I wrote about what might have happened if Thomas Muster had been healthy entering the 1989 French Open. What do I know, though? Tim Mayotte and Brad Gilbert were seeded 7th and 12th at Roland Garros in 1989. Mayotte lost in the 2nd round while Gilbert ended up withdrawing from the event. I asked their…
Tag: Roland Garros
What if Muster was Never Injured? A Roland Garros 1989 Counterfactual
Could we have seen this in 1989? Michael Chang’s improbable 1989 French Open title is one of the great underdog stories in the history of tennis. The 17-year-old Chang rallied from two sets down to beat the #1 seed, world #1, and three-time French Open champion Ivan Lendl. He followed that up with 4-set wins…
Food for Thought on Nadal’s Grand Slam Haul
Howard Bryant of ESPN pointed out after the 2017 US Open that those dismissing Nadal as only a threat on clay are wrong due to Rafa having as many non-clay majors as Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. 11 Roland Garros Titles = Borg + Wilander + Courier’s Haul or 11 Roland Garros Titles = Borg…
French Open Memories: 1991
I already wrote about the 4-year Courier-Agassi Wars of 1989-1992. There was another memorable clash of US players in 1991. Jimmy Connors took on 1989 Roland Garros champion Michael Chang. On paper, this didn’t look like much of a match. Jimmy Connors did win the 1976 US Open on Har-Tru/green clay, but it was 1991…
Roland Garros 2018: Men’s Thoughts
Not shockingly, I think the top tier of contenders for the 2018 Roland Garros crown is occupied by a lone individual. Here are my tiers of interest for the second Grand Slam event of 2018: Tier 1 – Rafa Rafael Nadal is ranked #1, the defending champion, a 10-time champion (!), and won Monte Carlo,…
French Open 2017: Rafael Nadal Wins his 10th Roland Garros Title
That moment you make tennis history No man had previously won a single Slam on 10 occasions in the Open era The came Rafa Nadal#LaDecima pic.twitter.com/zYu3voXQuQ — BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) June 11, 2017 Stan Wawrinka was utterly dominated by Rafael Nadal. Stan faced a player who was hitting the ball freely while defending the court…
French Open 2017: Ostapenko’s Triumph
I did not pick Jelena Ostapenko to win the 2017 Roland Garros title. Her free-swinging game was a great revelation over the past two weeks. She serves with snap. Her forehand is nasty. Her backhand can do damage. She moves well and plays with enthusiasm. Her victory sends notice to the world that she could…
French Open 2017: Men’s Championship Prediction – Nadal vs. Wawrinka
Rafael Nadal vs. Stan Wawrinka Rafael Nadal is 9-0 in Roland Garros championship matches. Stan Wawrinka is 3-0 in major finals. Who wins? Who keeps his streak? I think there is a clear on paper favorite. However, I think this match is much closer than what the paper says. Rafael Nadal is the most dominant…
French Open 2017: Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem Prediction
Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem In one year, the tables may be turned when these two face-off on clay (particularly if Thiem wins this match). However, right now we have a younger player trying to establish himself on his best surface versus the best player ever on this surface. Thiem did unseat Rafa in Rome…
French Open 2017: Andy Murray vs. Stan Wawrinka Prediction
They meet again in the same spot. Will the result be the same? Andy Murray (GBR) [1] vs. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [3] This is a hard match to predict. The world #1 is playing his best clay court tennis since Roland Garros 2016. Stan Wawrinka is the 2015 champion and seems to be in one…
