Tennis Prose




May/12

30

The French Crowd Crushed Serena and Uplifted Razzano


It was the same dynamic as last year, an almost hostile, one-sided French Open crowd roared and inspired Virginie Razzano to upset Serena Williams. Last year they broke down Djokovic and uplifted Federer.

In no other slam stadium court do you hear the crowd roar as vehemently and emphatically as they do at Chatrier for one of their favored players. In no other slam will you see the president of the Federation jumping out of his chair and cheering madly for one of his players. We have witnessed spectacular crowd energy in Paris many times. Hings and Graf. Gaudio and Coria. Grosjean and Agassi. Haehnel and Agassi. Roddick and Mutis. Yannick Noah. We can go on and on.

The sound of the roar of the crowd in Paris yesterday was more intense, more ear-catching, more pervasive than the merely reactionary noise the fans at Yankee Stadium made when Reggie Jackson hit those World Series homers or the sounds boxing fans uttered at a Mike Tyson knockout victory. I can’t think of any sound in sports that compares to the roar of the French Open crowd when they are at peak passion. Can you? The sound is like a repetitive, persuasive wave that can tame and break into submission a supreme athlete’s will to win.

Serena Williams, one of the most ferocious competitors in tennis history, was reduced to tears after losing the second set in a tiebreak. She knew what she was up against and it was an extraordinary adversary. Serena Williams, the favorite to win the tournament, was no match for the packed Chatrier stadium which was in a state of desperate adoration. They would have done, it seemed, just about anything within their linguistic verbal power to save Virginie.

How many simple shots did Serena blow just wide or into the net on second serve return break points late in the third set? Too many. She misfired because she wasn’t playing just Razzano, she was playing about 18,000 passionate fans. Make that millions if you count all of France watching on TV. Serena, like Djokovic last year, fell to the fierce will of the
French crowd. Like George Foreman fell not only to the hands of Muhamamd Ali in Zaire, Africa, but to all the Africans who eagerly wanted to see their hero Ali slay Big George.

Respected Tennis-prose readers here like Steve contend that crowd support is rarely anything but a minimal factor in big matches like yesterday but I disagree completely. They were the complete and total difference. If Serena was playing Razzano in Ashe Stadium, Center Court or Laver Arena first round yesteday, we all know who would have won.

The French Open crowds are the most passionate and inspiring in all of tennis, when they want to be.

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21 comments

  • Dan Markowitz · May 30, 2012 at 3:33 pm

    Scoop,

    You know how I hate to side with Steve, but I’m going to have to here. There’s no way, firstly, that the 18,000 in the French Open stadium match the 50,000 fans in Yankee Stadium or a Knicks crowd back in the 90’s, the last time the Knicks were any good.

    I don’t know what was affecting Serena yesterday, but I doubt it was the fact the crowd was against her. Walt Frazier said to me he actually played better on the road because he liked the challenge of taking on the opposing crowd. Reggie Miller said the same. A player as accomplished as Serena is just not going to be goosed by a crowd pulling for her opponent. I was watching the match and I couldn’t tell that the crowd was pulling for Razzono

    I’m watching the Baker-Simon match now, and even though Simon is French, I can’t hear or see the crowd so evidently on his side. Now if you told me a guy like Baker who’s been playing in front of hundreds of fans in Futures and Challengers is cowed by playing in front of big stadium crowd, I’d agree with you. But Serena Williams? very doubtful.

    Other thoughts: I know it’s harsh to say, but is it such a surprise Oudin has dropped so much? I took a look at her and she must’ve gained at least 10 pounds from her teenage heyday.

    Sloane Stephens beat Mattek-Sands 1 and 1. Stephens and Madison Keys, I’d watch out for along with McHale. I’m surprised after seeing Keys last year at the Open, we haven’t heard more of her.

    James Blake getting killed by Youzhny. Wasn’t too long ago, Blake beat the Russian in Portland, Ore., to give the USA a 2-0 lead in Davis Cup finals. The years have been unkind to Blake.

    Baker takes third set against Simon. Baker’s got a nice game, great backhand, goes for his shots, nice motion on serve. He probably is the No. 2 American already.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    Dan the French crowd is totally not into Simon like they were yesterday with Razzano vs. Serena. It’s a totally different vibe. They were brutally against Serena yesterday and 150% full throttle for Virginie. Same as last year for Fed and against Djok. They don’t always get up for matches like yesterday but when they do they are a mighty force. Interesting about Miller and Clyde’s comments but they may have never experienced a highly amped up French Open crowd. It’s one thing to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium, but there’s something a lot more dramatic about fighting your heart out to win a tennis match. Freddie Patek and Bucky Dent could slap homers on occasion and that’s exciting. But it’s more of a spectacle and more awesome to see what Razzano did yesterday. And the collective fans certainly appreciated it in a big way and IMO played a key part in that outcome.

  • Harold · May 30, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Can Serena Williams stop with the BS story about how she almost died? There were pictures of her dancing to days later. She wanted to stop playing and whats better than an “i’m dying” story.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    Agree Harold, not sure if I’m totally buying it, or the Venus disease story either. It’s always possible they could be hustlin’ us.

  • Dan markowitz · May 30, 2012 at 5:19 pm

    Cynics abound. I don’t know about Serena, but making up an auto-immune deficiency would be climbing pretty low. What would be Venus’s motive?

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    An excuse for her substandard results over the last year or so, and also part a psyche job. I met a good 4.5 player in Florida who told everyone about how he almost died a couple years ago from some kind of heart problem he’s had since birth. To listen to him you would think you were playing the weakest thing that ever stepped on a court and if you don’t take it easy on him he might die of a heart attack right there. You almost feel sorry for him. Then I hit with him and this guy is no weakling, he’s actually a strong player, moves okay, hits every ball a ton. Then we talked later and he told me what he eats and he eats like this paste of all different kinds of vegetables every day, he couldn’t be more healthy! So I’m not saying the Williams are working hustles but there are a lot of cons and bluffs in tennis and it’s possible they could be.

  • Dan Markowitz · May 30, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    Well, I do find Serena’s continual reply to losses of “It could be worse,” a cop-out. It brings attention to her own plight in life–and we all have our struggles–but it also suggests that we should compare sporting competition on the level of life losses. I don’t think the two are comparable.

    So to say, “It could be worse,” yes, that’s always true, and maybe that’s a good way to look at it. But we’re not suggesting a tennis loss is applicable to a life loss so a player should look at it in terms of tennis and not life.

    Wow, that’s complex, I know.

  • lit · May 30, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    “Serena lost because of French crowd”

    I don’t think there can be more ridiculous statement as that.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    Lit, Sonny Liston told George Foreman he lost to Cassius Clay because of the crowd and public’s desire to see him lose the title. He said it broke his will to win. It’s written by Foreman in his book titled “By George.” I really think Serena was deeply affected by the Chatrier stadium crowd yesterday, more so than by Razzano, not to take anything away from Razzano she rose to the occasion and played the match of her life, after she smelled blood. The French crowds have been known to uplift French players. Here’s another example: Yannick Noah.

  • lit · May 30, 2012 at 9:21 pm

    In that case no French player should lose at RG 🙂

    I can understand that crowd can play a role, but to say it’s the main reason for a loss?????

  • mat4 · May 30, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    Some players like crowd support, they almost need it. We have seen what happen in the USO semi, after the miraculous return: Djokovic got his share of cheering and played on a whole different level the last few games, David Mercer said “he was possessed”.

    I don’t know if it was the case with Serena (I didn’t watch the match), but the reaction of the public impacted Novak’s game, he lacked that “little extra”, the adrenaline he had in the fourth set in the final of the USO, or in the fifth set of the AO.

    And I fully agree with Scoop.

  • mat4 · May 30, 2012 at 10:26 pm

    On another topic: did anyone noticed that Frenchies have a very good draw?

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 31, 2012 at 2:06 am

    It’s not that simple Lit. Certain French players they seem to like and believe in more than others. They had a love/hate relation with Leconte, sometimes they inspired him to magical tennis, other times he gave them dud performances. It was similar also with Mauresmo. The magic happened yesterday with Razzano, it was something special to see. As far as saying the crowd was the main reason for Serena’s loss, yes I really believe that. Serena does not lose that match if it was at any other slam. The crowd emphatic support and passion were the decisive factor IMO.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 31, 2012 at 2:18 am

    Mat3 the crowd definitely plays a factor. Look at how many good players there are that never get big support at slams – Cilic, Ljubicic, Gonzo, Nalbandian, Rios, Berdych – if those players had the benefit of regularly earning crowd support like Razzano had yesterday, I think it would have inspired them to greater play.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 31, 2012 at 2:20 am

    Another believer of rigged draws )

  • Mitch · May 31, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    If Devilder/Mahut get past Djokovic/Federer, then I’ll believe in the power of the French crowd.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 31, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Give em a break Mitch, 100 Dan Markowitzes, the man who singlehandedly inspired Vince Spadea to come back and beat Denis Gremelmayr in Delray Beach (and almost willed Spadea to upset Safin at the US Open before losing in five sets), with his passionate support and advices, would not be able to help Devilder or Mahut. Some things are impossible.

  • martin rogers · June 3, 2012 at 4:37 am

    Scoop. Great article. The French is difficult for Americans to handle for all the reasons stated in your article and more.
    I think pressure played a huge role in Serena’s undoing in the first round to Razzano. The pressure was multidimensional. It was both actual and perceived. Serena…reduced to tears in the middle of a match! Holy crap! Who’d of ever imagined that possible let alone probable.
    http://martinstake128.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/serena-williams-the-french-open-what-the-hell/

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 3, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Well said Martin, “the pressure was multidimensional.” It sure was, she was the clear favorite to win the event, she is at the home stretch of her career, she hasn’t won a slam in quite a while, the crowd compounded the pressure exponentially by getting behind their beloved countrywoman, and so did the inspired Razzano who upped her level of play drastically which had to shock Serena. It just was a living nightmare of a day for Serena where everything aligned in favor of her opponent. Who knows maybe it was some kind of divine karma from the tennis Gods, a retort to her recent transgressions at the US Open to the lineswoman and chair ump. Or some kind of test to see if Serena could control her rage and fury when things went against her. Though Serena lost the match to Razzano I thought she showed impeccable grace and sportsmanship.

  • martin rogers · June 3, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    Scoop. Indeed, Serena was a model of “calm after the storm” in terms of demeanor. I was both impressed and relieved to see that.
    I do think that if “The Eraser” (Serena) meets Razzano in another tournament, she will be looking to take her out in grand fashion. Serena has to erase those types of bad memories. She has a history of doing just that.
    http://martinstake128.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/the-eraser-strikes-again/
    http://martinstake128.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/the-eraser-strikes-again-again/

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    Martin there is just no way Serena could explode in rage on Chatrier in those conditions, all hell would have broken loose. We know the result of the next time Serena plays Razzano – straight sets in about 45 minutes.

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