2020 French Open

[Shadowlight]

Opening day in Paris and the field will thankfully be fuller than the decimated US Open. US Open champ Osaka however won't be playing. I'm not going to miss her act for one second. I suspect many others feel the same. .

Nadal will be here and he has been indestructible. He is the greatest clay court player of all time. Djokovic I would assume would love to bounce back from his US Open disaster. A lot of the missing top European female players from the US Open will play including Simona Halep. I'll be rooting for her.

But the issue is this tournament is occurring during the teeth of some big sporting events. While the NHL finals will be done by the time the French heats up the NBA finals will just be getting started. Not to mention the MLB playoffs take off this week as well. Throw in the usual heavy NFL and college football schedules and I don't think it is a stretch to suggest tennis will take a hit here.

As always I'll be keeping a close eye on the young talent on the men's side to see if anyone can finally break through. I doubt it but it will be interesting to see how Dominic Thiem performs fresh off his recent US Open win, his first Grand Slam victory.

 

[Shadowlight]

Early tidbits. Madison Keys got bounced in the first round and Serena just withdrew from an Achilles issue. I don't think anyone thought Serena was going to win this event anyway but her career window keeps getting smaller.

 

[La France Blanche]

Looking better and better for Margaret Court to keep her record.

 

[Shadowlight]

The downward trajectory of Sloane Stephens career continues as she was bounced out in the second round. And Coco was eliminated yesterday by a no name Italian. Coco seems a little lost without the crowds squealing over every move she makes.

Speaking of Italians and precocious youngsters, although he doesn't look very Italian to me, just turned 19 year old Jannik Sinner is being touted in more than a few quarters as the next big thing. A little lanky at 6'2'' he has a lot of raw talent including superb movement. One to keep an eye on going forward. He has advanced into the third round with ease so far.

 

[white is right]

The downward trajectory of Sloane Stephens career continues as she was bounced out in the second round. And Coco was eliminated yesterday by a no name Italian. Coco seems a little lost without the crowds squealing over every move she makes.

Speaking of Italians and precocious youngsters, although he doesn't look very Italian to me, just turned 19 year old Jannik Sinner is being touted in more than a few quarters as the next big thing. A little lanky at 6'2'' he has a lot of raw talent including superb movement. One to keep an eye on going forward. He has advanced into the third round with ease so far.

He's isn't he's ethnic German from Sud Tyrol. The area was ceded to Italy after WWI under the terms of peace with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

PS, French Canadian cutie Bouchard is making a mini run as she is into the 3rd round and it's a winnable match for her, so she could make the round of 16 and potentially face Halep.

The way her career has plummeted this could be the story of the tournament so far on the women's side.

 

[Shadowlight]

Good grief. Halep cruising and looking like the eventual champ got bounced early this morning ( I missed it) by teen Iga Swiatek. She got crushed to boot. What the hell?

Anyway Swiatek has been talked up the past year plus so let's see how she ends up here. Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin won yesterday.

The women's side just opened up big time. Halep was the heavy favorite.

 

[Shadowlight]

The semis are all set. On the women's side:

Kenin vs Kvitoka. Kvitoka is a two time Wimbledon champ (2011, 2014) and has had to overcome a knife attack to her hand a few years back. Kenin of course won the Aussie this year.

Swiatek vs. Podoruska. Swiatek is a 19 year old riser that disposed of Halep. Podoruska is a qualifier. I am not going to go out on a limb when I say Podoruska will not win the French.

On the men's side:

Nadal vs. Schwartzman.

Djokovic vs. Tsitsipas. Is this the time the talented Greek rises to the top or does Djokovic continue to redeem his US Open disaster? Either way whoever wins this match I will be rooting for big time in the final. But cripes trying to beat Nadal here is a tall task. But given the odd year who knows?

 

[white lightning]

I'm rooting for Djokovic. I like Nadal but don't want him to catch Federer for the most career grand slams. I also feel 100% that Djokovic was robbed of a title in NY. So unfair. I hope he finds a way to win it to some karma payback.

 

[icsept]

I'm rooting for Djokovic. I like Nadal but don't want him to catch Federer for the most career grand slams. I also feel 100% that Djokovic was robbed of a title in NY. So unfair. I hope he finds a way to win it to some karma payback.

Agreed. I have great respect for Rafa. But, Federer’s overall game and class is deserving of GOAT status. I’d like to see him retain most grand slams record. When these three are finished, it’s hard to imagine that anyone will come close to 20 majors in the future.

 

[Shadowlight]

The women's final is set. 19 year old Pole Iga Swiatek against 21 year old American ( ethnic Russian) Sofia Kenin. No matter what happens in the final Kenin should be the player of the year for winning the Aussie and getting to the finals here. Some say Osaka but I disagree. Osaka won the US Open with most of the top players missing. Here at the French only two top players are missing, Osaka and last year's champ Barty who has holed herself up in Australia since the virus outbreak.

If this match was being played in front of a full crowd they would likely be pulling for Iga. Kenin is not going to win any popularity contests with her on court demeanor. Cocky, stern and single minded I don't think I have ever seen her smile. Iga has been a shot making machine here disposing of the likes of Halep with ease. But this final presents a big challenge for her.

Kenin turned veteran Kvitova into a quivering fool yesterday and clearly outclassed her in every face of the game. Moving well and anticipating her every move Kenin undressed Kvitova. I don't think there is a tougher minded female player on tour right now. And when it comes to smarts she is top flight.

Does Iga have enough skills to pull it off? Yes. But it won't be easy. She will be staring at a steel minded opponent across the net.

 

[Shadowlight]

Shocking. Nadal and Djokovic will play in the final. Ha. Actually the Greek put up a tremendous fight coming back down two sets and match point forcing a 5th set. He showed off his big time skills. But as has been the pattern for what seems like a century now Novak barreled through him in the final set. It looked like the Greek was spent but for a moment it appeared he might pull it off.

Novak doesn't physically quite look in top form here where Nadal looks fresh as a daisy. And trying to beat Nadal at the French is like trying to steal gold in a dragon's lair. The big three story it seems will never be even remotely replicated but I like the posters above will be rooting for Djokovic. I too don't want to see Nadal tie Federer's record of 20 majors. Just think if Novak had been allowed to play at the US Open and win it he would be playing to tie Nadal at 19 on Sunday.

 

[Shadowlight]

WOW!!!!

19 year old Iga Swiatek wins the French in straight sets 6-4 6-1. I thought in the first set at several intervals the mentally steely Kenin might get the upper hand but the Polish gal (the first Polish national to win a major) held tough and then put on a display of movement and firepower to finish off the deal in the second set.

Swiatek looks like a real talent and I was rooting for her to win. A lithe athlete with some big pop, especially her forehand, she looks like a big contender for years to come. She was moving beautifully here and no one can say she didn't earn it. She steamrolled the heavy and hot favorite Simona Halep and toppled Kenin who I consider the toughest minded player on tour.

And another reason I like her long term potential is she isn't just a ball striker. There are plenty of brain dead ball strikers on tour (see Giorgi). On numerous occasions she hit perfectly timed drop shots that Kenin couldn't reach. Usually it is Kenin throwing an opponent off balance but it tells me Iga is a thinker with some strategic moves. Those qualities bode well for her.

Great job. Kenin is a very difficult opponent in big matches and the youngster kept her composure and came through. I look forward to what the future holds for her. A nice outcome in a tumultuous season. Halep remains my favorite player but I liked what I saw with Swiatek.

 

[Don Wassall]

Didn't get to see Swiatek during my admittedly minimal watching of this year's tournament. (What struck me is that there's like 100 fans in the huge stadium in Paris compared to zero at Flushing Meadows, so pathetic in both cases.)

Without knowing more I would have liked to have seen Kenin win, given how much we've been lamenting for a long time now the lack of a White female tennis player with the drive to stay at the top after arriving there.

 

[Bucky]

Congrats to Iga! 19 and the First Polish player to Win something in Women's Tennis!

 

[Shadowlight]

That is all she wrote. Nadal crushed Novak in three sets 6-0 6-2 7-5. Bad enough no one on earth is beating Nadal the fire breathing dragon here but come in a bit on the low tide like Novak did against the dragon and you will be incinerated in short order and that is precisely what happened. A beat down of a big time player.

Novak tried numerous drop shots but I don't think one of them ended well. Nadal looking as fresh as his 20 year old self pounced on every one of them and finishing off a stupefied Novak.

This makes 13 French Open titles for Nadal now which one can't even comprehend and of course he tied Roger for 20 Grand Slam wins. History making moments keep piling up. And I suspect he will pass Roger in the all time Major wins because at the very least until we witness it no one seems capable of beating Nadal in Paris. He is indestructible.

Who is the greatest all time player? I don't even want to enter into that discussion because I don't have an answer. Fed is my all time favorite player but I don't see him winning any more majors. I do hear he is planning on playing the Australian Open though.

 

[Shadowlight]

Some final thoughts on the season. For me it was very disappointing in the sense that it was incomplete and all chopped up. I like all the majors but the US Open is my clear second favorite and it was gutted this year. And that incident with Novak still stings me. And those wild New York crowds were terribly missed.

But for golf diehards The Masters is their precious baby and they get to play it this November. For me Wimbledon is my precious tournament. I get great pleasure following the proceedings for two weeks and since I love England it is always a hoot to see how their keen local press covers things. It just didn't feel like a fulfilling season without Wimbledon this year. I hope and pray things get back to normal sooner rather than later.

 

[Quiet Speed]

I would have liked to have seen Djokovic pull it out. But Nadal is just amazing. Also, Djokovic going 5 sets in the semi-final was not good. I'm afraid Nadal will surpass Federer as the Grand Slam king.

Swiatek looks very formidable. She hits a very heavy forehand with plenty of topspin.