2023-05-28 12:08:21
“Have you seen it in person? Have you actually seen it?” The boy kept asking his father while they were running towards the main “Philippe Chatrier” court in “Roland Garros” in Paris, where the French Open tennis tournament, the second of the four major tournaments, started Sunday, in the absence of the “land owner”. Rafael Nadal injured.
He kept asking him if the father saw with his own eyes the Serbian champion Novak Djokovic, one of the candidates to win the 2023 title, as the Spanish “Matador” will not be able to defend his title due to complications in his left hip since he was injured in January in Australia. The son of Mallorca has built his legend on the Parisian clay courts since his first coronation in 2005, at the age of 19. He won the “City of Lights” fourteen times, and he mythical number, The loss was known only on three occasions and in a total of 115 matches.
We do not know the rest of the story, and we do not know whether the father answered his son. The village of “Roland Garros” was soon crowded with tennis lovers, so that they began to roam its vast, clean alleys, amid a bright sun that heralded a hot day both on and off its courts.
The beginning of a new era in the history of tennis؟
And he started talking about the different male and female players, and who are the candidates to win the “Musketeer” Cup between Djokovic And the promising Spanish youth, Carlos Alcaraz, 20, and perhaps the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas? Is there a candidate to deprive Poland’s Iga Schwyntek of the “Longlin” Cup? Can Tunisian champion Anas Jaber achieve a historic achievement by winning her first title in the “Grand Slam” tournaments, despite her declining level in 2023?
We spoke to the audience, and entered into discussions with some, but in the end many people focused their attention on the absence of Rafael Nadal, the present absentee, the elderly (36 years old) who is burdened with physical exhaustion and repeated injuries for years, which did not prevent him so far from shining and winning titles one after the other. He is the most crowned player in major tournaments alongside Djokovic (22 titles each).
Terry, 59, resented the absence of the legend and told France 24: “It is sad that Nadal is absent. This is the end of an era and the beginning of another, and perhaps his compatriot Alcaraz, who resembles him in all his movements, will succeed him.” Terry sees the emergence of new players, led by Alcaraz, as the beginning of a new era in the history of tennis, with the end of the Big Four who took turns winning cups and titles (Nadal and Jokovic). And the retired Swiss Roger Federer and Britain’s Andy Murray).
Nadal is Roland Garros.
In turn, Romain Mirand, who is coming with his brother Nicolas from Toulouse (Genou France), considered Nadal’s absence unfortunate and sad, even though he is not his favorite player. He said, “Nadal is Roland Garros, and this tournament is his championship,” referring to the end of an era in the history of tennis, expecting that the competition will be intense in the 2023 edition, expecting the emergence of Russian Daniel Medvedev.
Emmanuel considered Nadal the “icon” of the “Roland Garros” tournament, while her ten-year-old son Timo said he was devastated by the absence of his favorite star (Nadal), predicting that Djokovic would eventually win.
As for the duo Frank and Jess, who came from the city of Annecy (southeast France) specifically to attend the tournament, they confirmed that they were in Paris to watch “as many matches as possible.” Frank said: “I want to see Yannick Noah (Roland Garros champion in 1983, the last French player to win the championship), but I would be happy to watch any player or match, we are here for fun.”
Joyce added: “I am excited because this is the first time I have seen such a great site and attended such a major tournament. I am very happy, especially since the weather is sunny.”
What about the Tunisian heroine?
Many nominated the Polish victory Ega Schwyntek The women’s title for the third time after 2020 and 2022, while it was absent from the list of female candidates Anas Jaber. The Tunisian has become seventh in the rankings of female professional players, after reaching second place in 2022, thanks to her prominence on several occasions, especially her victory in the Madrid tournament and her final reach in London Wimbledon and the US Championship in New York.
This is how the alleys of “Roland Garros” appeared on Sunday, with the start of the French Open Championship. Great enthusiasm and expectations of a record audience.. Are there any surprises in the end?
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