Au Revoir, Paris

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Bad circumstances struck me at the climax of the French, leaving me out of town and then the last two days quite unwell. But let's move on to more important matters. What happened in the final stages of the French?



Serena Williams flawlessly played the role of Lion. The Gazelle, perhaps called Lucie, has done well to make it this far in life. Lucie is always on the back foot here. She can run or perhaps hide but she can't outdo Williams by being aggressive. Usually once Williams gets the teeth in it is game over. In fact, when Serena got to 6-3, 4-1, Navratilova said in the box this match is over. But it wasn't and that is a dangerous thing to say at the best of times.

At 5-5, Bartoli scalded Martina, saying that you should never say this but when does Serena ever let the Gazelle go? A set and two breaks should be enough. Only two players not named Venus have ever beaten her in a slam final. One hasn't beaten her since Andre Agassi was playing. The other perennially causes Serena trouble but can rarely get to Serena, so it's irrelevant. After releasing her hold around the Gazelle's neck, Serena broke back to serve for it at 6-5. She lost the set in the breaker and then Safarova took all the momentum. She even grabbed an early break. But Williams finally sunk the teeth in. She won five games on the trot to win 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.

The Gazelle knows some nice moves and can evade and annoy the Lion. It can escape, too, sometimes. It can claim victory. But too often the Lion is just too strong and some chases just have a feel of the inevitable about them.

Dodig/Melo swapped breakers with the Bryans in their first two sets before the third seeds took out the third set 7-5. The Bryans have now won one slam in the past seven. Guga watched on approvingly and had a big cheer when his countryman won.

Well before we do our final match review of the tournament we should have one last question: Exactly ten years ago Wawrinka made his debut at the slam level. He beat fellow qualifier Blake in the second round of the French in five after being two sets down. He lost to eventual finalist Puerta in four in the third round. But which seed and former top ten player did he oust in his first ever main draw slam match?

*Suicide Pick*
Well, in the final had I had been in town I would have had to pick Djokovic, so I lose out in the final. Ah well.

Men's Singles 1st: Verdasco [32] d. Daniel [Q]
Men's Singles 2nd: Cilic [9] d. Arnaboldi [Q]
Men's Singles 3rd: Ferrer [7] d. Bolelli
Men's Singles 4th: Nishikori [5] d. Gabashvili
Men's Singles QF: Tsonga [14] d. Nishikori [5]
Men's Singles SF: Wawrinka [8] d. Tsonga [14]
Men's Singles F: Djokovic [1] d. Wawrinka [8]
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Women's Singles Barthel d. Kania


PHILIPPE CHATRIER: WAWRINKA D. DJOKOVIC
...See this is why my predictions go wrong. The world number nine took out this slam. I picked the nine-time champion and five-time defending champion, but the guy who has made one quarterfinal here in nine attempts and who plays best in Australia and who has been drifting between mediocre and abysmal for the past four months won instead. Now if I had picked Wawrinka would I have been called crazy? I think so and I would have earned it. I thought I was crazy for picking him to get to the quarters. Todd didn't even pick him to win three matches. Todd said he would lose before round three. So yes I was wrong, but I was slightly less wrong than Todd. [Editor's note: Touché . But I did have my champion pick in the final, at least. Oh, yes I did say that - TDS ] And I called Serena right. And so the marvelous tradition of me defending my faulty picks can continue for another year. Of course Todd has written a fantastic piece entitled "Wowrinka!" which I would strongly advise and insist you go and read right now. No really. But this is my take on the final:

Djokovic won the first set but tired due to his exhausting semi-final five set win over Murray. Wawrinka came through 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. The rallies were long and grueling but, unlike Ferrer, Vavsy actually has the weapons to back up the grind. He aced Djokovic nine times to the Serbian's six and he was only broken twice. He broke Djokovic four times. The Swiss star hit 60 winners and Djokovic only 30. It was a dominant performance from the world number four. Wawrinka looks more likely to complete the grand slam than Murray does right now. And that is a statement I never though I could or would be making. Wawrinka beat Jo in four tough sets but the fact Djokovic has to grind out a really hard win over Murray may have been a contributing factor in Djokovic's loss.

Well, that is it. For Wimbledon expect the coverage on this side to be tighter, though life always has a way of finding a way in. And really the week after Wimbledon is the week all tennis writers love a lot. And the next week is one they hate because it's boring and it's so far away until the next slam, but it just isn't as holiday-esque as the previous week. This season from the top four point of view is the most exciting. Any of the top four could win a slam. This feels like the top four in tennis and they will be who I pick to make the semi-finals of Wimbledon. Well, unless one of them lands Nadal.

Well, thank you French Open and Au Revoir....
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Any other notes?

* - What a tournament Safarova had. Two finals. Clijsters made six slam semi-finals in 2003. She won the Wimbledon and French ladies doubles. She made the singles final of the French and of the U.S. Open. She also made the single semi at Wimbledon and in Australia. She was world number one in both disciplines that year.

* - Will Djokovic ever win the French? It isn't like he has unlimited shots at it. If he is somehow not in the top two next year he may have a very difficult path.

* - Nadal is in the later part of his twilight years. And Federer is still in the sun. Federer may outlast the whole of Nadal's career. That would be funny.

* - Jon Wertheim's Fifty Party Shots

* - Casey Dellacqua and her partner Shvedova dominated the first two sets of a very good final. They eventually lost to seventh seeds Safarova/Mattek-Sands. But the pair have both flown up the ranks



* - Speaking of Casey, she is in Nottingham. I like her to get to the final as the sixth seed before losing to top seeded Radwanska. Casey is playing with Jurak again in the doubles. They open against the second seeds Zheng and Chan. Radwanska is 26. That seems weird. Both she and Bouchard are competing for the biggest slump award.

* - I like Bouchard to find a bit of form actually. She will lose to Bencic in the ladies Rosmalen event. In the men's, Hewitt plays Mahut in the first round. I like Karlovic to do well but that draw really is a mess. Goffin should also win a couple matches.

* - And in the men's doubles in Stuttgart, Lopez and Nadal play together. So do Monfils and Simon. The Bryans have withdrawn. In the men's singles, Haas is back. Tomic, Kohlschreiber, Lopez and Cilic will make the semi-finals. I do not buy Nadal at all. Not now. And when will he admit he is broken?

* More on the return of Haas

Well, I'm out for now.

ANSWER: Wawrinka beat Massu in four sets. Massu had been as high as number nine, but was seeded 22 at the time.

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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