Nadal fights off Thiem but new Roland Garros generation is rising

On day five of Roland Garros we learned that lighting doesn't strike twice, tennis is not for the over-30s, you shouldn't rest on your laurels, women can train men and spectators can be partisan and hypocritical.

Ana Ivanovic against Elina Svitolina, Roland Garros, Paris, 29 may 2014. Reuters/Jean-Paul Pelissier

•  Lightning doesn’t strike twice. On day four the women’s top seed Serena Williams was ushered towards the exit by the 20-year-old Venezuelan Garbine Muguruza. On day five, 20-year-old Dominic Thiem had the chance to show the men’s top seed Rafael Nadal the way out. Didn’t happen. Nadal, unlike Williams, had a good day at the office. “It was a dangerous match, a dangerous opponent. I played well. I resisted when he was going for the shots. When I had to play long points I did well. When I had to attack and move him, I think I did well and I went to the net a few times. I’m happy with the way I returned his serve.”
  

• Tennis is no country for old men. Actually, it doesn’t appear to be a country for old women either. The top two women’s seeds Serena Williams and Li Na are over 30 and they’re history here this year. Nadal hasn’t hit the 30 landmark but soon he’ll be 28. He noted that Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are 27 and Roger Federer is 32. The new generation is a coming. But who will be there? Step forward Dominic Thiem, Nadal’s victim in the second round on day five. “He has powerful shots. He has a powerful forehand and a backhand too,” cooed Nadal. “But always it is a question of keep improving, making the normal evolution and be humble enough to keep practising as hard as you did before.” The Spaniard added: “We [Djokovic, Murray, Federer] are not going to be here for the next 10 years. Dominic will be there in a short period of time and he will have his chances to win this type of tournament.”
• Endorsement isn’t always a good thing. Once upon a time Donald Young was going to be large in the world of tennis. That’s what commentators thought when the American was carving up the juniors with ruthless precocity. But it hasn’t happened on the big stage until now. On day five Young advanced to the third round of a grand slam for the first time after beating Spanish 26th seed Feliciano Lopez. "At one time I was a lot better than a lot of my peers,” reflected Young. “And you can rest on your laurels a little bit. I maybe didn't work as hard as I could have and gotten better and trained harder."
• A female coach for a top male player would ruffle some feathers. Ever since Andy Murray split with Ivan Lendl there’s been much speculation as to who will replace the Czech as Murray’s coach. A dazzling array of names have been linked to the job. Most recently the French former world number one Amélie Mauresmo has been mentioned. Such an appointment would be a first. And Murray was quizzed about whether there’d be any stigma emanating from it in the testosterone-fuelled environment that is the men's circuit. “I don’t really care if some of the other male players like it or not. That’s not something that really bothers me.” But Murray has form here. “I was coached by my mum for a long time," he recalled. "I’ve had her around the tour for a long time and there’s been players and stuff who said your mum shouldn’t be around; she shouldn’t come to support you; she shouldn’t come to watch. But it’s silly. Everyone’s entitled to have around them the team they want.” You said it, sister. I hear you, sister.
• There’s nothing like partisanship to highlight hypocrisy. The centre court was unusually packed for the match of French 12th seed Richard Gasquet. The spectators cheered and whooped as he got past the unseeded Argentine Carlos Berlocq. Once the match was over the thousands left in droves and there were just scraggy remnants for the second round game between the Serbian 11th seed Ana Ivanovic and the unseeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Cue looks of horror and incredulity as four vocal Serbs cheered and whooped for Ivanovic during her straight sets win. Not cricket.