TENNIS: The French Open 2021
Jun. 15th, 2021 07:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllBack in its rightful place in the calendar, I had this on in the background more than watching it, certainly in the first week, as I now find it difficult to follow the play.
Day one was about the next gen of men – I saw a bit of Thiem’s five sets (he lost), the end of Zverev’s (he won) and watched a little of Tsitipas (apparently he’s had a good year, although it’s clearly been a strange one.) Day two was about plucky Brits (most quickly dispatched, apart from Norrie) and the news about Naomi Osaka dropping out of the tournament and stepping back from tennis for a while, which has been the breakout talking point.
On day three, I heard Jim Courier saying he and Santoro had been commentating for ITV for 10 years. It took a while for the reality of that to sink in. Anyway, I saw Barty take the advantage as her opponent finally collapsed, I had Nadal winning on in the background, I saw Gauff’s tense tiebreak in the first set and how she took control in the second set, and I had a wee bit of Djokovic winning with ease at night.
I thought the night-time matches would be far more dramatic if there wasn’t other play still going on (although I’m sure the players appreciate not playing at ridiculous o’clock as they do in some slams,) and the stands weren’t empty, but that’s the pandemic for you. It was probably worse to have the whole crowd walk out in the middle of a match even if you knew why it was happening. So, round 1 was done.
On Wednesday, I learned Kvitova had got injured leaving a press commitment, which must be a hundred times more annoying than getting injured during play, and I learned about Zverev having been accused of domestic violence at the end of last year, which has put me right off him. I mainly had the first set and a bit of the Medvedev night match on, and was surprised to learn he was the no. 2 seed. The commentators were annoyingly whining about the lack of a crowd. My sense was they shoud just respect that’s how the host country’s dealing with COVID and be grateful we have a tournament.
And then didn’t always note what I had on for a few days. The women’s side got (predictably) weird, with more and more top seeds falling out, but still leaving Slam winners playing. I didn’t try to guess who would make it through to the end of week 2. I had a bit of Nadal versus Gasquet on, around the second set, when the Frenchman regained a little pride, but the result was never in question as was also true when Nadal played Norrie, who played well and still couldn’t win a set. I had missed Swiatek, Kenin and Williams, and certainly didn’t watch what sounded like Federer’s marathon (and okay, he wanted some play, but to retire to spare his old bones is not quite in the spirit you’d expect…)
I heard Azarenka and Williams lost on the middle Sunday. I saw Zverev versus Nishikori was the evening match, and I couldn’t be bothered with it.
The Monday fourth rounds – for lunch, I saw the end of the first set of the first match between one of the Big Three against an Italian teenager. Musetti was entirely new to me and the tennis world, but turned out to be giving Djokovic some trouble, and indeed he won the first two sets. And then Djokovic came back with a determined mindset, and Musetti’s body couldn’t cope with all it had been though, he faded and Djokovic won in five.
I got to see the second of these matches from the second set onwards, where Rafa wobbled and let Sinna (a better known Italian teenager) back in, but not for long, and outmatched him, showing up his weaknesses (and one couldn’t help making the comparison with Musetti, who did seem to have more shots, just not the body yet.)
Kenin is out, leaving Swiatek as the player with the most Grand Slam singles pedigree left standing on the women’s side… So I watched her fourth round match from the end of the first set onwards, and I wouldn’t say she was thoroughly impressive, but her eighteen year old opponent (all of two years the younger) wasn’t able to string enough points together and Swiatek was better on the big points. It is staggering (even though I’ve been saying ‘women’s tennis’ reflexively as I always do to whatever has happened) that six of the female quarter finalists are there for the first time. I’d only definitely heard of two of them, possibly heard of three more, and Swiatek, the default faourite, would be the first defending champion of the French, if she won, since JUSTINE HENIN. I had to check that Coco Gauff was even alive at that point (although Serena Williams was obviously playing.)
For lunch on Tuesday, I watched the start of the third set between Slovenian Zidansek and Spanish Bedosa, with the latter having taken the second set as the first could not make the most of a set and a break. It was that kind of match, occasional good shots, but both players battling nerves, going on runs they couldn’t sustain. Apparently after the log third set, Zidansek was tougher on the day (if not, generally, the better playe of the two 23-or-so-year-olds.
Apparently the next two quarter finalists were also doubles partners, so even though they’re relative unknowns, there was a story. That was another three-setter, so after work, I sat down to see the end of Zverev against Fokina, who had expended all his energy getting to the quarters and had nothing to trouble Zverev, who had apparently lost his serve three times in the first set, but still won in three sets in a shorter match than the ladies’.
And then I watched an hour of so of Tritsipas vs. Medvedev, which was an interesting one, with Tsitsipas not looking entirely in charge but up two sets. Medvedev was hustling and trying all sorts. It seems that Tsitsipas would be higher ranked if the rankings weren’t funny due to COVID (and I suppose that without there having been a grass court season last year, that will continue until after Wimbledon? Possibly beyond.)
Wednesday lunchtime, I saw some very long games between Swiatek and Sakkari and thought they couldn’t keep at that pace, then I learned as per yesterday, the hastily scrambled ‘favourites’ Swiatek and Gauff had lost, another Greek player was through to the semis this year (i.e. Tsitipas had won after I stopped watching.) By the time I finished work, they were repeating an old Murray match, so baed on that and the fact that they were talking up a Nadal vs Djokovic semi final later, I assumed the men’s defending champion won handily, at least.
Djokovic, from what I saw from around 8.30 to 9 o’clock our time, was too good for his latest Italian opponent.
So, I understood that none of the women’s semi-finalists had been at this stage before, and therefore the finals. I watched the start of the third set between Sakkari and Krejcikova (only the fifth highest Czech player, but apparenly good at doubles) and although Sakkari got a lead, she didn’t look too convincing, and from facing down a match point, her opponent continued to take heart. So it’ll be her or Pavlyuchenkova!? Which, frankly, nobody called at the start of the tournament, although the turbulence of the women’s game continues while the men have two of the greats meeting one round earlier than last year, and two of the next gens who have broken through to roughly this point on the other half. Which feels about standard.
Friday semi-finals: I watched Tsitsipas finally get through, after being up two sets and then not be able to manage it until the fifth. Obviously (see above) I wanted him to win rather than Zverev, and I didn’t realise before this that he was only 22, as he and Zverev (and the rest) seem to have been knocking on the door but not getting through for a while, save for Thiem. When he answered questions after the match, it was clear how much it meant to him, not just his first Grand Sam final, but for his country (nice that he mentioned his fellow countrywoman). Appartenly nerves played a big part for both players, and Tritsipas will need to find more of his better game to face …
The blockbuster semi following would decide that. Given the curfew and how long men’s semis can generally be, they really should have started earlier, but it suited me to spend my Friday night watching the four hundredth or so match between Nadal and Djokovic. From the off, they were both playing well, but once Nadal had won his first game, he rather ran away with things, and I wondered if I dared hope it would be a repeat of last year’s final.
It wasn’t. Djokovic regrouped and lost the first set by a more respectable score than he could have done, and was better placed to fight in the second set, and indeed to win it.
By the end of the third set (after a tiebreak) I was shaking m head and going ‘INSANE’ because the tennis was so staggering from both of them. Despite all of Nadal’s competitiveness and figting spirit, Djokovic was able to do enough to take a lead. Much was made of the exemption to allow the crowd, who were well into the match, to stay beyond the curfew to the end of the match. But again, Djokovic deserved his ‘best returner’ label and broke Nadal, who simply wasn’t able to will a break back, and the unthinkable was happening, for only the third time in history: Rafael Nadal was out of Roland Garros. (Even if the huge match had taken it out of him, I thought surely Djokovic was the favourite to win the final.)
ITV did their best to find the story and hype up the women’s finals, and it was totally unknown how the women would react to being in this position. They’d never even played before either. They found a connection to champions we would have heard of, even if I have had to have a tab open to check the spelling of their names: Pavluychenkova having been briefly coached by Martina Hingis, and Krejcikova called on Jana Novotna when she was a teenager and found a coach until Novotna passed away.
They didn’t play well at the same time. The Russian seemed to have made the right call when she elected to receive, but the Czech player settled down after she broke. Sam Smith suggested that by watering down the court so much, they’d made it more difficult for the more aggressive Pavlyuchenkova in the first set. The latter showed us what she cuold do in the second set, but then her body didn’t take too well to all that was being asked of it and Krejcikova found her coolness again in the third. Although the final point was anticlimactic, she’d definitely won!
As ever, I got a little lump in the throat watching her sing her national anthem, and both players conducted themselves well in the lengthy ceremony.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch the men’s doubles – I just wasn’t invested enough. If I could have, I would have watched the women’s doubles the next day as I was now interested in what Krejcikova had left and whether Swiatek might get some consolation for having lost her crown. But they didn’t show it, apparently the Czech pulled off a double (with the helpof her partner, no dobut.) Who knows if this is the start of something for her in singles and I will become familiar with typing out her name.
I sat down to the men’s final, like the pundits, believing Djokovic would win, but, like the crowd, supporting Tsitsipas (I can admire Djokovic’s play, but it just doesn’t draw me in.) After a short boutt of nerves, Tsitsipas looked like he belonged in a Grand Slam final (I mean it still feels outrageous that Nadal wasn’t there). His serve was a weapon, his athleticism another, and first he won one set, then another, and didn’t’ notice all the ‘clay’ on the back of his shirt after a tumble.
But having changed his shirt, the Djokovic who returned at the start of the third set was a different player, able to impose his will more. I had to stop watching after that third set, but I wasn’t entirely surpised to learn that Djokovic had done the incredible, won his 19th slam, has impressively twice won all the slams, the ATP finals and the Masters, is on for the calendar/golden slam (IF the Olypics are held) and is still younger and currently healthier than Federer and Nadal.
It will be interesting to see who transfers their clay court form to the grass (on the men’s side; the women’s is still as kghagueruafa!?!?! as ever. I see Konta won Nottingham.)
And now Queens has reassuringly started up again with its striped lawns and now purple hoardings. Its sedate commentary feels a whole world away from the French Open, and actually I was sad to learn that ITV have lost the contract for the French, because despite John Inverdale’s loose use of the word ‘game’ and tendency to make unhelpful comparisons to other sports, it has done a great job of highlighting the tennis.
Day one was about the next gen of men – I saw a bit of Thiem’s five sets (he lost), the end of Zverev’s (he won) and watched a little of Tsitipas (apparently he’s had a good year, although it’s clearly been a strange one.) Day two was about plucky Brits (most quickly dispatched, apart from Norrie) and the news about Naomi Osaka dropping out of the tournament and stepping back from tennis for a while, which has been the breakout talking point.
On day three, I heard Jim Courier saying he and Santoro had been commentating for ITV for 10 years. It took a while for the reality of that to sink in. Anyway, I saw Barty take the advantage as her opponent finally collapsed, I had Nadal winning on in the background, I saw Gauff’s tense tiebreak in the first set and how she took control in the second set, and I had a wee bit of Djokovic winning with ease at night.
I thought the night-time matches would be far more dramatic if there wasn’t other play still going on (although I’m sure the players appreciate not playing at ridiculous o’clock as they do in some slams,) and the stands weren’t empty, but that’s the pandemic for you. It was probably worse to have the whole crowd walk out in the middle of a match even if you knew why it was happening. So, round 1 was done.
On Wednesday, I learned Kvitova had got injured leaving a press commitment, which must be a hundred times more annoying than getting injured during play, and I learned about Zverev having been accused of domestic violence at the end of last year, which has put me right off him. I mainly had the first set and a bit of the Medvedev night match on, and was surprised to learn he was the no. 2 seed. The commentators were annoyingly whining about the lack of a crowd. My sense was they shoud just respect that’s how the host country’s dealing with COVID and be grateful we have a tournament.
And then didn’t always note what I had on for a few days. The women’s side got (predictably) weird, with more and more top seeds falling out, but still leaving Slam winners playing. I didn’t try to guess who would make it through to the end of week 2. I had a bit of Nadal versus Gasquet on, around the second set, when the Frenchman regained a little pride, but the result was never in question as was also true when Nadal played Norrie, who played well and still couldn’t win a set. I had missed Swiatek, Kenin and Williams, and certainly didn’t watch what sounded like Federer’s marathon (and okay, he wanted some play, but to retire to spare his old bones is not quite in the spirit you’d expect…)
I heard Azarenka and Williams lost on the middle Sunday. I saw Zverev versus Nishikori was the evening match, and I couldn’t be bothered with it.
The Monday fourth rounds – for lunch, I saw the end of the first set of the first match between one of the Big Three against an Italian teenager. Musetti was entirely new to me and the tennis world, but turned out to be giving Djokovic some trouble, and indeed he won the first two sets. And then Djokovic came back with a determined mindset, and Musetti’s body couldn’t cope with all it had been though, he faded and Djokovic won in five.
I got to see the second of these matches from the second set onwards, where Rafa wobbled and let Sinna (a better known Italian teenager) back in, but not for long, and outmatched him, showing up his weaknesses (and one couldn’t help making the comparison with Musetti, who did seem to have more shots, just not the body yet.)
Kenin is out, leaving Swiatek as the player with the most Grand Slam singles pedigree left standing on the women’s side… So I watched her fourth round match from the end of the first set onwards, and I wouldn’t say she was thoroughly impressive, but her eighteen year old opponent (all of two years the younger) wasn’t able to string enough points together and Swiatek was better on the big points. It is staggering (even though I’ve been saying ‘women’s tennis’ reflexively as I always do to whatever has happened) that six of the female quarter finalists are there for the first time. I’d only definitely heard of two of them, possibly heard of three more, and Swiatek, the default faourite, would be the first defending champion of the French, if she won, since JUSTINE HENIN. I had to check that Coco Gauff was even alive at that point (although Serena Williams was obviously playing.)
For lunch on Tuesday, I watched the start of the third set between Slovenian Zidansek and Spanish Bedosa, with the latter having taken the second set as the first could not make the most of a set and a break. It was that kind of match, occasional good shots, but both players battling nerves, going on runs they couldn’t sustain. Apparently after the log third set, Zidansek was tougher on the day (if not, generally, the better playe of the two 23-or-so-year-olds.
Apparently the next two quarter finalists were also doubles partners, so even though they’re relative unknowns, there was a story. That was another three-setter, so after work, I sat down to see the end of Zverev against Fokina, who had expended all his energy getting to the quarters and had nothing to trouble Zverev, who had apparently lost his serve three times in the first set, but still won in three sets in a shorter match than the ladies’.
And then I watched an hour of so of Tritsipas vs. Medvedev, which was an interesting one, with Tsitsipas not looking entirely in charge but up two sets. Medvedev was hustling and trying all sorts. It seems that Tsitsipas would be higher ranked if the rankings weren’t funny due to COVID (and I suppose that without there having been a grass court season last year, that will continue until after Wimbledon? Possibly beyond.)
Wednesday lunchtime, I saw some very long games between Swiatek and Sakkari and thought they couldn’t keep at that pace, then I learned as per yesterday, the hastily scrambled ‘favourites’ Swiatek and Gauff had lost, another Greek player was through to the semis this year (i.e. Tsitipas had won after I stopped watching.) By the time I finished work, they were repeating an old Murray match, so baed on that and the fact that they were talking up a Nadal vs Djokovic semi final later, I assumed the men’s defending champion won handily, at least.
Djokovic, from what I saw from around 8.30 to 9 o’clock our time, was too good for his latest Italian opponent.
So, I understood that none of the women’s semi-finalists had been at this stage before, and therefore the finals. I watched the start of the third set between Sakkari and Krejcikova (only the fifth highest Czech player, but apparenly good at doubles) and although Sakkari got a lead, she didn’t look too convincing, and from facing down a match point, her opponent continued to take heart. So it’ll be her or Pavlyuchenkova!? Which, frankly, nobody called at the start of the tournament, although the turbulence of the women’s game continues while the men have two of the greats meeting one round earlier than last year, and two of the next gens who have broken through to roughly this point on the other half. Which feels about standard.
Friday semi-finals: I watched Tsitsipas finally get through, after being up two sets and then not be able to manage it until the fifth. Obviously (see above) I wanted him to win rather than Zverev, and I didn’t realise before this that he was only 22, as he and Zverev (and the rest) seem to have been knocking on the door but not getting through for a while, save for Thiem. When he answered questions after the match, it was clear how much it meant to him, not just his first Grand Sam final, but for his country (nice that he mentioned his fellow countrywoman). Appartenly nerves played a big part for both players, and Tritsipas will need to find more of his better game to face …
The blockbuster semi following would decide that. Given the curfew and how long men’s semis can generally be, they really should have started earlier, but it suited me to spend my Friday night watching the four hundredth or so match between Nadal and Djokovic. From the off, they were both playing well, but once Nadal had won his first game, he rather ran away with things, and I wondered if I dared hope it would be a repeat of last year’s final.
It wasn’t. Djokovic regrouped and lost the first set by a more respectable score than he could have done, and was better placed to fight in the second set, and indeed to win it.
By the end of the third set (after a tiebreak) I was shaking m head and going ‘INSANE’ because the tennis was so staggering from both of them. Despite all of Nadal’s competitiveness and figting spirit, Djokovic was able to do enough to take a lead. Much was made of the exemption to allow the crowd, who were well into the match, to stay beyond the curfew to the end of the match. But again, Djokovic deserved his ‘best returner’ label and broke Nadal, who simply wasn’t able to will a break back, and the unthinkable was happening, for only the third time in history: Rafael Nadal was out of Roland Garros. (Even if the huge match had taken it out of him, I thought surely Djokovic was the favourite to win the final.)
ITV did their best to find the story and hype up the women’s finals, and it was totally unknown how the women would react to being in this position. They’d never even played before either. They found a connection to champions we would have heard of, even if I have had to have a tab open to check the spelling of their names: Pavluychenkova having been briefly coached by Martina Hingis, and Krejcikova called on Jana Novotna when she was a teenager and found a coach until Novotna passed away.
They didn’t play well at the same time. The Russian seemed to have made the right call when she elected to receive, but the Czech player settled down after she broke. Sam Smith suggested that by watering down the court so much, they’d made it more difficult for the more aggressive Pavlyuchenkova in the first set. The latter showed us what she cuold do in the second set, but then her body didn’t take too well to all that was being asked of it and Krejcikova found her coolness again in the third. Although the final point was anticlimactic, she’d definitely won!
As ever, I got a little lump in the throat watching her sing her national anthem, and both players conducted themselves well in the lengthy ceremony.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch the men’s doubles – I just wasn’t invested enough. If I could have, I would have watched the women’s doubles the next day as I was now interested in what Krejcikova had left and whether Swiatek might get some consolation for having lost her crown. But they didn’t show it, apparently the Czech pulled off a double (with the helpof her partner, no dobut.) Who knows if this is the start of something for her in singles and I will become familiar with typing out her name.
I sat down to the men’s final, like the pundits, believing Djokovic would win, but, like the crowd, supporting Tsitsipas (I can admire Djokovic’s play, but it just doesn’t draw me in.) After a short boutt of nerves, Tsitsipas looked like he belonged in a Grand Slam final (I mean it still feels outrageous that Nadal wasn’t there). His serve was a weapon, his athleticism another, and first he won one set, then another, and didn’t’ notice all the ‘clay’ on the back of his shirt after a tumble.
But having changed his shirt, the Djokovic who returned at the start of the third set was a different player, able to impose his will more. I had to stop watching after that third set, but I wasn’t entirely surpised to learn that Djokovic had done the incredible, won his 19th slam, has impressively twice won all the slams, the ATP finals and the Masters, is on for the calendar/golden slam (IF the Olypics are held) and is still younger and currently healthier than Federer and Nadal.
It will be interesting to see who transfers their clay court form to the grass (on the men’s side; the women’s is still as kghagueruafa!?!?! as ever. I see Konta won Nottingham.)
And now Queens has reassuringly started up again with its striped lawns and now purple hoardings. Its sedate commentary feels a whole world away from the French Open, and actually I was sad to learn that ITV have lost the contract for the French, because despite John Inverdale’s loose use of the word ‘game’ and tendency to make unhelpful comparisons to other sports, it has done a great job of highlighting the tennis.
