French Open Day 1: Of gumption and tenacity

If you’re a tennis fan, nothing beats the expectation of the third Sunday in the month of May. Almost the way the tempo steadily reaches its peak by the end of an AR Rahman concert, the claycourt season truly crescendos at Roland Garros with each passing day of the minuscule fortnight, providing some spectacular, quality tennis. Speaking of quality, the way a player reacts and performs under pressure and strain is a good indicator of a player’s qualitative fortitude.

Juan Martin Del Potro’s performance against Spaniard Albert Montanes in the first round at Philippe Chatrier today was highly indicative of his qualitative distinction and his sheer doggedness. With a problematic left knee – he had to have it bandaged plumb in the middle of the match – that caused him more worry than his Spanish opponent, Del Potro did well enough to finish the match on his own terms towards the end. Not to detract from Montanes’ efforts, but the fact remains that the Spaniard didn’t – or rather couldn’t – capitalise on vital opportunities throughout the course of the match.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga has been a life-sustainer for French tennis alongside Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils for a few years now. The mantle of responsibility that these guys otherwise shoulder increases substantially at the French Open. And this year, with Monfils – a two-time semi-finalist – pulling out on account of injury, a large chunk of the responsibility seems to have passed on to Tsonga.

The mantle however seemed to be falling when an out-of-sorts Tsonga was thrashed 1-6 in the first set by Russian Andrey Kuznetsov. Game on. But come the second set and Tsonga was a changed man. The white tee was replaced by a bluish-grey one and his forgettable first-set performance was relegated to being history. He rallied and parried for the remaining course of the match, turning the momentum and slowly the match away from his gaping opponent, winning it superbly in four sets.

It’s a norm that every rule, written or otherwise, has to have an exception. For Andy Roddick, however, it was a wrong day to try and make an exception. The American’s dislike of clay coupled with his two left feet on the surface have long bypassed the clichéd and the corny. But where Roddick tenaciously moved into the secondary rounds of the tournament in the years past, ‘lacklustre’ doesn’t even begin to describe his performance today.

Displaying oscillatory patterns of passivity and aggressiveness while playing, Roddick’s drooping body language made it even more demoralising for the American supporters and fans. Roddick’s confidence levels, thanks to injuries and a drop down the rankings, would have suffered yet another dent after this unprecedented loss to Nicholas Mahut. Losing his A-game and resultantly, his ranking in the process, the American has had yet another setback to an already indifferent year. Whether his performance at the French Open would have helped him much with the rankings is a matter of debate. But irrespective of ‘ifs’ and ‘how’s’, a truncated French Open cut short in the first round itself could never have been Andy Roddick’s choice of Parisian clay palate.

Names were roll-called for action today; more will be roll-called tomorrow. Many will rise to the occasion, while a few will disappoint. All of it – wins and losses – is part and parcel of the game called tennis.

On a different subject, in the ladies’ draw, people expecting Venus Williams to cause another apparel stir would definitely have been disappointed with the sedateness of her attire. And yet, while sedateness was her new ‘in’, she didn’t really compromise on the attractiveness of her outfit – there were squiggly patterns and a flamboyance to her dress that only Venus Williams can carry off.