PARIS – When Roger Federer walked onto the umber-toned earthen tennis court at Roland Garros yesterday, he looked at the man accompanying him to the final and was pleased. The guy was not Rafael Nadal, who had beaten him here the last four years. Instead he was Roger’s benefactor, the man who had removed Nadal from Federer’s path a week ago: Robin Soderling. This was … [Read more...] about HISTORY WAS ROGER’S BUSINESS AS HE CATCHES UP WITH SAMPRAS
Soderling
TUMULTUOUS MENS’ SEMIS DAY IN PARIS
PARIS — A shotmaking frenzy! What else could you call the two firefights — aka semifinals — that lit up Roland Garros Saturday, leaving Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Martin Del Potro biting the swirling salmon-toned dust. Hail to them. Though defeated, they made a showdown such as this old ball park hasn’t seen in 39 years: a brilliant final four, two heatedly contested … [Read more...] about TUMULTUOUS MENS’ SEMIS DAY IN PARIS
SWEDEN’S BACK IN THE PICTURE AGAIN, RIDING SODERLING’S SCRUFFY BEARD
Sweden. Remember Sweden? Used to send platoons of tough guys to the French Open, starting with Bjorn Borg, winning the first of his record 6 titles as a teen-ager in 1974. Then there were Mats Wilander, the champ in 1982, 1985 and 1988, runnerup in 1983 and 1986, and Mikael Pernfors, runnerup in 1986, Stefan Edberg, runnerup in 1989, Magnus Norman runnerup in 2000. Plus … [Read more...] about SWEDEN’S BACK IN THE PICTURE AGAIN, RIDING SODERLING’S SCRUFFY BEARD
NADAL’S FAVORITE GROUND SLIPS BENEATH HIM
PARIS — In the pink – but on the blink. That was a dazed Rafa Nada at 5:54 Sunday afternoon as he blew a volley after three and a half hours of play and his last chance to stay unbeaten in Paris and win a fifth successive French Open. The explosion you heard from the direction of Roland Garros was Rafa going up in smoke, a colossal victim. The clay court seemed to … [Read more...] about NADAL’S FAVORITE GROUND SLIPS BENEATH HIM