Tennis Prose




May/11

25

Roland Garros Observations

Radek Stepanek is the only tennis player who still tucks in his shirt.

Juan Martin Del Potro might be the nicest champion in tennis history. He said even if he doesn’t beat Novak Djokovic in their third round match that he would like to see the Serbian win the tournament and become #1 because he likes him as a friend and that he’s “doing everything perfectly to be #1.” You won’t often hear a tennis player speak so warmly and deferentially about an opponent before a big match, if ever. Then the ESPN crew asked Delpo who he thought was the tournament favorite, Nadal or Djokovic, and the big guy took the diplomatic perspective: 50-50. Before adding that Federer has a good chance too. How can you not like this gentle giant?

I really enjoyed hearing Brad Gilbert answer Chris Fowler’s probes about memories of players, including himself, smashing their racquets after painful losses. BG said he saw Goran Ivanisevic destroy all seven of his Heads after a loss at Queens Club. He also revealed that Andre Agassi once obliterated all of his sticks after a loss at a smaller tournament in Germany. Fowler kept the topic going and got Gilbert to reveal how he dumped a full racquet bag off London Bridge after losing at Wimbledon. It was a nice change of pace and interesting to listen to these former players turned commentators talk about details of their playing days, mixing the nostalgia of the old days with the magic of the current game.

Which reminds me of the Darren Cahill Biofile I did, which I will post here in the coming days, where the Aussie said he once saw Yannick Noah do the “moonwalk” on the court during a Davis Cup match.

How about that flying ESPN camera showing all kinds of overhead angles and views of the grounds? It feels like being there. Fantastic work.

Of the attire the players are wearing, I really like that dark blue adidas outfit Caroline Wozniacki is donning. And the Sergio Tacchini outfits worn by Djokovic and Hanescu/Andreev.

No tags

2 comments

  • Mitch · May 25, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Wonder if there’s still bad blood between Del Po and Murray?

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 26, 2011 at 2:17 am

    No, Mitch, they definitely settled that long ago. Remember there was a problem stemming from something in their junior days but it’s water under the bridge. Not sure if Delpo and Nalbandian settled their differences though. They had a confrontation during the Davis Cup final loss vs. Spain.

<<

>>

Find it!

Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
To top