Bill Simons and Vinay Venkatesh
Paris
MUDDYING UP THE TENNIS WORLD: After the emotional opening days at Roland Garros, observer James Fawcette noted, “Both Rafa and Naomi in tears. Enough water flowing to turn the clay to mud.”
RICHARD GASQUET’S LAST SONATA – ‘LITTLE MOZART’ TO DEPART: Little Richard was a rock pioneer. Grand Slam champ Maureen Connolly was known as “Little Mo.” There are pizza joints named Little Caesars. And Richard Gasquet was said to be “the Little Mozart of Tennis.”
Thursday, against No. 1, Jannik Sinner, he will probably play his last ATP match. There will be tears.
Gasquet may now have more wrinkles, less speed and less hair, but, over his 18-year career, he was always an adept shotmeister who cut off angles like a crazed butcher. His strokes had more curls than Shirley Temple. He won an ATP match when he was 15, was once ranked No. 7 and scored many an upset.
A true phenom, as a third grader, Richard was pictured on the cover of France’s national tennis magazine with the headline, “The Champion France Is Waiting For.”
Yes, he claimed the French Open’s mixed doubles crown, took home an Olympic bronze medal, won 18 ATP titles, helped France claim the Davis Cup and reached three Grand Slam singles semis. But France is still waiting for a modern men’s Grand Slam champ not named Noah.
Oh well, Gasquet’s grand, sweeping backhand was a stroke of genius like few others. Ornate and operatic, it was a unique wonder that only he displayed. Steve Tignor noted that Richard’s aesthetic stroke “began with an elegantly elaborate take-back, in which he curls the frame above and around his head. From there, he can snap up on it for topspin, or, if his timing is sharp, drive right through it with a jaw-dropping flat pace.”
There was always something quirky about the Frenchman from Beziers, a southern coastal French town known for its bullfighting. For starters, there’s nothing like hearing a French crowd shriek “Allez Le Bleu!” or, during a changeover deep into a Gasquet match, break into a rousing rendition of “Le Marseillaise,” France’s national anthem.
Years ago, Gasquet was asked one of the most existential questions in the history of tennis journalism. After a devastating loss, a French reporter wondered, “Which pain is worse, the one in your body, or the one in your soul?”
Richard adeptly avoided a drug conviction because he contended that the cocaine that showed up in his body was due to Pamela, a stranger who kissed him in a Miami nightclub.
France’s boy wonder never reached a Slam final. And just once in 21 tries did he reach the quarterfinals at the French Open. But his backhand was an elegant wonder.
Sadly, Gasquet was a punching bag for the Big Three. His record against Rafa, Roger and Nole was a gut-wrenching 3-50.
Oh, dear. What the heck, the warrior did bank $21 million in earnings. But, like so many other Frenchmen, the Little Mozart of Tennis never lifted any of the biggest trophies in our game.
French writer Carole Bouchard noted, “For years, fans have been chanting, ‘Wree-shard, Wree-shard!’ as if the baby brother of the country and the people have been babysitting him since he was nine. They love him. And they want him to succeed. At the same time, sometimes he gets on their nerves…It’s a love-hate relationship – but more love than hate.”
All the while, the tennis world long adored one of the most distinctive strokes ever to have been hit on a tennis court – his glorious, sweeping, musical backhand. And watching Richard Gasquet battle was always like listening to – who else? – Mozart.
MONFILS’ MAGIC: In 2009, the very young Gael Monfils was running the veteran Andy Roddick from corner to corner on Court Suzanne Lenglen and showboating big time. The no-nonsense American told the kid, “You’re not good enough to do that.”
But Gael quickly emerged as an appealing force on the circuit. And, now that Nick Kyrgios is on the sidelines, the man with a Ukrainian wife, a two-year-old daughter, a perpetual twinkle in his eye and an infectious joie de vivre is the leading showman on the tour.
Just a while ago, the 38-year-old became the oldest player on the ATP circuit to win a tourney.
But last night, just four minutes into his first-round match against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien, he crashed into the center court’s boards, bloodied his hand and hurt his knee.
He was hobbled. The French crowd was silenced. Gael seemed to be gone. He promptly lost the first two sets. But Monfils is the French patriot who told us that his beloved Roland Garros courts are “a magical place where…I can go beyond myself.”
He did just that. With the raucous crowd at his back, he sprinted to the corners, blasted astonishing winners and hit a stunning backhand to seal a popular comeback, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1.
Monfils is special on any court anywhere. At Roland Garros he’s magical.
THE BIGGEST THING SINCE THE BEATLES: Just a few days before his opening round match at Roland Garros, Hubert Hurkacz was in tears. He’d c0me so close to winning the Geneva title but fallen to Novak Djokovic.
Now in Paris, on a very small and very loud side court, the Pole had to face the ATP’s phenom-du-jour, Joao Fonseca, and the most raucous, soccer-like fans in the game. And, to the delight of the spectators in their green and gold, Joao was on his game.
“Fonseca,” noted Gill Gross, “is a will breaker. The way you lose points against him is demoralizing and emasculating. You are watching the ball go by you at 100 mph. Meanwhile the crowd is splitting your eardrum every single time. That can’t be comfortable.”
It wasn’t. Joao rolled to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win against the No. 30 seed. What also rolled was the hype machine. Never mind that Fonseca is just 18. This spring he’s had a lackluster clay court run so far, he’s only ranked No. 65, and this was just his second Slam match win. Still, there was talk of his winning a Slam and getting to the level of the Big Three. TNT said Tuesday’s match “was like the coming of the Beatles.”
Maybe not. All we’ll say is, “Let it be.”
MUSINGS ON NOLE: Novak Djokovic just won his 100th title in Geneva. Still, you’d think Jimmy Connors’ record of 109 is probably out of reach for the aging Serbian, right? Then again, never underestimate steely Novak, who won Olympic Gold nine months ago, is now quite rested and seems to have fresh legs. Still, fans and media can’t help asking: when will the Serb quit, and where will his farewell ceremony be?
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY: In his opening match, world No. 4 Taylor Fritz fell to No. 66 Daniel Altmaier. Then he was doing his obligatory press conference, which is not an easy thing after a tough loss. He explained, “I am just playing horrendous tennis on a lot of the important points…I don’t know what’s going on. I’m finding ways to just play the worst point possible.”
Then, in the middle of his presser, reporters were notified that Djokovic’s long awaited and long delayed pre-tournament presser was about to happen. And reporters, who have to follow key developments, walked out of Taylor’s presser. Ouch.
We felt sorry for the big Californian. Then again, you could argue that the US Open finalist is the best American man since Andy Roddick, and the grass and hard court seasons are just around the corner.
AMERICA WATCH: No. 12 Tommy Paul pulled off a comeback win over the Hungarian Marton Fucsovic after being down two sets to love, prevailing, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. No. 23 Seb Korda beat fellow American Jenson Brooksby in straight sets, as did No. 14 Frances Tiafoe who beat Pablo Carreno Busta. Florida’s Reilly Opelka and Woodland Hills’ Emilio Nava lost while on the women’s side Bernarda Pera upset No. 18 Donna Vekic and No. 16 Amanda Anisimova dropped just two games beating Viktorija Golubic. Iva Jovic, Danielle Collins and Caroline Dolehide all lost.
SWEET CAROLINE: Tennis can grind you down. But so many love it so deeply. Before she came out for the final match of her career, France’s 31-year-old veteran Caroline Garcia realized that after 14 years of combat, this was her last dance. She wept.
