French Open R1 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Ginepri, Thiem vs. Mathieu

Nadal 2Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a ninth French Open title when he takes the court against Robby Ginepri on Monday. The winner will face either Dominic Thiem or Paul-Henri Mathieu in the second round.

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (WC) Robby Ginepri

Nadal and Ginepri will be going head-to-head for the first time in nine years when they meet in round one of the French Open on Monday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2005 Madrid event, played on indoor hard courts back then, with Nadal winning a semifinal showdown 7-5, 7-6(1). In his prime at that point, Ginepri is still toiling away at 31 years old. From just about out of nowhere, even considering retirement, he earned the USTA’s wild card into Roland Garros by taking the Tallahassee Challenger title. Ginepri is 0-2 at the ATP level this season and registers at 279th in the world.

Meanwhile, Nadal comes in exactly 278 spots ahead of his American opponent and he is looking for a ninth French Open title. The top-seeded Spaniard has won it on four consecutive occasions but is not an overwhelming favorite this time around due to three clay-court setbacks in a year for the first time since 2004. Losses have come to David Ferrer (Monte-Carlo), Nicolas Almagro (Barcelona), and Novak Djokovic (Rome). Nadal did, however, manage to capture the Madrid title. Look for Ginepri to be somewhat competitive in the first set before Nadal blows him off the red clay.

Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games

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(WC) Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Dominic Thiem

Two players at very different ends of the career spectrum will square off on Monday when Mathieu and Thiem face each other for the first time. At 32 years old, Mathieu is still inside the Top 100 (90th) and has a decent six ATP-level match wins to his credit this season. The Frenchman was a quarterfinalist in Bucharest last month and is coming off a second-round Nice loss to eventual runner-up Federico Delbonis.

Thiem has been the breakout star of 2014. The 20-year-old Austrian has been successful in seven of eight qualifying attempts and main-draw highlights include third-round showings in Indian Wells, Barcelona, and Madrid. Mathieu made a memorable run to the French Open third round in 2012 (beat John Isner 18-16 in the fifth along the way), so the crowd knows how to get behind him. The discrepancy in talent, however, will be too great.

Pick: Thiem in 4

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342 Comments on French Open R1 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Ginepri, Thiem vs. Mathieu

  1. given that rafa is always nervous in the opening round here, Ginepri will be able to win a decent number of games. Won’t be surprised to see a total blowout though

    Thiem vs Rafa will be an entertaining match but somehow I get the feeling that Mathieu will beat Thiem…

    • vamosrafa,

      I agree with you. We know that Rafa can sometimes be a slow starter. I voted for Rafa winning in straight sets, losing 8-10 games. I am usually cautious with my predictions early on. But I can’t see Ginepri really doing anything. We know that players tend to come out trying to play one great match to take down Rafa, especially at RG. But I just don’t think he’s got much left to even do that.

      I would be okay with Mathieu beating Thiem. I don’t know that I want to see Rafa playing Thiem in his second match. Guys like that make me nervous. He’s got game, playing really well now and would come out with absolutely no pressure. There’s no way he would beat Rafa, but I just don’t want him to face a young guy with a lot of talent who can go out there and swing for the fences. I am hoping that Rafa won’t struggle in the early round the way he did last year. I just don’t want to see him have to invest that much effort in the early going.

  2. RT @Mike_Dickson_DM: “Bit surprising that Rafael Nadal, returning as champion yet again, does not get on the main court tomorrow. He’s on Lenglen instead.”

  3. ^^I just looked at the full schedule for tomorrow. Stan(islas) and Novak are both on the main court, yet Rafa is on Lenglen. Wonder what the deal is with that.

    • The lesser part of me wishes Rafa would retaliate, refuse to do RG media interviews for instance until he gets due respect. But the sensible side of me says that is exactly what “they” want, drama to destabilize Rafa.

      Team Rafa will not rise to the bait……………….

      There is a bigger matter to focus on……….the trophy, no need to sweat the small stuff.

      Vamos Rafa!!

  4. Nothing the RG people do shocks me… I love this tournament because clay is my favorite surface, but the people who run it are a disgrace.

    • It wasn’t the opening match, @augusta08, therein lies the difference. Big difference……..
      With his record at RG, there is a case to be made that he should not place a match outside of Chatrier, ever. Have you ever seen Fed play outside centre court at Wimbeldon?

  5. I cannot think of any plausible reason why the 8 times and defending champion plus World #1 should not start on CC. Unless he asked for it.

    • ^^I hope you’re right @nadline10, and Rafa did indeed ask for Lenglen. What with all the Rafa-gloom and doom out there, I don’t need my already tender paranoia being tweaked to add…………

  6. I think you speak for all sensible tennis fans out there, Christopher Clarey:

    RT @christophclarey: “Nadal is a humble champion as champions go. But at this stage he should be on Chatrier for his 1st round match unless he asks not to be”

    If the RG organisers set out to humiliate Rafa, it has back-fired. They have instead exposed themselves as being un-worthy of such a Champion.

    I hope I am wrong and it is a case of Rafa having asked for this……..

  7. Well, well, this Rafa on Lenglen scheduling decision has lit up a firestorm on Twitter, putting RG on the defensive, resorting to lame excuses such as this:

    RT @rolandgarros: “@carole_bouchard How about giving the opportunity to other players to play at least one match on the Chatrier…?”

    So, with this response from #RG we know Rafa did not ask to play on Lenglen.
    As for the #RG response, all I can say is: when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging……

    • I just want Rafa to quickly win the trophy and get out of Paris…………fast. I feel dirty just having to watch their event.

  8. I may well be mis-remembering (again 🙁 ) but didn’t this happen to Rafa at Wimbledon when he was defending champion but Roger got to play the opening match. Wimbledon also follows the convention of reigning champion opening proceedings

    • You may be right ed251137, but Wimby did not shunt Rafa off to Court #2 for his opening match even if Fed opened up proceedings. He still played on Centre court after Fed.

  9. Well done, Lindsay Gibbs! This is a be-fitting response to that #RG lame excuse:

    RT @linzsports : “When social media accounts go rogue.”

    #OneLine

  10. So who exactly are they giving the opportunity to play at least one match on PC, Djokovic or Stan? Ridiculous.

    • Oh, don’t mind them @nadline10. They made a dodgy judgment call, have been found out and they are now busy looking for fig leaves to cover their shame. Trouble is, they do this all the time………..

      You cannot just ignore the achievements of a Champion like Rafa’s in the name of giving “everybody” an opportunity to play on Chatrier. Shouldn’t those “everybody” EARN the privilege of playing on Chatrier?

      #EmperorHasNoClothes
      #TheyKnowWhatTheyAreDoing

  11. So why don’t they bump ol’ Punchbag to SL to “give others a chance” to play PC.

    Same reason Fed plays before Rafa for the last nine year, no?

    #Transparent

  12. Douglas Robson (@dougrobson)
    Posted at 25 May, 2014 2:28 PM on Twitter
    “A genuinely surprised Isner calls placing Nadal on Lenglen “bizarre.” Laughs that 1R opponent Ginepri got up at 8am to hit on Chatrier.”

  13. Jeffrey Mathis (@LilJMath)
    Posted at 25 May, 2014 1:45 PM on Twitter
    “@BenRothenberg Exactly. Bought 1st round Chatrier tix months ago, traveled 6k miles, and now you tell me I should have bought cheaper tix?”

    • ^^Aha! Notice that Lenglen tickets are cheaper than Chatrier’s? That tells you Chatrier and Lenglen are NOT one and the same, Ricky………………

      • Not the same at all. Ricky is way off on that.

        I’ve been lucky enough to sit at both courts. SL dimensions have far less space behind the baseline and much smaller seating capacity.

        #PommesEtOranges
        #FrenchSureHateRafa

    • ^^Talk about being blinded by hate. So the RG organisers would rather lose money than show Rafa some respect? Chatrier (a bigger venue) would have been sold out if Rafa was on the line-up. Their own people would rather see Rafa! Too funny……………..

  14. Thank you, Juan Jose. At least now the pretense stops, the “maybe there is a good reason” obfuscation stops. Now people are seeing the disrespect for what it is:

    RT @juanjosetennis : “There’s no point disguising it: this is a slap in the face. Defending champions start on the main court, be it Casablanca, or Wimbleon.”

    And Juan Jose is a Nole fan…………….

  15. RT @juanjosetennis : “Did the French Tennis Federation forget who won last year’s men’s title at their own huge event?”

    Ehmm……no.

    • I remember you were quite impressed with the whole birthday cake on court show last year @nadline10. I was suspicious, just looked too pat for me.

      • I don’t believe that the French establishment hates Rafa. I posted a video on the Rafael Nadal thread where a group of them were praising him to the hilt and saying he is the favourite as far as they are concerned.

        I saw the cake Djoker got and it was nowhere as grand as the one Rafa got last year.

      • Well, my paranoia knows no bounds! 😀
        I do not think the French PUBLIC hates Rafa, quite the opposite. Look at the ticket sales to Lenglen since this decision was made public. I do not think even the RG establishment hates Rafa. I think they do not quite know what to do with him!

  16. And then watch what they will do: they will theatrically roll out some oversized cake onto the court to “celebrate” Rafa’s birthday as if to say, “we really do not hate Rafa, see?”

    They are a nasty lot, that………….

  17. Rafa is not going to be fazed by this scheduling business.. He’s not going to waste energy over it. It is what it is and whining, or is it whinging, isn’t going to change it. I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do about it.. So I am not going to freak out over something over which I do not have any control.

  18. Just win it Rafa, as you have always done!

    Let the haters do the hatin’, you do the playin’!

    Vamos tomorrow!

  19. Chris Fowler (@cbfowler)
    Posted at 25 May, 2014 3:30 PM on Twitter
    “Court assignment catches @RafaelNadal camp by surprise: 8 time champ NOT in the big house for Monday’s opener. Djokovic is on Chartier.”

    • ^^that’s not a good sign, if Team Rafa has been caught by surprise. Hope Rafa gets a chance to hit on Lenglen at least, otherwise that will be a serious, and unfair, handicap…………..

    • That’s what I am hoping will be the fall-out from all of today’s kerfuffle, it fires Rafa up in a positive way! This, together with Real’s win yesterday, I hope, does the trick!

      Vamos!!

  20. Mags ‏@RAFAddicted 1h
    and smiling. In every my shot I was waiting for his smile pic.twitter.com/nP0TMav0Ln
    Embedded image permalink

    I don’t know if this will work, it’s a picture of a smiling Rafa today.

  21. Just seen this on VB, posted by tofee

    Even Fed thinks Djoker was faking injury.

    Nadal favourite for Federer, not Djokovic
    25 May 2014, 16:03

    Roger Federer lambasted Rafael Nadal’s growing army of critics on Sunday, insisting that the world No 1 and not Novak Djokovic remains his favourite to win the French Open.

    Nadal comes into Roland Garros, where he has been champion eight times, with his game seemingly at crisis point.

    His defeat to world No 2 Djokovic in the Rome Masters final marked the first time since 2004 that he had lost three claycourt matches in the same year.

    Even the successful defence of his Madrid Masters title was achieved only after Kei Nishikori was forced to retire from their final with a back injury.

    Before that, Nadal was knocked out in the quarterfinals in Barcelona and Monte Carlo.

    But Federer threw his weight behind Nadal on Sunday, just moments after equalling the Spaniard’s record of 59 Roland Garros wins courtesy of a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 breeze past Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.

    “It doesn’t go week by week. I don’t know who’s talking all the time, but Rafa is the favourite, and then Novak, and then the rest, you know. It’s very clear,” insisted Federer.

    “I think he’s back where he wants to be. He’s played the matches he needs to play. He’s even won at home in Madrid. So I think he probably is where he wants to be, in my opinion.”

    Federer also hinted at exasperation over Djokovic’s roller-coaster fitness issues.

    The Serb, who needs a French Open title to join Federer and Nadal in completing a career Grand Slam, injured his right wrist in Monte Carlo, then skipped Madrid before storming to victory in Rome.

    “Three weeks ago he couldn’t play tennis anymore. When he was injured, oh, my God, you know. Things are looking so terrible. Now everything is great,” said the Swiss.

    http://www.supersport.com/tennis/roland-garros/news/140525/Nadal_favourite_for_Federer_not_Djokovic

    • ^^Thank for this @nadline10. My reaction after reading, laughter…….just flat out laughed. I remember Rafa “defending” Fed when Fed was also being consigned to the scrap-heap. Would be interested to hear Ben Pronin’s opinion on Fed’s comments about Novak’s injury.

      Anyway, really doesn’t matter whether Rafa is favourite or not, whether he is on Lenglen or not, whether he has a birthday cake or not……………what matters is that he is ready for the campaign ahead. By all accounts, he is in a good place.

      Vamos Rafa!!

  22. Okay, @nadline, you are not doing it right and I do not know how to explain it to you. @augusta10, you have explained to @hawkeye how to, please can you do the same for @nadline10?

    Let me try though:
    @nadline10, go into your post of 6:35 pm, copy and paste the link: pic.twitter.com/UxGra6n1xP
    into a blank page, where you have http://
    The picture should show in the page. Then copy and paste the whole link into your Tenngrand post.
    That should work.

  23. Okay, I think I have said enough about the Rafa-Lenglen kerfuffle. Am following the side-splitting hilarity about it on Twitter. Must say, it has lit up an otherwise boring opening day.

  24. The court issue is now the subject of an entire USA Today article. I only post it because it’s got another great quote from Isner. “No offense to Stan….” LOL.

    • Oh yeah, @jpacnw. Pico and Izzy share a passion for a US sports team, the Panthers. Am sure you know who they are, I suspect they are a football team?? They always light up twitter when the Panthers are playing……………

      • ^He said this:
        That’s really bizarre,” American John Isner said after defeating French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in the first round Sunday. “I mean, how many times does the guy have to win the tournament to be able to have his first match on Chatrier?” he added, referring to the No. 1 stadium known as Court Philippe Chatrier.

        And this:
        The other two matches feature the top-ranked Frenchwoman Alize Cornet against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, and reigning Australian Open champ and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

        “I think, no offense to Stan, but if you look at it, figured they’d be flip-flopped,” Isner said of substituting Nadal for Wawrinka.

        (Sorry it took awhile to respond. I was away from the internet…watching the sudden death playoff between Dufner and Scott for the Crowne Plaza Invitational title. Exciting, as golf goes).

  25. Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey)
    Posted at 25 May, 2014 2:00 PM on Twitter
    “Nadal is a humble champion as champions go. But at this stage he should be on Chatrier for his 1st round match unless he asks not to be”

  26. I happened to check out tennis-x to see Sean Randall’s prediction and read some of the comments. I don’t do it often, because I am not fond of reading the trash talk about Rafa. But one comment from Ben Pronin stood out to me. He said that seeing everyone pick Novak to win RG has given him an uneasy feeling. I thought that was hilarious! Even he is unnerved by everyone jumping on Novak’s bandwagon. Why? Because he knows better! 😉

  27. The spectators look cold and miserable on Court 1.
    Nishikori clearly does’t care for the cold either. He opened his match with a double fault and dropped the first game to Klizan.

    I swear there are more Japanese photographers (with state of the art cameras) following the match than there are spectators. 🙂

    • They must be expecting/hoping the rain will pass. Quite a lot of people have stayed in their seats on Chartrier and Suzanne Lenglen.

  28. Simon is romping through his match. Shouldn’t be too long before Rafa comes on court. I’m 60km west of Paris – the skies are clearing and the barometer is rising so with any luck he will complete his match this evening.

  29. Am not able to watch Rafa’s match live so to anyone watching live and posting, thoughts posted on the match as it goes by would be very much appreciated.

    Thank you!

  30. For some reason I’ve never understood he adopted the role of unofficial court jester circa 2008. One can only assume the tournament officials encourage him in his silly antics 🙁

  31. At least Jean Gachassin (president,French Tennis Federation) is showing respect to Rafa by going to Suzanne Lenglen to watch him.

  32. I woke up to see that Rafa’s match is on now. I guess it was because of all the rain delays. I didn’t see the first set, just the last half of the second set. But it’s hard to judge his form against a guy like Ginepri, who just can’t challenge him.

    I am trying to catch up on the results today. Is Nishi out?

  33. RT @PseudoFed : “Rafa’s 1st match is on Suzanne LongLong court, may call Mr. Wimbledon to see if he’ll put Murray’s 1st match on the Food Court #excited”

  34. ritb, Ginepri is trying his best but Rafa is hitting the ball really well. Everything seems to be working OK. Rafa is not looking this good because it’s only Ginepri because Ginepri is not handing it to him for free by any means.

  35. Courier (Tennis Channel commentator) just said: “Novak’s the favorite for a lot of people. Not for me. Rafa’s the one to beat.” (That might not be word for word). Courier knows a thing or two about the French Open.

  36. There’s not much to glean from a match that was so non competitive, but Rafa got the win easily and that’s what counts. He made three errors in a row in that last game. I think it’s hard to maintain concentration when the outcome is not in doubt. I look forward to seeing Rafa in his next match to get a better idea of where he’s at. Of course, he appeared to play well but I just can’t put much stake in it when the opponent clearly has no weapons to trouble him.

    The tennis channel commentators tried to debunk the whole Rafa playing on Lenglen controversy. In the end, really a non issue. Rafa handled it well and just focused on the opponent and the match. That’s as it should be.

  37. GSM, Rafa!
    Glad that is out of the way……………look forward to watching the replay tonight at my leisure.

    Vamos!

  38. It’s not a joke. Rafa was struggling in the early rounds at RG last year.

    Now the tennis channel is showing that marathon fifth set with Benny,

  39. Here is the explanation for Rafa playing on SL today:

    http://deportes.elpais.com/deportes/2014/05/26/actualidad/1401055515_953645.html

    Nadal runs out of ‘their’ center court
    The organization wields economic and ceremonial reasons for not debut in the Champion the Philippe Chatrier and yes it does Djokovic
    JUAN JOSÉ MATEO Paris 26 MAY 2014 – 00:13 CET2
    Filed in: Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic Roland Garros Grand Slam Tennis Competitions Sports

    Nadal, during a training session in Paris. / MIGUEL MEDINA (AFP)
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    Rafael Nadal , the world number one, the best performing player of 2014, defending champion of the tournament, and the man who held more times Roland Garros (eight), today begin their title defense in the second track on the importance of appointment (Suzanne Lenglen). There, at about 16.00, expect American Robby Ginepri. The organization justified the programming, this Monday reservation center court (Philippe Chatrier) to Novak Djokovic or Stanislas Wawrinka, as a “random decision.” The argument, however, is as surprising as the provision itself. Once the Mallorcan team confirmed that he had not asked where he will play, knowing that his priority was to debut on Monday (which was, by rain), and although it is likely that when he speaks in public place hot cloths, the option busting tradition that the champion will surrender top honors on the first day, and in the case of Nadal, emphasizes that the love he feels for Paris is not always reciprocated. A data reveals that the number one place (59-1 in Paris) was the center or yes: Ginepri, his rival, a stuck early start on Sunday just to train there and know what to expect on Monday.

    According to what this newspaper, the office of the referee brandishes “two rational reasons.” “A” explain; “That to achieve a balance between the two tracks, Djoko (sic) and Nadal can not agree on it.” “Two,” added; “Which is the day of the presidents (of the tennis clubs in France) in the Lenglen track , and we want a good show programming on this track to French players and a great name. ”

    Neither of those reasons is incompatible with Nadal dispute his party in the center and tennis Djokovic in the second in importance. Wimbledon collected only black on white in its rules that the winner of the previous edition is reserved the honor of being the first to set foot on the sacred grass of the cathedral of tennis to the next grade. However, the debut of champion he is on center court, whether in a tournament or a big 250, it is an unwritten law of tennis.

    In Paris, the forecast rain this week and the requests of the players influence the decisions of programmers. Viewed the picture is black, Nadal, who like other favorites mostly played at least one game a year in the Lenglen (usually the latter), preferred racing on Monday instead of Tuesday, the day could have matched their position in the table. So, now the champion of 13 major wins leeway against any stoppages for rain, because booting from already, but lost his place in the heart of the temple of the earth. For starters, the king was without its center.

  40. The tennis channel didn’t even show the second set tb in Stan’s match. They stuck with Benny’s match to the end.

  41. Sorry, I didn’t read the score right in Stan’s match. He won the second set 7-5. Remember to keep the glasses on when reading scores on tv! 🙂

  42. RT @ESPNTennis: “Garcia-Lopez takes the third set 6-2 over Wawrinka and leads 2 sets to 1. Less than an hour of light left here in Paris. #RG14 #ESPNTennis”

    GGL needs to step on it now so he does not run out of daylight. Expect Stan to start complaining about the “lack of light” now so he can get time off-court to re-group.

  43. RT @ESPNTennis : “Thiem downs Mathieu 64 76 62 to set up a second round match against Nadal. #ESPNTennis #RG14”

  44. Oh joy. So Thiem will meet Rafa in the second round. I expect that match to be more competitive than the one with Ginepri. But that’s not saying much. 🙂

  45. RT @SteveTignor : “Next 3 highest seeds in Wawrinka’s quarter: Murray, Gasquet, Fognini. Scheduled to play Nadal in semis. #RG14”

  46. Fitting that it’s a Spaniard who tossed Wawa out………………..after all, it’s Rafa who should have been in Stan’s slot on Chatrier.

    #Justice
    #Karma

  47. Time to play the Happy song! Glad #onehitwonder Stan is out. And wow losing 6-0 cannot be good for his ego. Especially after he ranked himself as the 4th favorite to win.

    • It wasn’t until he was two sets and a break down. After that he thought that possibly he might be feeling something very subtle somewhere in his back. Would like to give more swiss precision but that’s as accurate as he can be with today’s twinge.

  48. I said that Stan running off at the mouth and talking up his chances at RG, was a big mistake! It looks like hit bit him in the butt!

    Talk is cheap!

    He lost in embarrassing fashion, too.

  49. “I’ll be with Rog just afterwards, just after them,” he remarked. “I’m one of the favorites, but I wouldn’t say I’m the top favourite.But the difference is if I were to play against them, I know that when I’m on the courts I can defeat them. It’s not because they are well above where I stand that I’m going to lose against them.”

    On a different topic, some of you may be wondering why Wawrinka is now being referred to as ‘Stan’ rather than ‘Stanislas’. He cleared up that issue on Friday. “It’s just to simplify everything on the draw, my name during the press reference. That’s the only reason,” he said.

    Of course I’m Stan Wawrinka. That’s all right. Andy [Murray] did it, as well. It’s to simplify the whole thing. That’s all. Nothing important.”

    Indeed. Nothing important.

  50. So, 2 players who had been touted to do damage at RG, Nishi and Wawa are out in the 1st round………….

    • “Interestingly, Nadal appeared to be making a conscious effort to speed up his service rituals”

      TGFT. Several times during his Rome matches I was aware of him trying to shorten the rituals. When he reverted to the full sequence during the final** I thought perhaps I’d been mistaken.

      **if I recall correctly that was the match when he was averaging 29 secs but was unjustly given a violation at the 22-sec mark.

  51. Q. Some people were a bit surprised that you were scheduled on Suzanne Lenglen today. I was wondering if it made any difference to you. Were you expecting to play on Chatrier, or you didn’t really care?
    RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn’t really matter a lot. Always playing Roland Garros is a pleasure for me, is a really honor, and is a special feeling. So all the memories at this place give me are unforgettable.
    And doesn’t matter if it’s Chatrier or Lenglen or another court, be around here in Roland Garros always gonna be great. And I started in Lenglen this year, is a great court.
    I am not sure, but probably next one I gonna play in Chatrier. That’s it.

      • Yep. Nelson Mandela had class too, and he spent 27 years of his life in jail. Not suggesting Rafa is Mandela, #metaphor.

        Rafa was always going to rise above the flotsam, that’s what good men (and women) do.

        My point: Good men (and women) suffer indignities and the perpetrators (the classless ones) chug along, indifferent to the hurt they cause.

        #Life

    • Sometimes I wish he would stop turning the other cheek. RG constantly disrespects him and Rafa never complains and simply says it’s a pleasure to play RG.

    • Putting him lenglen this year, last year there were issues with the scheduling because of weather, the booing from the fans, etc.

      • hawkeye63 (at 12:36 pm)

        At concerts, the main band plays after a warm-up band. I don’t understand why it’s disrespectful in tennis to play after “warm-up” men???

        Secondly. Fed has also played his 1st round match on Court Suzanne Lenglen – in 2012.

      • I don’t care about SL scheduling TBH. As you say, they all play there (albiet not their opening match!!!).

        Comparing headlining bands to tennis is pommes et l’oranges, non?

        There is a HUGE, MASSIVE potential advantage to playing first. I’m sure you know this agusta. Physical advantage and also getting your matches in before bad weather.

      • @augusta08, when Fed played his 1st round match on Lenglen in 2012, was he:
        1. The defending Champion?
        2. The #1 player in the world?
        3. The holder of 8 RG trophies?

        It is not the assignment to Lenglen that was the problem @augusta08, nothing wrong with playing on Lenglen. It was asking Rafa to play his FIRST match on a minor court with 1, 2, and 3 in consideration. In the theatre-world, there is a premium on opening night for a reason.

        In their defence, the RG officials said unlike Wimbledon, they do not have a tradition of the Champion opening proceedings. Well, therein lies the rub, no? Maybe they ought to think about establishing a tradition, any tradition. Which is kind of ironic since they already have a tradition in place: they always play Fed first!

        There is a reason Wimbledon is considered the best Slam of all.

        When you (RG) find yourself isolated on an issue, as RG was on this particular issue, you (RG) ought to take a step back and do some soul-searching……..

        We all make mistakes. To err is human. To not learn from one’s mistakes……..well.

      • “Which is kind of ironic since they already have a tradition in place: they always play Fed first!”

        This is the true, no? (Same “tradition” for US Open).

      • ritb,
        perhaps you are missing the point: RG has two traditions. One: let the non-baby fed always play first. Two: find some new way every year to clearly signal their displeasure that it should be the arrogant Bull from the country of the Spaniards to win the toughest clay court event of the year, and not just once or twice by every time (when not gravely injured). That it should be him rather than roger or some French man… where is Rafa’s courtesy?

        or DO YOU believe I am reading too much in their (consistent in my view) signals?

      • @chloro,
        No, your signal-reading is spot on, in my earnestly humble view. And thank you for reminding me of the other established RG tradition. Which is why I said you cannot help but spot the irony of saying “unlike Wimbledon, we do not have a tradition” when in fact the whole RG establishment is replete with traditions!

        Sometimes we over-analyse stuff, I think. This was a slap in the face of Rafa, you don’t need an interpreter to see that.

        “We want to give other players a chance to play on Chatrier”. Yep, unlike that other fellow who is always winning here, not giving other players a chance to win.

        Transparent, much?

  52. I am not at all surprised by Rafa’s response to that question. It’s exactly what I said – Rafa handled it with class, grace and dignity. All the way!

    I don’t think Nishi’s exit is that surprising. It appears that he wasn’t really ready to play in a slam with the back injury. That’s a shame for him.

    Stan’s exit would have been surprising, if it hadn’t come on the heels of his early exits from both Madrid and Rome. The fact that he opened up his big mouth and then couldn’t deliver on the court, only makes him look even more foolish.

    • Yes. Didn’t he open his mouth _after_ those early exits, to boot?

      How soon will the penny drop for him?

      #EmperorConvincedHeIsClothed

      • @Chloro,

        You are absolutely right! That’s what really got to me. If you are getting bounced out of two clay Masters tournaments back-to-back, then at least have the good sense to keep quiet. I wonder if getting into the top four was not the best thing for him. He hasn’t been playing that well. I also think that if Novak’s wrist was okay then Stan wouldn’t have won MC. Fed just couldn’t get it done. But the way he’s been mouthing off all over the place, one would think he’s been winning consistently since the AO. But that has not been the case.

        That’s why I love how Rafa never talks himself up. Talk is cheap. Stan should have kept his mouth shut and focused on playing well. Now he’s been knocked out in his third straight tournament, only this was the biggest stage of all because it was a slam. Maybe he can just drop out of the top four and then hopefully we won’t have to hear him talking himself up all over the place. 😉

  53. It would be a great pity if all this derailed him. It’s obvious he is unable to handle the pressure and expectations that come with being the holder of a Major and No.3 in the world. His sub par performance in the Davis Cup and recent matches bears witness to that. Tennis needs a strong tier in the top 10-15 capable of challenging the top 4 on a regular basis or it will lose its lustre and stagnate as it did in the days of Sampras and the early part of Federer’s reign.

    • You’re right.

      While I enjoy sometimes poking fun at that side of the tennis players – having things go to their head – it’s easy for me to do it while not having any fame. The way our cultures are today most would not be prepared to handle fame well at all. Rafa is in a minority here and it seems to be mostly down to his parents, uncle Tony and other family members he grew up with. In his particular case he was even more fortunate, as that new French documentary mentions, in that his family was already experienced with having a famous successful sports star among their midst (the soccer uncle) by the time Rafa was starting to compete. With this double fortune he has been able to grow up extremely famous without it affecting him much at all.

      Fame (and success and sometimes fortune) is like a voracious beast that usually eats you up and gives little in return. To be made to feel you are a kind of god(dess) for a while may feel good initially but the later consequences are massive.

      • Not uncommon for players to struggle after raising the bar for themselves with their first major.

        Edberg, Sampras, Agassi, Safin and Nole all took two years or more to win that sophomore major.

        It’s more difficult to stay at the top than reaching the top.

        #Pressure
        #Expectations

  54. @Chloro,

    So well said! I think you pretty much nailed the dilemma of fame and fortune. It can easily go to someone’s head and when that happens, it’s not a pretty sight. Rafa was indeed fortunate to be raised in a family where he was able to be himself and never treated like a star or a prima donna. Some have mocked his humility, but it has served him well as he navigates the road of being a famous athlete competing at the very highest levels. He has never let his fame and wealth go to his head. That is something for which I am extremely grateful! 🙂

  55. So players like Gulbis and Melzer are giving Thiem a fighting chance against Rafa..Hmm interesting. He must be really something if he has a fighting chance

  56. More to the point, if Rafa wasn’t still suffering from the effects of his back injury, he would have won MC. Forget Novak.

  57. http://espn.go.com/tennis/french14/story/_/id/10984571/french-open-there-goes-season-slam-stan-wawrinka

    Can’t believe the talking heads actually thought Stan was a bona fide #3. What part of, “he won Oz 2014 because he was lucky” do they not understand? Doesn’t mean he did not deserve it, he did. It was a one-off.

    Now the draw opens up nicely for Muzza. Hopefully we will have a true Big 4 semis: Rafa/Muzza, Nole/Fed.

    plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…………………

  58. @Hawkeye, yesterday 7:44pm
    Wawa(haha) because he was starting to get a sense of entitlement.

    For several months now he has been adopting Fed’s airs and graces. Difference is Roger has earned the right to be arrogant. WaWa only has his foot on the first rung of the ladder.

  59. “Before the French Open began, Stan Wawrinka was asked how different it was to enter a major after winning one, as he did at the Australian Open in January.

    He joked about having to do more interviews, but said that a perk of his new status was a bigger stage.

    So the third-seeded Wawrinka found himself opening his tournament on Philippe Chatrier Court, the main stadium at Roland Garros, while the top seed and defending champion, Rafael Nadal, played on the smaller Suzanne Lenglen Court.

    Here is the thing about bigger stages: There is farther to fall.”

    Amen.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/sports/tennis/french-open-first-round-nishikori-loses.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

  60. RT @Ringham7 : “Stolle told that player can get treatment if ‘existing injury worsens’. Really? Who decides that? Someone’s physio? Convenient.”

    So, there are exceptions to the “existing injuries” rule, but no exceptions to the “time between points” rule??

    • re: injury rule – that exception is open to exploitation big time.

      re: Time violation: I’ve noticed players are now frequently delaying serve on the basis there is some movement or distraction (real or imaginary) in the stands. Gulbis and Djokovic are both adept at this. i’ve noticed too that getting the umpire out of his chair to check a questionable call is another tactic which is on the increase. Why is this not limited in the same way as hawk eye to three challenges per set? There should also be a 25 second time limit when disputing with the umpire during play.

      #TooManyShadesOfGrey

    • Which means he can only win in 5…………setting him up nicely for whoever faces him in the later rounds.

      First, marinate, then skewer………

      Welcome to hell, young man!

  61. Stan says after winning a slam and M1000 and becoming #3 he is struggling to put all the piece together and he can’t find all the pieces.

    All the pieces are not there because he knows deep down that he was lucky at the AO and that he didn’t actually BEAT Rafa but he is having to cope with the fake adulation and hype.

  62. RITB: Have you managed to find a stream for RG yet?
    Monaco has just taken the 1st set against a Frenchman called Pouille – whoever he might be.

    • I was out for lunch (literally) @ed251137, and have just checked the scores:

      Grisha out……….phoar!!
      Pico in…….PHOAR!!!!

    • ^^^^ I trust his press pass has been confiscated………… It’s bad enough being asked how you feel about losing without having to respond to some idiot who was probably getting pissed in the bar while you were spilling your guts on court.

  63. Speaking of pressure, I remember Sara Errani’s very emotional and candid statements about feeling the pressure that comes with raised expectations after losing in the 2nd round at last year’s US Open…

    “For me, [the key] is to go there and fight,” she said. “If I feel that I’m not fighting good [because I feel] too much pressure … I don’t want to go on the court. I don’t want to go to play. I don’t want to stay there on the court. I feel very bad. So that is the problem for me. I have to find the way to find the motivation to go there. If I go there and I know that if I lose [it] is very bad and if I win [it] is normal, [that] is not a good thing. I have to find a way to like to stay there and fight. That is important. I hope to find it.”

  64. This has been one crazy day at RG! Almagro out. I wonder if it was the foot again. Dimitrov out, too. On the women’s side Li Na is gone. But Rafa will just focus on his next match. He has to deal with Thiem and then maybe Gaba if he gets through. But his fourth round match should be a cakewalk.

    If Murray can keep it together, he has a real shot to get to the semis now.

    • nativenewyorker7 (at 10:05 pm),

      RT‏ @genny_ss: “The summary is that he [Almagro] hasn’t recovered from the left foot issue he’s been dragging since Houston. He says he shouldn’t have tried to play at RG, but now he’s determined to stop and recover well. They’ve made an MRI in Paris, waiting for results.”

      • Pity he didn’t stop to recover when it happened instead of going to Barcelona and punching above his weight in the QF 🙁

        #Retribution?

  65. http://tennis.si.com/2014/05/27/andy-roddick-picks-novak-djokovic-to-win-french-open/

    “You know what, I look back at all the titles that Rafa has won and I want to pay him all the respect he deserves,” Roddick said. “[But] I think Novak Djokovic wins this French Open and it’s hard for me to say. But I can’t put stock in 2011 and in 2012 when it’s 2014 and Novak’s beaten him the majority of the time on clay the last couple of years. The only time he didn’t was at the French Open semifinal last year. Novak’s playing great tennis and he can hurt Rafa, he can go through the court, attack the lines. I think Novak wins it this year. I don’t like myself for saying it. But I think he wins it.”

    Roddick also weighed in on the French Open’s surprising decision to put Nadal’s first match on Court Suzanne Lenglen.”He’s won the tournament eight times. You pay him his respect…. This is so Roland Garros to do. They’re trying to create headlines by being a little different and putting him out there. Credit to Rafa, he said he was fine with it. I’m sure he wasn’t. He’s letting everyone else talk about it for him and fight that battle for him.”

    Thanks A-Rod. Regarding your pick, I respect your opinion, even though I do not agree with it. As for THAT other issue, couldn’t have put it better myself, “So Roland Garros” Enough said…………..

  66. I saw a clip of Elvis smashing his racquet in anger so not sure whether he retired because he was being battered and bruised by Sock or whether he was really injured.

    I watched the 3rd & 4th sets of Johnson and Locoli and they were both hitting the ball like there was no tomorrow. I hope neither of them make it to play Rafa because they would be hard to contain with their wild nothing to lose attitude.

  67. RT @bgtennisnation: “The road to RG is made of Clay. My new mantra: Clay is the key to success. Play on Clay. I’ve said it before I’ll say it again – especially in USA especially for juniors – if you want to be a better player train on Clay. I’m at RG14 watching these guys glide and slide like magic.”

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