Roland Garros/French Open
Image courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr page - Roland Garros 2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/2548469251/in/photolist-4Tcz82-6tZnxV-87P6sX-ey7ZS4-4Th8wE-eiptGP-6uaRCZ-87vLZp-86G6Ka-ey9ecr-c7XVQu-nCzATg-eBzLQm-nCAVGe-nWRDSg-nT31do-dGmT28-nCzje4-nCzR2q-nT2Xd5-nV4Xqn-nT2ASf-eZKnLF-6urJ2w-nUM8dD-nCzJ2p-nUWDeU-caonqS-nCzGrQ-nUWRpA-nCzE6t-ewJaxS-ekA48R-nWRBFT-nULZA4-nCAKKF-nUWLLs-9T16gt-nT2zmu-nCALjX-ezweD2-9T15Lr-nULZgB-ewEXSc-nUMjfi-ewJ9fS-6qwFaz-ezzoMd-9LRAp8-ewJ9S1
Right now, French tennis is at a low point.
Of course, it was not always that way. France has had quite a rich history of tennis greatness, in fact, and it stretched right into the 21st century, with Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo, both of whom won two Grand Slam titles apiece. Mauresmo even reached the number one ranking in the world.
In fact, it stretches quite a bit beyond them, as well. Here is a brief summary according to a recent ESPN article by Simon Cambers (see link below):
For a nation with a rich tennis history, from Suzanne Lenglen to the four Musketeers -- Jean Borotra, Rene Lacoste, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon -- to Yannik Noah, Pierce and Mauresmo, it is undeniably a low moment.
If it has a glorious past, however, French tennis seems to have hit a rut recently. On the women's side, nobody has managed to step up since the departure of Pierce and Mauresmo. And on the men's side, they have not had much in the way of success in the majors. There have been some men who have broken through to qualify for Grand Slam finals, including Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (2008 Australian Open), Arnaud Clément (2003 Australian Open), and Cédric Pioline (US Open in 1993 and Wimbledon in 1997). Sébastien Grosjean also appeared promising for a while, but he never quite managed to reach a Grand Slam final.
The most recent generation of French tennis players produced some relatively elite players, including Tsonga, who made it to the Australian Open Final in 2008, and reached a ranking of number 5 at one point. But Richard Gasquet was the one who many had believed could produce tennis glory for France at the Grand Slam level. He came fairly close, reaching the semifinals twice at Wimbledon, and once at the US Open, and had a career high ranking of number 7 at one point. Yet, he never quite managed to get to a Grand Slam final, let alone win one, either, ultimately.
Gasquet spoke recently about the state of France's tennis, particularly on the men's side, recently:
"Of course it's the end of an era," said Richard Gasquet, who was beaten by 13-time champion Rafael Nadal on Thursday. "I'm 35. [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga is 36, [Gilles] Simon is 36, and Gael [Monfils] is 34.
"For us, it's even great to be there [at Roland Garros]. Of course we are a great generation. I hope it will be the same for the French future. Now's a little bit difficult, but we have to see who's coming and I hope many players will come in the future."
Maybe the future will be bright for French tennis. But right now, after nobody on either the men's or women's side managed to get to the third round in France's own Grand Slam event, it would be hard to argue that French tennis is not at an all-time low at the moment.
All quotes used in this particular blog entry were taken from this article by Simon Cambers of ESPN (see link below):
For French tennis, this Open feels like 'the end of an era' by Simon Cambers, June 5, 2021:
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/31564884/for-french-tennis-open-feels-end-era
Although the broader point regarding the decline of French tennis is still valid, let's not forget that Marion Bartoli won Wimbledon in 2013. By way of comparison, the last time a Frenchman won a grand slam tournament was when Noah won in Paris 30 years earlier. 1983 was a long time ago – you and I were both in elementary school, for crying out loud. 2013 on the other hand feels far more recent. Le problème c'est surtout les Français, pas les Françaises.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, I did forget about that. And yes, that is impressive. But since she is also retired, it does not change the point overall that French tennis currently appears to be in a bit of a rut. Indeed, the women have enjoyed a lot more success, obviously, than the men have in recent years and decades. In the 21st century, French women have won four Grand Slam titles, if you include Mary Pierce's French Open win in 2000 (technically, that was the end of the 20th century, however). Meanwhile, the men have gone to two Grand Slam Finals combined during that same period, both Australian Open Finals. Not sure why they have been particularly strong Down Under, but that appears to be the case nonetheless. They lost both of those finals matches, unfortunately, as well. And right now, it does not appear that any French player on either the men's or women's side is about to break through and reach a Grand Slam final, although I guess you never know. Let's see what happens.
DeleteTrue. It's almost as surprising as the fact that Bernard Hinault's triumph in the 1985 Tour de France marks the last time a Frenchman won that race.
ReplyDelete