthur Fils. Arthur is the French hope, the one who will be the target of all the allleeeezs this world has ever seen, the one who was promised? Maybe. It’s the first time 20-year-old Arthur comes to the capital of clay court tennis a Top 20 seed. How will he handle the pressure? How will he handle the Arthur-frenzy? We are about to find out. The outcome of this one depends a lot on the weather. The warmer the weather, the trickier it will be to return Nicolas’ serve. Arthur has many talents but his biggest one will be crucial in Paris: He can manipulate crowds and energies on big courts in his favour. We love to see it. Allllleeeeez!

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Joao Fonseca

On the surface, this could be cliché-ridden. The cool Pole facing the hot-headed Brazilian. But do not be mistaken! Hubi has some fire of his own. Nicolas Massu in the player’s box, for example, and the heart of a man who signs autographs until they turn the lights off and still poses for selfies long after security has left (I’ve seen it with my own eyes). This type of patience will be needed against the new star on the rise who himself is a bit more than just a fiery cliché. Anybody who progresses so gradually and who speaks so maturely has more to offer than just temperament. The best fanbase in the world for instance and a forehand you might miss if you blink. Let’s leave clichés behind and just enjoy the tennis. Will Hubi make it to the net despite the power of Joao? How will Joao fare in the Best-Of-5 format on clay? We’ll have the answers soon. If this match gets scheduled on court 14, I advise everybody there to show up 8 hours in advance. It could get crowded.

court 14, sunshine and hats, a still life

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Stefanos’ form has looked up this year with a new racquet in his bag and a Dubai title under his arm. But the luck of the draw has challenged him in the form and shape of Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Stefanos beat Tomas handily last year in Monte Carlo and is looking to do the same this year in Paris. Just as I’m writing this, though, Tomas is on court in the semis of Hamburg right now. He’s won the first set and might reach his first final of the year. A quarterfinalist in 2023 Tomas has a 67% winning rate at Roland Garros. It sounds high and it is high for a big server who feels so at home on clay. Even more impressive then that former finalist Stefanos has a whooping 76% winning rate at Roland Garros. Something’s gotta give. Who and what will it be?

The Indie pick: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Zizou Bergs

If a match has ever screamed COURT 14 at the top of its lung, it’s this one. A local hero and a Belgium neighbour might be the end to this court as we know it. If anything still stands after a possible five-setter between the two we should consider ourselves lucky. Giovanni has beaten Zizou in their only previous meeting but the surface was grass and Zizou is 6:2 at the French Open while Giovanni has never won a match here. Come for the serve, stay for the atmosphere. In all fairness, this may very well turn out to be the most boring match of all times with a bunch of aces hit and no rallies to write home about but it sure will be rowdy and at least here in Europe we love a bit of rowdiness.

rowdy-ready, ready to rowdy

Things that make me happy:

I know I’m a bit late on this but I just went through my notes and remembered. During the semifinal match between Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti in Madrid I noticed that both men have the exact equivalent facial features to their game. Jack’s strong and wide face is symbolic for the power and patience he brings on court while Lorenzo’s fine nose and delicate features find their twin images in his creative game style and beautiful technique. It was so striking that I even considered writing an entire newsletter about it but then somehow forgot until I found my notes again.

Things that make me unhappy:

I still haven’t gotten over my parting from Rome so I’ve been eating out in Italian restaurants a lot. I cannot express with words the anger I feel when I order Carbonara and it comes out cooked in heavy cream. It Adam Drives me insane. Just take it off the menu if it’s too complicated to prepare or name it Alfredo sauce like they do in the US. No harm, no foul. But using heavy cream and calling it Carbonara is insupportabile. Of course, I ate it all and said delicious when they asked me how it was because I’m a coward. I don’t deserve any better.

The second major tournament of the year is about to get underway. May it be a fun one and may Louis Garrel finally show his face in the audience! À bientôt, mes amis.

Yours truly, Andrea