Author Archive
Eight is Enough: Nadal Scores Heroic French Open Triumph
By Bill Simons We like heroes. No, we adore heroes. Check that, we need heroes. We need to see them up close, know their foibles, and celebrate their triumphs. And these days, men’s tennis has given us heroes in abundance. There’s the graceful one from Switzerland—Federer’s the name—that seems to float across courts. There’s the [...]
Sweet Redemption: Serena Williams Bounces Back to Win French Open
cash loans online By Bill Simons Revenge—is there any stronger emotion? Love is sweet, but the power of revenge has a force of its own. In 1956 the Soviet Union invaded Hungary. The Hungarian water polo team soon responded with a sweet victory that at least softened the blow. Boxer Ernie Terrell would not call [...]
French Open: Rafa Nadal and the Joy of Suffering
By Bill Simons The birds were at last singing in the trees of Roland Garros. Parisian clouds had cleared, temperatures were sublime, breezes cool. Gone were the blankets, umbrellas, and sweaters of earlier days. Ladies in stylish bonnets and gents with continental style and metro panache crowded the arena. The day was perfect, the [...]
French Open: Learning to Love Victoria Azarenka
By Bill Simons We should love her. She’s young—just 23—and pretty. She’s overcome much to become a star. How many athletes have risen out of Belarus to become the best in the world? (Plus, her grandmother all but scrubbed floors to keep things going.) Victoria Azarenka is accomplished—formerly the No. 1 player in the world, the [...]
French Open: The Passion of Yannick Noah—An Interview
By Bill Simons Yannick Noah is a dreamer, traveler, pop icon, provocative critic, romantic visionary, and coach extraordinaire. (He led France’s Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams to unlikely victories), Noah was discovered by Arthur Ashe in Cameroon when he was just a skinny kid. Improbably, he went on83, to become the first Frenchman to [...]
French Open: The Words and Wisdom of Yannick Noah
On the 30th anniversary of Yannick Noah’s victory at the 1983 French Open, here is a Noah quotebook—a collection of provocative insights from tennis’ philosopher king: —”Who’s saying, “Let’s make all this a little bit quieter’? Who’s there to lead us and say, ‘Okay, let’s just have a peace. How about enjoying each other’s [...]
French Open: Of Heroic Anthems and Not-So-Heroic Players
By Bill Simons The Marseillaise is one of the great anthems, one of the ultimate calls for action and liberty. And just as a changeover began—deep into the fifth set of the fourth-round Battle of the Sublime Backhands between Frenchman Richard Gasquet and the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka—a few partisan fans high up in Suzanne Lenglen [...]
Allez, Allez Jo: Dreamer Tsonga Demolishes Federer to Reach French Open Semi
By Bill Simons Everything was perfect for Mr. Perfect. After all, Roger Federer is said to be the greatest player ever. “Even in decline,” declared the London Times, “Federer is better then practically anyone else who has ever picked up a racket.” This year’s French Open served up many a good omen for Roger. His [...]
French Open Pathos: A Man and His Mentor
By Bill Simons Novak Djokovic is a man who believes in fate, but he believes you make your own. So where would he be if the country’s leading tennis coach didn’t come to run a camp opposite his parent’s pizza restaurant in the remote mountains near Montenegro? And where would Serbian tennis be without Novak? [...]
Midway Matters: Top 10 French Open Stories
By Bill Simons Now that we are a little more than halfway through the French Open, here are our top ten stories so far: 1. AMERICAN WOMEN ROCK: For the first time since the ’04 US Open, four American women—Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Jamie Hampton—reached the fourth round of a Slam. With [...]