Before 2021, such a failure had never hit French tennis. The new management team of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) has set up a system for detecting future talent on a broader base of young players, but the road still seems long before shining a nugget.

This year, however, the story looked beautiful, even if the title seemed objectively out of reach on this fortieth anniversary of Yannick Noah's victory.

Caroline Garcia was there in the lead with her status as world N.5, promising young shoots were expected in the men with Lucas Van Assche and Arthur Fils. Added in the first days of the tournament were the epic of Lucas Pouille and the unexpected resurrection of Gaël Monfils, who has lost none of his aura despite his months of absence and the inevitable advance of time (he will be 37 years old in September).

In fact, the French novel turned sad very quickly. A little by the force of fate, a little by that of fate, a little by an insufficient level in general or at the moment.

This last point applies in particular to Garcia, once again a victim of his mind.

France's Arthur Fils during his 1st round match of Roland-Garros against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich on May 29, 2023 in Paris © Thomas SAMSON / AFP/Archives

"I had the first set, I had a break (in the second) and from that moment on, things came to a bit of a standstill. I tensed up a lot," she confessed after her second-round loss to Russia's Anna Blinkova (56th).

"Human"

Disappointing certainly, but not so surprising given his latest results: Garcia has not been able to assume since the beginning of the season the status acquired last year after reaching the 8th finals at Wimbledon, winning the title in Cincinnati, playing his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open and winning the Masters at the end of the year. And thus found the Top 5 of the WTA.

"I'm human, I have emotions, there are things going on in your heart, in your head, and you try to manage everything, at the same time as managing an opponent. You're doing the best you can. Today, it was not up to par, in recent weeks either," she acknowledged.

The next generation, for both men and women, is not there.

"Young people, they lack the tennis level. But a Yannick (Noah) can be inspiring for his mental abilities, his ability to work, "analyzed for AFP the director of Roland-Garros, Amélie Mauresmo, herself former world N.1 and double winner in Grand Slam (Australia and Wimbledon 2006).

Two of these youngsters, however, Van Assche and Sons, "have the potential" to win in Grand Slam "in the future", according to Ivan Ljubicic, the former coach of Roger Federer, who joined last December the FFT to help the high level.

But fate was particularly cruel for them since in the best case, they would have faced each other in the second round. But fate, again, put on their road the formidable Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (34th in the world) who was responsible for taking out in turn the two players of the 2004 generation.

Hot the old ones

France's Arthur Rinderknech after losing to American Taylor Fritz in the second round of Roland Garros on June 1, 2023 in Paris © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

Fortunately, the "old" Pouille and Monfils played the drivers of the room and will have marked the 2023 edition.

First of all, Pouille because after dark years fighting physical and psychological injuries, he has rediscovered the taste for high-level tennis, victory, the overheated atmosphere of the Roland-Garros courts.

Without any victory on the ATP circuit since May 2022 and confined to the secondary circuit since the beginning of the season, he has chained three victories in qualifying and one in the first round before yielding to the second against the world No. 13 Cameron Norrie, not to blush.

And even enough to feed his ambitions with now the "objective" of entering directly into the main draw of the Australian Open next January. Ranked 675th at Roland-Garros, he will have to win enough matches to jump nearly 600 places at the ATP...

Monfils, who is also recovering from a foot injury and had not won a match on the ATP Tour since his retirement in August in Montreal, offered him an anthology fight to the public to pass the first round when he was led 4-0 in the fifth set against Sebastian Baez (42nd).

France's Lucas Pouille against Britain's Cameron Norrie in the second round of Roland Garros on May 2, 31 in Paris © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP

But less than 24 hours after his triumph, the world 394th had to announce his withdrawal due to a wrist injury. When you don't want to...

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