Maria Esther Bueno arrived in London in time to follow the conclusion of the French Championships in Paris last week and gave her thoughts on Roland Garros and the new champions to her website.
“The weather was just awful there,” she said. “I really felt for the players and the organisers, but somehow they managed to get through it all, and all without a roof!
“Putting a roof on the [Philippe] Chatrier Stadium at Roland Garros is proving a difficult project for the French Federation despite the enormous amount of money Paris brings to the city each year.
“Because of local opposition, development plans are being held back and, sadly, this means that the French is now badly lagging behind the three other Grand Slams.”
In terms of protecting play from the elements, Australia has three show courts with retractable roofs, while Wimbledon has one on Centre Court and is already working on a second for Court No 1 due to be ready by 2019.
The US Open resisted covering the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium but after five consecutive tournaments between 2007 through 2012, when the Men’s final had to be postponed to Monday due to weather, the USTA found a way to achieve its retractable roof, which comes into play for the first time later this year.
The planned roof for the Philippe Chatrier Stadium at Roland Garros in Paris
Chopped and changed plans to modernise Roland Garros now call for a retractable roof by 2020 to be in place over Chatrier as part of the vast development project for the cramped clay-court venue in the west of Paris.
Opposition and legal action from local residents and environmental activists, however, has slowed the ambitious modernisation, which would expand Roland Garros into the botanical gardens next door, down to a crawl.
Tournament organisers hope a ruling expected in September from the Council of State, France’s highest administrative authority, will allow work to finally proceed.
“It is all still up in the air and meanwhile Roland Garros is the worst place to be when it rains,” Maria Esther commented.
“It is tough for the players but even worse for spectators, who don’t have anywhere to go. It seems crazy to me that such an important project continues to be held up.”
Roland Garros site as it is today
Guy Forget, the new Tournament Director, told a news conference at Roland Garros as torrential rain beat down outside: “We have talked about that roof in Paris 15 years ago already. It is a long process.
“For those in our country who are still doubting the necessity to expand, to modernise our stadium, I think we have right now the fact, the proof, that it is a necessity and we have to do it.”
The future plan for Roland Garros
Djojovic breaks records
As for the tennis, Maria Esther was surprised at some of the results but not so much about the outcome.
“Matches were played in very tough conditions so I suppose surprising results were bound to happen,” she said. “A lot of players got upset by having to play in the rain but that’s how it goes.
Rafael Nadal faces the media in Paris
“It was Rafa’s [Nadal] withdrawal that was the biggest blow to the tournament but the [wrist] injury must be serious for him to have done so after he played two very fine matches in the opening rounds. I think he is questionable as far as Wimbledon is concerned, having already pulled out of Queen’s.
“The two top men came through as expected without too many problems. Andy Murray had trouble in his two first round matches that both went to five sets and then he got better and better on the clay.
“[Novak] Djokovic also looked strong on his way to the final, only dropping just the one set [to Bautista Augut].
Andy Murray in action in Paris
“The way Andy started the final was incredible, taking the first set and keeping Djokovic on the back foot, but he couldn’t keep it up and Novak improved his game, making fewer and fewer errors.
“I couldn’t believe how he [Djokovic] was covering the court and the shots he was making. I don’t think Andy could have done very much more about it other than taking those break points and holding his serve at the start of the second set, which he then dropped, to maintain his momentum. That, I think, affected the outcome.
“He let Novak back in and couldn’t find an answer until he was well down in the fourth, when it effectively was too late.
Novak Djokovic cherishes his first Roland Garros singles trophy
“Djokovic deserves the title, winning Paris for the first time and achieving a career Grand Slam by taking all four majors consecutively, starting with Wimbledon 2015, through this French Open in 2016, and becoming the first man to do so.
“As for Andy, he should feel proud of his performance on the clay, his least best surface, this year. In reaching the French final, he became the first Brit in nearly 80 years to make it there. In fact, he has now reached all four Grand Slam finals, which is a great feat in itself.
“He comes so close to winning these majors and I feel he needs someone who has been through it all to help him get over the line.
“There are many great coaches out there but if you haven’t experienced what it takes to win a Grand Slam title, there is little they can say to help a player when it matters the most.
“I hope he can find someone with the right credentials to help him.”
Champion Novak Djokovic and finalist Andy Murray in Paris
That Sunday was a day for records.
Djokovic, 29, won 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to capture his 12th major title and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at once.
Murray had hoped to secure the third leg of his own career Slam, having already won Wimbledon and the US Open, plus the Scot, 29, was Britain’s first male finalist in Paris since 1937.
Second seed Murray played superbly to win the first set but could not convert a break point early in the second, and Djokovic took control to win in three hours.
He became only the eighth man in history to have won all four of the sport’s major singles prizes – and could yet match Laver’s achievement of winning all four in a calendar year.
Muguruza wins first Grand Slam
French Open champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain(Photo by REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol)
The women’s draw threw up another upset for Serena Williams, who many thought would be a shoe-in for the title.
“Serena hasn’t played enough this year, although she seems to be able to get away with that,” said Maria Esther.
“Now that she lost in the final of the US Open, Australia and Paris, players are beginning to believe she can be beaten.
“She faced, of course, Garbiñe Muguruza, in the final, who beat her before in Paris, and was probably the last person she wanted to see there.
May 28, 2016; Paris, France; Serena Williams (USA) reacts during her match against Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) on day seven of the 2016 French Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
“In many ways it comes down to how Serena herself plays and whether the other player can stay with her or not.
“She certainly was not at her best but all credit to Garbiñe, who held her nerve and played some superb tennis to win the title in two tight straight sets.
“I think the fact she reached the final at Wimbledon last year helped her deal with the occasion really well.
“It is very good for the women’s game to have a new personality winning Grand Slams and Muguruza is very popular.”
Muguruza’s stunning 7-5 6-4 victory against the American in the French Open final on Saturday not only gave the women’s game a new champion but someone who, at 22, just may be the heir apparent to Williams’s throne.
Her powerful serve and penetrating groundstrokes matched everything Serena threw at her but perhaps the most significant factor was the Venezuelan-born Spaniard’s mental strength and self-belief.
“Players get overwhelmed by Serena in so many different ways. She has, after all, won 21 Grand Slam titles and is looking to equal Steffi Graf’s record of 22.
“Garbiñe looks the part to me, although she struggled a lot earlier in the year.
“I only hope she doesn’t suffer a similar reaction like Angelique Kerber, who beat Serena in Melbourne and has then dropped off in form, but now ranked at No 2 Garbiñe should start to dominate.
“It will be interesting to see how quickly she can adapt to the grass.
“As for Serena, she must be very disappointed because she is chasing records and falling short. At 34 she probably doesn’t have too much time left.
“The question is whether she can regroup in time for another attempt at Wimbledon and whether the top women players are closing in on her!”
And so the attention turns to the grass court season.