French Open day 1 recap: broken dreams, love, shopping and...
It was the sunset, or almost, but the first day of the French Open 2019 has already given us some surprises. In fact, Angelique Kerber has already said goodbye to the much-dreamed career Grand Slam, at least for now, after the defeat against the millennial Anastasia Potapova. Victories for Petra Martic, Garbine Muguruza, Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov.
Can Novak Djokovic reach the 20 Majors of Roger Federer? Robin Soderling, two times finalist in Paris, tries to give an answer to this question: "There is a possibility but Djokovic must stay healthy. He had a bad time two years ago. Roger did not have any serious injuries. Novak will have to be at the top for many more years, which will not be easy. Roger still shows he can win the most important tournaments and, at almost 38 years-old, he still has a chance to win Slams. His career is not over yet, and he could be in the top 3-4 for a few more years".
You can't control the heart. Elina Svitolina thinks this way. The Ukrainian, who on the eve of Roland Garros talked about her love-story with Gael Monfils, said: "Gael and I have been very public about our relationship, even in having an Instagram account together. It's hard to hide when you are both famous tennis players, and it is difficult to maintain privacy, so hiding things is a waste of time. Gael is a very open person. If the fans want to see something, then we let them see it and try to share. We are in the spotlight every week. Some say that I have been playing badly since I have the love-story with Gael, but that doesn't matter to me".
Talking about Federer, his comeback to Paris surprised former French player Fabrice Santoro: "It is an extraordinary gift for the French crowd. I didn't think he would play there again. But he loves challenges. At almost 38 years-old, he is still very hard to beat. He does not rest before the season on grass. One tends to forget that without Nadal, he would have been one of the most successful player on clay-courts. He played five finals by winning one, but Nadal remains the favorite".
According to Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams did not come to Paris on vacation, but the US has a concrete goal: "I'm sure Serena will be ready for Roland Garros and she will try to win the title. She doesn't come to Paris for shopping or show the city to the family, but to win her 24th Slam title".
Tomorrow on the courts Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2EyR006
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