French Open Preview – Can Golden State’s Warriors win at Roland Garros?

Bill Simons 

They are polar opposites – two vastly different tennis worlds that go together like water and oil. Snazzy California, with its fast hard courts, is the epicenter of the power game – blast and win. Distant France, with its gritty glide-and-slide surfaces, is ground zero for the clay court game that demands finesse, patience, guile and grit. LA, the City of Angels, and Paris, the City of Lights, are not only 5,646 miles apart, they abide in two very different tennis universes.

California men have rarely been able to penetrate the perplexing, sometimes dusty universe of European red clay courts. Yes, Andre Agassi, from neighboring Nevada, won in 1999, and Michael Chang prevailed in 1989. Michael, the 17-year-old pride of Orange County, called on all his speed and savvy to down the likes of powerhouses Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg.

A long list of Herculean icons who have lived or gone to school in California have gotten stuck in French mud. Jack Kramer, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe and the two great Panchos, Gonzales and Segura, never went home with the big prize. Pete Sampras’ failure to reach a French final is a resume gap that has hurt him in debates on who’s the GOAT. But Pistol Pete, California’s best player of the Open era, did make it to the 1996 semis and has Paris wins over 1999 finalist Andrei Medvedev as well as French champions Sergi Bruguera, Jim Courier and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. And let’s not forget that the Bryan brothers won twice in the seven Roland Garros finals they reached.

Southern California women have done far better than the men. Compton’s Serena has won three times. San Diego’s Maureen Connolly prevailed twice and Darlene Hard and Long Beach’s Billie Jean King (who played the French rarely) each won a title. And let us note that Russian transplant and one-time Manhattan Beach resident Maria Sharapova has two French trophies on her mantle. But Venus, Lindsay Davenport and Tracy Austin have fallen short.

Many hope Serena will manage at last to win her 24th major and tie Margaret Court. But it’s hardly probable that the 39-year-old, who has been struggling, will emerge triumphant. Similarly, it would be a hefty miracle if Taylor Fritz captured the title. He’s adeptly used his power game in Europe to score many significant wins. But he’s still a considerable long shot. Here’s an update on the chances of players who have lived or gone to school in California.

SERENA WILLIAMS: The world-class cellist Pablo Casals was so pleased when Don Budge won Roland Garros in 1938 that hours later he gave the Californian a private concert in his apartment. And Serena has a Paris apartment too. That’s nice. And she also speaks French – tres bien! In 2015 she said, “Clay is my favorite surface.” But she hasn’t won a Slam in the 11 majors she’s played since giving birth in 2017. Seeded No. 7, she’s only played three matches since her impressive run to the Aussie Open semi. She’s training hard, but in two Italian clay tourneys this spring, the 39-year-old prevailed in just one of her three matches. She’s hardly been her dominant self. Plus, Roland Garros, where she has 66 career wins, is her weakest Slam. She has over 90 wins at each of the other majors. In Paris she has a user-friendly draw. She’ll first face the Romanian veteran Irina-Camelia Begu, No. 74, and could meet Angie Kerber, No. 27, in the third round.

NAOMI OSAKA: The international superstar, who reportedly earned $55 million in the last year, isn’t going to do press conferences in Paris. Never mind that for years the media has brought her story to millions around the globe – she says it is abusive to question losers after their defeat – it’s kicking players when they’re down. [Editor’s Note: Yes, on occasion reporters have been insensitive, even unkind – tears have flowed. Reporters should have empathy and perspective. Yes, for players, it’s difficult and challenging. But in virtually all sports, expressing the agonies of defeat is a meaningful part of telling the story. It’s not easy. It’s often poignant. It takes strength and character to face a room full of reporters. But it’s a key component of the professionalism of well-compensated athletes, who are also entertainers and reasonably are asked to share with the media and the public.]

Anyway, Naomi is No. 2 in the world, and, at 23, has already won four Slams, including two of the last three. Incredibly, she is 23-7 in Slam matches on hard courts. But she’s just 6-4 at Roland Garros, and she skipped last October’s tourney. On clay in Madrid and Rome, she won just one match. Then again, many contend she’s the best player in the women’s game, and she has a sweet, wide-open draw. She’ll face Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig, No. 63, in the first round, and could meet American Alison Riske in the third.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Almost all of the planet Venus is carbon dioxide. Its rolling plains don’t have any clay. And the plain truth is that the beloved 40-year-old Venus Willams hasn’t won a clay tourney in eons. Yes, over her mind-boggling career she’s collected 9 clay titles. In 2002 she reached the French final, but since 2006 she hasn’t made it past the fourth round. In the last three years, she hasn’t won a French Open match. Now ranked No. 104, Venus is just 2-6 this year and 0-3 on clay. She’ll face Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, the No. 32 seed, in the first round.

SLOANE STEPHENS: The former LA resident is athletic, enigmatic, unpredictable and appealing. The 2017 US Open champ reached the fourth round of the French Open for four straight years. In 2018 she fell in the final to Simona Halep. Of late the Fresno native has been struggling off-court with the deaths of her beloved grandparents and an aunt. She’s been struggling on court, too. Once No. 3, the silky smooth ball striker has dipped to No. 58. This April she reached the quarters on green clay in Charleston, but faltered on red clay. In Rome, she suffered a first-round loss to her friend Madison Keys. On Sunday she’ll face the courageous Spanish veteran Carla Suarez Navarro, who once was No. 6 and is coming back after six months of chemotherapy and an inspiring battle against Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The meeting will be far more than a tennis match.

JEN BRADY: It was once said that Mats Wilander’s brain was “the biggest weapon in tennis.” The other day the Swede had a brainstorm. After noting the power of Jen Brady’s imposing forehand, the Euro Sport analyst referred to the No. 14 seed, saying, “I hope Jennifer Brady looks in the mirror and says, ‘Clay courts, that’s your surface!’ That forehand on clay is a completely different problem for her opponents.” The bold Bruin, who first faces the considerable Latvian, No. 47 Anastasija Sevatova, famously went to Germany to transform her career. But recently her results have been modest and few feel her trip to Paris will yield a trophy. Then again, maybe the Bruin Battler has one heck of a mirror.

TAYLOR FRITZ: The Rancho Santa Fe native has a booming game and many are hoping he’ll score a massive breakthrough. To his great credit, Fritz has put in the long yards on clay. This year he reached the quarterfinals in Sardegna and beat Dan Evans in Rome. But clay is not exactly his thing. Seeded No. 30, he has a decent early draw. He’ll face Portugal’s Joao Sousa, No. 94. But Taylor could meet a fellow named Federer in the third round.

SAM QUERREY: Tennis draws are weird. Rafa, Roger and Novak are all in the same half of the draw, Alexander Zverev will face qualifiers in the first two rounds and Thousand Oaks native Sam Querrey faces his friend and frequent doubles partner John Isner in the first round. Isner had a great Madrid Open, where he beat Roberto Bautista Agut and Russian hotshot Andrey Rublev. But Querrey, who drew notoriety last year with his “from Moscow with COVID” getaway, has a 5-3 winning record against Big John and, back in 2010, he beat him in the only time the towering duo met on clay. But Querrey skipped the entire dirt circuit, is 2-4 this year, and, in his 13 French Opens, he’s only won five matches.

STEVE JOHNSON: The Isner-Querrey match-up isn’t the only twist in the draw with an American accent. In his opener, USC’s hero Steve Johnson will face his Davis Cup teammate Frances Tiafoe. While Johnson’s ranking has dipped to No. 83 and is winless this year, the 31-year-old, who’s coached by Peter Smith and Marc Lucero, has had his best Slam results on clay. Three times he’s reached the third round in Paris, and he won his only match with Tiafoe in Houston in 2018 – on clay.

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: It’s simply amazing that two Northern Californians succeeded in qualifying at Roland Garros. Then again, Mackie McDonald is no stranger to Slams. He’s played in 10 majors and made his famous run to Wimbledon’s fourth round in 2018. At the French Open he’s never made it past the second round. His opening match will be against the 22-year old Finn Emil Ruusuvuori, who is ranked No. 74.

JENSON BROOKSBY: Baylor University won the NCAA hoops title and more recently went deep into the NCAA Championships. Some wondered if Jenson Brooksby had stayed at Baylor, would the Bears have won the tennis title too? After all, Sacramento’s rising star has won three Challenger titles in 2021 and saved three match points in qualifying to reach the main draw. There he’ll face the sternest test of his career. The 20-year-old will try to neutralize Russia’s secret weapon, the No. 24 seed Aslan Karatsev.