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Five reasons why this French Open was a classic – pick your favourite momentImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Teenager Mirra Andreeva won the French Open for her first Grand Slam singles titleByJonathan Jurejko
There was a school of thought that this year’s French Open could end up being a bit of a dud.
A predictable one-horse race was envisaged in the men’s singles, while the women’s superstars lacked form heading into Paris.
An ailing British contingent hampered by injury and illness did not provide optimism for fans across the Channel, either.
Yet seismic shocks, compelling drama and fairytale stories have turned this Roland Garros into one of the best in recent memory.
Image source, Getty ImagesAlexander Zverev finally won his first Grand Slam title after three previous final defeats
Jannik Sinner’s early exit may have been bad news for him, but it proved to be extremely good for the men’s singles competition.
Generational rivals Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had won the previous nine Grand Slams between them. With Alcaraz missing with a wrist injury, top seed Sinner was the heaviest favourite since 14-time champion Rafael Nadal to lift the title.
Ironically, Sinner found himself on the receiving end of the biggest Paris shock since Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in 2009.
The Italian struggled physically in the second round and Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo took advantage to blow the draw wide open.
When 39-year-old Novak Djokovic was beaten in the third round, a new Grand Slam champion was guaranteed.
A host of seeded players falling early and plenty of five-set matches were signs of the tension players felt as they realised a golden opportunity had presented itself.
Eventually Germany’s Alexander Zverev – after another fittingly stressful final – came through to secure his place among the game’s greats.
Mirra Andreeva has long been seen as a Grand Slam champion in waiting, despite being only 19.
The Russian teenager demonstrated her growing maturity over the fortnight to win the women’s title and fulfill those expectations.
She kept calm in a semi-final against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk – played amid a backdrop of political tension – and held both her nerves and emotions in check in a first Grand Slam final where her opponent received more vocal support.
A host of young stars also had their own coming-of-age moments in the men’s draw.
Czech 20-year-old Jakub Mensik reached his first major semi-final and showcased his talents – a huge serve, powerful baseline game and athleticism – to a wider global audience.
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca and 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar made their Grand Slam breakthroughs by reaching the quarter-finals, while French 17-year-old Moise Kouame wowed the home crowds with his fearlessness and flamboyance.
Each of these youngsters underlined why the future looks bright.
Image source, Getty ImagesFrance’s Moise Kouame, ranked 318th in the world, became the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam third round since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003
Few people outside of the tennis bubble had heard of Poland’s Maja Chwalinska three weeks ago.
The 24-year-old had never earned direct entry into a Grand Slam and only made her way through qualifying twice in 14 attempts.
A 500-1 outsider at the start of the main draw, Chwalinska’s future has completely changed after finishing runner-up to Andreeva.
Most of Chwalinska’s career has been spent on the lower rungs of the professional ladder, travelling around smaller tournaments trying to make ends meets.
Winning 1.4m euros (£1.2m) in prize money – tripling what she had previously earned – transforms her career and gives hope to those lower-ranked players fighting to survive financially.
Chwalinska’s run has provided inspiration and shown the gulf to the leading players is not insurmountable.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn 2021, Chwalinska took an indefinite break from tennis because of depression
Tennis players are accustomed to competing in hot weather – but not at the French Open, where unseasonably high temperatures reached over 30C in the first week.
The sun did not initially hamper too many players physically – helped by a low humidity – but the cumulative effect caught up with some.
Mensik had to be taken off court in a wheelchair after a brutal second-round win over Argentina’s Mariano Navone, while there were nine mid-match retirements in the opening four days – including Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
The scorching effect on the courts – hardening up the clay and creating a faster surface – also added to the tournament’s unpredictability.
But the temperatures cooling in the second week altered conditions again.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka struggled in the resulting blustery conditions, losing 10 straight games in a quarter-final exit to Russia’s Diana Shnaider.
It was another reminder how Mother Nature has the potential to cause havoc for every player.
Image source, Getty ImagesMensik’s win over Navone was one of 32 five-set matches – the second most at the French Open since the Open era began in 1968
Grand Slams always have the capacity to produce talking points – but this Roland Garros has been particularly newsworthy.
The leading players continued to demand a greater share of Grand Slam revenue in order to increase the overall prize pot, with the likes of Sabalenka and Sinner leading a collective stance to limit pre-tournament media duties to only 15 minutes.
Sabalenka was central to another important theme – a women’s match finally being picked for the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Image source, Getty ImagesHollywood actor Brad Pitt brought stardust to the stands at the women’s singles final, while actress Lily Collins – most famous for Emily in Paris – plus musicians Lenny Kravitz and Pharrell Williams attended over the weekend
After three years of reluctance and excuses, the organisers could not ignore Sabalenka’s fourth-round blockbuster with Naomi Osaka – and the superstars provided a quality contest which left both hoping they had opened the door to more women’s matches featuring in the primetime slot.
The French Open was forced to act when a number of players complained about the on-court advertising blocks that caused injury to Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
The tournament also moved quickly to punish Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo for making “unacceptable” and “sexist” comments about a female umpire, while Russia’s war in Ukraine continued to cause tension when players from the two countries met.
In a competitive sporting market, where the spectre of a men’s football World Cup looms, the French Open could have slipped under the radar.
Instead it has been front and centre of the sports agenda. Roll on Wimbledon…
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