AGAINST THE WIND BY CHERYL JONES

Written by: on 2nd June 2015
French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros
AGAINST THE WIND BY CHERYL JONES

epa04780344 Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic in action against Garbine Muguruza of Spain during their quarterfinal match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 02 June 2015. EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG  |

Today, in Paris, it seemed as if someone had worked out a deal to chase away the ever-present clouds at Roland Garros. Only trouble was, it was with a wind that was truly a gale. The players took it in stride even though it toyed with airborne balls that consistently made surprising detours in their trajectory. (Late in the afternoon giant parts of Court Philippe Chatrier came crashing down, injuring a man.) Playing tennis has always been a game that has competitors trying to figure just how those spinning projectiles will be offered up. Today, it was a genuine crapshoot to have even the most vague idea of how the fuzzy little balls would finish their journey from one racquet face to the other side of the net. It’s difficult enough to face an opponent with tricky shots; but add a gusty wind to the equation and that second opponent can be unrelenting. It makes it a whole new ball game.

 

Ana Ivanovic who took home the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in 2008 continued striding along on the journey to hold tight to her ranking within the top ten. Her career has taken many a detour along the way, but her present seventh place is a testimony to hard work and diligence. She has done it her way for a very long time. (Evidently, she plays with that devilish numbers puzzle Sudoku before matches. It must have been an easy Tuesday puzzle today, as she defeated Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and fifteen minutes.)

 

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia reacts after winning against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their quarterfinal match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 02 June 2015. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

In her after-match interview, she said she was, “…thrilled to be in the first Semifinals here since 2008. It’s been a long road and it’s included lots of hard work. Today was a very, very tough match, even though the score doesn’t indicate that.” Referring to the gale force winds, she said, “I really tried to just execute my game plan and tried to move more, because in the windy conditions that’s what you have to do.”

 

In the first Slam of this year (Australia), she lost in the first round to Lucie Hradecka, a Czech, who is ranked in the sixties. Later, she revealed that she had played with a broken toe. That may have kept her out of contention down under, but she’s a scrapper who evidently can’t be easily shaken. She spoke about her emotional volatility that for so long has been a fixture in her day-to-day life. “Today, I knew I had to stay calm, especially in these kind of conditions. It wasn’t easy on the practice court this morning, but I really tried to put it together for the match. I was really happy to do that.” Happy has always shown all over her face. She beams when she is excited and there’s a little girl kind of excitement that seems to come from within. Now that she’s 27, she’s not a youngster; she’s a beautiful young woman who still has a soft, sweet little girl voice.

 

She was fifteen when I first saw her at a gala where she was dressed to the nines. Her father had picked out the gown and I was surprised that a parent had seen his own fifteen year-old daughter as someone who could pull off the mature look. I wondered about his interface with her – she was so young and I had observed a few other parents far too involved in their children’s career. But, since he has remained fairly invisible all these years, she seems to have moved gracefully into womanhood with only Ana invading her head. Of late, it’s been a kinder, gentler Ana rattling around in there. She spoke a bit of her more grounded attitude and it seemed crystal clear that it has been a boon to her wellbeing on and off the court.

 

She spoke of now being all about the preparation for the now confirmed Semifinal matchup against Lucie Safarova who had just defeated Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 7-6, 6-3. She said, “She a great player. She showed that many times. Also, here yesterday she had a great match against Maria. She won Doha, beating Azarenka. She had top 10 or top 5 victories. Like you mentioned, last year I had two-set loss to her. It’s going to be tough matchup for me, so I really want to focus tomorrow.”

 

She talked of being easier on herself now that she has some maturity, “Ever since I was young girl, even in school, I was always perfectionist. I always wanted to do my homework as soon as I got home. Everything had to be done properly. And you know what? When you have tough times and when you learn you can’t be perfect in every situation, it’s hard to accept, you know, because I still do expect.” She finished with some advice we could all use, “It’s not about the situation. It’s how you deal with it. You always have a choice.” And that’s the truth about life in general, in a nutshell.

 

Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic in action against Garbine Muguruza of Spain during their quarterfinal match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 02 June 2015. EPA/IAN LANGSDON

Lucie Safarova will have some input into the outcome of that Semifinal match. After her defeat of Sharapova yesterday, she could have faltered today, because it’s really difficult to play at such a high level with only a few hours of rest. The first set was a test, but with that behind her, she pulled a few tricks out of her racquet bag and used her lefty wiles to move into the semis with a flourish – a windblown flourish, but nonetheless a decisive victory over Muguruza.

 

After that match, she spoke a little with the press. “It’s not easy because you have so many emotions going on from yesterday. I couldn’t really fall asleep yesterday evening, and then I wake up so early. So, I was like a little tired in the morning, but yeah, the will to win and to be in the semifinals was so big that once I stepped on the court I was just fighting and playing really well.” It wasn’t easy dealing with the wind alone, but having played late yesterday, it was even more difficult to cope with the practically impossible conditions. The twenty-eight year old is ready for most anything, even the temperatures that are supposed to rise when the wind finally stops howling through the terre battue corridors.

 

It’s apparent that she’s ready to continue on her quest – moving on is what she came here for. She ended her interview with, “Step by step, so I’m looking for my next match. She’s a nice tough opponent. Yeah, it will be exciting.” And with her feisty lefty take on the game, it surely will. Mark my word, Ivanovic and Safarova will most definitely give their all to provide a snappy overture to Roland Garros’ long list of stories.

 

Tomorrow, Ivanovic and Safarova will work on preparation. Timea Bacsinszky, Sara Errani, Alison Van Uyvanck and Serena Williams will decide amongst themselves who will fill the other two slots in the Semis. All of them will be hoping that the wind was merely an anomaly. Running against the wind is never easy, but sometimes, it’s just the way it must be.

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