Suzanne Lenglen court on September 27, 2020. -
Thomas SAMSON / AFP
At Roland-Garros,
All in all, it was not as bad as expected.
However, we had nightmares about it since our last consultation of the Meteo France app the day before.
Rain for breakfast, a rinse at noon, and the tide for dinner, all in front of 1000 pekins scattered over a space as large as Liechtenstein, let's say that we were not overflowing with enthusiasm leaving the children on Sunday morning. .
Azarenka must have been thinking the same as we did, given his doggy mood as we entered the Lenglen for the first match of the day.
Funny scene during this first day at Roland Garros with Victoria Azarenka who refuses to stay on the Suzanne-Lenglen court!
Under the cold and the rain, the Belarusian gives a rant and leaves the court.
▶ Follow the match live: https://t.co/XSomubxnIB pic.twitter.com/dQwmikyFgr
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) September 27, 2020
Azarenka starts strong
Grunts from the first point, then a rant at the first change of sides with the referee.
"It's getting ridiculous, can't you see what's going on?
It must be far too cold.
It's impossible to hold the racket because everything is wet.
Is this a joke or what?
It must be eight degrees, I live in Florida and I'm used to the heat.
I'm not going to stay here because I'm cold ”.
At the same time on the Simonne-Mathieu court, Mertens also decides to leave the court by telling more or less the same thing.
The only two seeds on the bridge who decide to boycott their match after ten minutes, things are going well.
Elsewhere ?
Well it plays, somehow.
Dedication to the two Australians Inglis and Sharma who took out the skirt and the tank top on the shoulders, like a hot day in Melbourne.
The first Frenchman, Benjamin Bonzi, is focused on his business against a very cooperative Finn.
An easy clue to spot your coach in the stands?
He wears a white towel on his knees, given by one of the two hotels, which must accommodate the players.
You have to warm up a bit.
Lionel Zimbler, the coach in question, is a bit lonely.
We still zyeute a group of four zigotos who push hard behind the 226th world.
Pierre, Chrystelle, Fabienne, and her son Yohann took the train at dawn from Lyon.
They are part of the Rotary club of 750 lucky people drawn for the day.
In this particular Roland, the post-match ITWs are therefore done remotely with a microphone placed on the court.
It's a bit cosmetic, but it's the protocol pic.twitter.com/301zOuYi5U
- J. Laloye (@Zonemixte) September 27, 2020
"We have the stadium for us"
"We stayed behind Bonzi a bit because he's a bit lonely, poor man."
It worked quite well since the Frenchman snatched the second set with forceps.
An hour later awaits him the check of his life (84,000 euros), while the Nîmes should be at home for a long time.
In the first round of qualifying, he had to save five match points against a Czech Gulliver who found a way to lose a ready-made smash because of the sun.
No suspense, we did not see the tail of an early thinning Sunday, but it did not rain in the afternoon, even allowing Murray and Wawrinka to finish roof open on the Central, as in a good old convertible golf course.
Our group of Lyonnais planned to see the country before settling for the best fight of the day.
“We have the stadium for us, we can go to all the courts, we are not unhappy, even if it is a little sad to see Roland like that.
We just hope that the time will hold ”.
It holds, to everyone's surprise, and Azarenka deigns to end her match in a polar between Desigual and the gently cheesy vintage.
She explains her initial sulk by videoconference.
“I was not happy, you have to understand, I don't know what you call a little rain.
It was already raining when I was warming up.
I think my opponent slipped in the third game, she wasn't comfortable either.
So the hand was wet, I was wondering if I could keep playing.
The referee asked me if we were ready to wait any longer because the rain was supposed to intensify.
I asked my opponent if she wanted to wait on the court, she said no.
So I wasn't going to waste my time sitting there and catching a cold.
It's difficult, the current conditions are difficult.
I won't complain.
We spoke with the supervisor, she kindly made us understand that there was still a big cloud to pass and that after that we would return to play on the court as soon as we were called ”.
🎶 Happy birthday to you ... 🎶
A special birthday present for @Simona_Halep, a win under the new roof 😊🥳 # RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/H8FsFD1BG6
- Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) September 27, 2020
Goffin and Chardy in depression
End of the incident, therefore.
The finalist of the US Open is in full swing, unlike David Goffin who hurts us crazy for the first match in the history of Chatrier under the roof.
A drop against Sinner in less than two hours, and the Belgian who explains to us that he is going through a little depression, quite simply: "It's true that the desire to play is there, but in a match, I see that he there is not the motivation and the flame to really hold on to me on all points.
I need it, I have to be really in a good state of mind to try to hang on, and to win every game.
There, it is not there ”.
Goffin even forgets to greet the meager audience when he leaves, while Sinner is questioned by Cédric Pioline ten meters away, with a variety singer's microphone.
One more oddity in this special Roland Covid.
Speaking of depression, a little thought for the young man who is patching it up in a vacuum for the new Peugeot 208 in a main alley deserted by life.
A good soul tries to cheer him up with a joke that's worth what it's worth, "Get in the car, you'll be less cold", but it doesn't work.
We are sad for him, as we are sad for Jérémy Chardy who nevertheless does Chardy.
An endless match against an unknown Austrian, lost something like 10-8 in the fifth.
Normally, the Lenglen would have made a hell of a racket, but there, they are 25 to break everything to take the wind in the face, and it costs them even to remove the mittens to applaud.
“I didn't have the impression of playing at Roland Garros at all.
The Lenglen is a beautiful court, it's always a chance to play on it, there is always a good atmosphere.
You always have a great time on this court, whether you win or lose.
Today, I didn't feel any emotion at all during the match.
This is what is quite frustrating ”.
The sadness of Jérémy Chardy.
The Frenchman confided in the difficulty of returning to the courts.
In extremely strict sanitary conditions, he loses the pleasure of the game, both in training and in matches.
And leaves the end of the season in suspense ... #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/jV6r5lIo2J
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) September 27, 2020
"1,000 people, that's more noise than a coach who applauds"
We vibrate a little more on the Central with Caro Garcia's comeback against Kontaveit, who had shot her in Rome last week.
“It's been several weeks that we have no one in the stands apart from our coach who applauds, welcomes the French.
So when there are 1,000 people applauding I have the impression that it is already making noise ”.
We take what we have, like a serious and diligent Benoît Paire despite having spent the last month going crazy.
Romain, who came from Brittany with the lady, is almost a little disappointed to have missed a cable break.
💪🇫🇷 It's over!
A concentrated Benoît Paire throughout the game wins without trembling against the Korean Kwon!
The French will meet Argentinian Federico Coria in the second round ... pic.twitter.com/meeWhGLIuk
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) September 27, 2020
“With his stories of positive tests, quarantine, and attitude over his last games, I didn't even think he would finish physically.
Well done to him ”.
The young couple still have a little time to go to the Central and attend Murray's funeral.
The Briton lost his hip to Wawrinka in the semi-finals three years ago.
If he had the strength to come back, the Briton is nothing more than the ghost of the player he was.
On Sunday, he held out in Switzerland barely longer than Duhaupas in Yoka the day before.
Sad, again and again.
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