Tennis Panorama News

Li Na – Remember Paris, Forget Rome

I was just arrive in Paris.  All of the airport I think I doing well last year and here.  So today I come to center court I was feeling ‑‑ I was walking to the center court, and I saw the national fly, I was behind, and I was thinking about, oh, I did well here last year.  Last year also the last match was playing on center court, and this year first year on center court, as well.

So I was tell myself, okay, wish you can doing better, because, you know, last week, no, maybe one week ago the final in Rome still killing me.  After final I tell everyone don’t talk to me about tennis like three days.  I can’t quiet every second.

Victoria Azarenka on committing 60 unforced errors in her comeback win over Alberta Brianti:

I think it says it all.  Bad days happen.  Unfortunately today I had way more mistakes than I usually do, but, you know, it happens sometimes.

The first match, they’re not easy.  But in the end of the day I still won the match, I manage to go through those 60 mistakes and still win the match.  I think that’s pretty good statistics.

If it would be 60 winners and I would lose that match, or win this match this way, I think that would suck a little bit more.

Balls Banter

Novak Djokovic: Yes, the ball change is obvious.  I think last year they have made that switch with balls, and they were really fast and tough to control with conditions that are present in the Roland Garros, which are a little bit different from other clay court events, and the conditions here are a little bit faster than maybe comparing to Monte‑Carlo or Barcelona or Rome.
But, you know, many players complained a little bit about the speed of the balls last year, so it was really difficult to control.
So this year, they’re a little bit heavier, which I like.  I really don’t have any complaints about it.

 

Roger Federer:  I think they’re heavy.  I think the balls are heavy.  I think they’re slower than last year.

Conditions here are always faster during the day.  Courts are on the harder side, especially when it’s with good weather like today.  Feels like it’s faster.

I feel the balls are not the fastest ones.  I just think that also is just taking some adjustments to that, because the ball is different here again than the last six, seven weeks for us.

I think that also maybe takes some getting used to, which is normal.  That’s why I’m happy to be through to the second round, having more information on how actually the court and the balls play here.

 

David Nalbandian: I felt the balls were faster, faster than other years.  They fly more.  They’re more like lively balls.

But on the Suzanne Lenglen Court, usually it’s a court that’s slower than the other courts; whereas, you know, I had the impression that the balls were faster and more difficult to control.

Women’s 30^th seed German Mona Barthel reflecting on her loss to American teen Lauren Davis:

Of course I’m a little bit sad about it, but these things happen in life.  That’s the way tennis goes.  You win; you lose.

Yeah, that’s it.

Lauren Davis responding to a reporter’s question about how do people from Cleveland get adjusted to red clay:

Well, I played on indoor hard since I was 16, and this is actually like my third clay court tournament.  I mean red clay.

But, yeah, my game is well‑suited for clay.

Lleyton Hewitt asked about what makes the French Open so special:

Lleyton Hewitt:  (Smiling.)  The scores are in French.  I don’t understand.  I’ve got to look up at the scoreboard to know what the score is.

American in Paris on clay clay or mud it’s all the same

John Isner:  Well, for me, personally, I don’t mind clay.  I don’t care what surface I’m playing on.  I don’t care if it’s mud.

My serve is my serve.  I like to think I’m gonna hold serve a lot.  Whether it’s clay, grass or hard, I’m always gonna have that on my side.

But besides from that, with me, you know, a lot of times the ball bounces higher, which is good for me obviously, with me being so tall.

I hope that a lot of Americans can ‑‑ you know, can do well here.  I know myself and Jesse Levine have won.  I don’t know about anyone else.  I hope we can have a bunch of guys advance after tomorrow.

John Isner – ATP poster boy for going to college

Yeah, I hope kids in high school kinda do look up to me and the path that I personally took.  You know, for me, going to Georgia was 100% the absolute right play for me.  Going there for four years was also the right choice for me.  And, you know, I feel like I made a lot of good decisions throughout my junior career.  Best decision I ever made in my life was going to Georgia.  Wasn’t any other school for me.

Going there for four years, being coached by Coach Diaz was fantastic for me.  I became just a lot stronger physically.  My game got a lot better.  From that I also got a college degree.

It was a very good decision, and I don’t regret it at all.  I mean, I think kids nowadays should at least look at the college route at least for one year at the very minimum.  This game is so physical now.  You don’t see many 18‑year‑old kids inside the top 100, top 50 in the world.  For guys, it takes a little bit longer for, you know, kids, guys, to develop.

 

Michael Llodra on Strategy: Strategy? No, I have no strategy. Really, you know, serving, moving to the net, I don’t want to give him too much time, and even more for Berdych, you know. If he’s got both feet within the lines, he can hit you so much with his forehand, backhand. He shouldn’t dictate the game.

This is what I will have to do, to be aggressive during the whole match.