There are some lists which perfectly fall under the "bittersweet" category. Lists of nearly men and women who have been pipped to the post so often that they become a bit of tragedy in public perception. Stand alone, their achievements are second only to a few but the discourse always focuses on this "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" phenomenon. Justin Gatlin behind Usain Bolt, Jimmy White at the snooker table, Colin Montgomerie at the golf courses and Femke Bol at the 400m hurdles are some names that evoke a sense of pity in spite of the incredible heights they reached in their sporting careers, only to be hyphenated with stories of loss.
Alexander "Sascha" Zverev was part of that unenviable list till the Parisian dirt decided to roll one in his favor. A broken wrist, a sweltering afternoon and a booming Brazilian teenager combined to clear his path to a maiden grand slam title. It was the 10th time that he had reached a major last 4 and with two of the remaining Italian men not being named Sinner, the gods finally reached out their hands for him to claim his destiny. It did not come easy though. Flavio made sure we had a 3rd successive 5 setter final on Phillipe Chatrier. The cramp at the end of the 4th looked like the final nail in the proverbial coffin but the lanky German stood fast. The final set was a canter and when that overhead from the Italian's racquet floated long, there was a collective sigh of relief around the tennis world. One of the nearly men had taken his fate by the scruff of its neck and struck his name off the unenviable list. Does this open the flood gates for a another 3 men rivalry? 3 is certainly not a crowd as we have been blessed to witness in the past and i am not one to grudge that. Onto the hallowed lawns.
I had a prediction for Mirra to win the Aussie open but she kept her side of the deal in Paris. She has always been a prodigious talent but her temperament was in line with her teen age. This was the first time where she rode her emotions and it showed in those reduced unforced errors. The ferocious ground strokes were always there but they now combined with an equanimity to perilous situations. Conchita Martinez seems to have worked her magic on the Russian and if what we saw holds good, we might be in for a tussle at the top between her and the Belarussian. Maja provided the perfect foil with a run through the qualifiers. An underdog story that still reminds us that sport after all is so beloved for the pathways it provides for the dramatic, unpredictable and romantic.
Two freshly minted grand slam winners at Roland Garros. Time for a few more to step up and get their hands on the biggest prizes on the tennis courts.