5 things we learned at Roland Garros Day 3: Nadal is mortal, queens are back
Bollelli gave Nadal a run for his money on Day three of Roland Garros 2018. Cilic is tactful. Federer and Nadal inspire. Serena and Maria are back. And Wakanda hits the court.
Issued on:
- Rafael Nadal is mortal
Yes, we know he is. But this review is all about drama and hyperbole. Nadal has won 10 times in his 13 visits to Roland Garros. Last year he didn’t lose a set. In 2016, he left the tournament in the third round due to injury. You have to go back to the 2015 quarter-final to find the last time he dropped a set at the tournament. But it nearly happened in the first round match against Simone Bollelli. The unseeded Italian led six points to three in the third set tiebreak. But he couldn’t convert any of them. Bolelli held another set point later in the tiebreak but Nadal won it 11-9 and with it the match.
- “Just try to win the next point, no?” said Nadal of his comeback
“That's the only way. Just think about the next point and try to go one by one, knowing if you lose the set, nothing happens. Match continues. Two sets to one up and believing that the opponent will have to still play well for a long time to win the match. So that was my thought.” And, as we know, no one has been able to play well for a long time to beat Nadal at Roland Garros.
- .Martial Marin, marital Marin
Third seed Marin Cilic advanced to the second round on day three with a hard-fought straights sets win over James Duckworth from Australia. The 29-year-old Croatian hasn’t done that well at Roland Garros before, he’s only got to the last eight once in 11 visits. This year the 2014 US Open champion is in the bottom half of the draw and, if all goes according to plan, he is due to meet top seed Nadal in the semi-final. That should be a good match. Cilic is a dangerous opponent. He pushed Roger Federer to five sets in the 2018 Australian Open and was only undone in the Wimbledon final in 2017 against Federer because of bad blisters. In the prelude to this year’s tournament, Cilic got married in Dubrovnik to his longtime girlfriend Kristina Milovic. Fabrice Santoro, the on-court interviewer asked Cilic what was the better feeling: winning a Grand Slam tournament or getting married? Cilic answered with the aplomb of a seasoned diplomat. "We had a wonderful day with family and friends. Winning on the court is great but Kristina and I have been together for a long time and to find someone like her is very special.” Ah, bless!
- Roger and Rafa are inspirational
Messieurs Federer and Nadal have amassed 36 Grand Slam titles between them and the work ethic of the men - 36 and 32- years-old respectively is inspiring the next generation. Denis Shapovalov – all 19 years of him - says they are the lodestars. “What they have done is something that probably nobody is ever going to see again or it's going to be a while until you see it,” he cooed. “Rafa at 19, was winning Grand Slams. Roger, I mean, the guy's got 20 Grand Slams. It's just unheard of. At their age they are still improving. So for me it's kind of calming in a way. You know, I feel even if I don't have the results right now or next year, I feel like I have so much time to improve and to get to where they are right now.”
- The queens are back
Serena Williams missed the 2017 French Open because she had just had a baby. Maria Sharapova did not play because she did not have the ranking points following a ban for doping. The former world number ones both played on day three and they both won. Williams in straight sets against Kristyna Pliskova and Sharapova in three. “It’s great to be in this draw and it’s great to be back on a court that I have had great success at,” said Queen Maria after beating Richel Hogenkamp. “I have always loved playing here in Paris.” And so she should. Two of her five Grand Slam titles have come in Paris in 2012 and 2014. “From a young age, the French Open was a Grand Slam that was very difficult for me to do well at physically and mentally. I overcame that. So to be back here and kind of relive those moments playing is very exciting.”
Queen Serena won in 2002, 2013 and 2015 in Paris. She claimed the 2017 Australian – her 23rd Grand Slam singles title – before heading into nappy valley. And the 36-year-old was happy to reflect on the changes in her life since baby Olympia arrived. She spoke about the health problems she had after the birth especially blood clots. “I feel like a lot of people don't talk about the health problems,” said Williams. “They talk about the baby and how happy they are. But it's a lot that goes into it with the pregnancy and with giving birth and it's called a miracle for a reason, because it's a miracle and it's very difficult sometimes to make it through. I really appreciate that a lot more now.”
- Wakanda rules OK
Serena came out for her first round match in an all black catsuit that looked like something out of Black Panther, the Marvel blockbuster about the king of the mythical kingdom of Wakanda. “It's cool,” she said of the outfit. “I call it like my Wakanda-inspired cat suit. It's really fun. Although we designed it way before the movie but still, it kind of reminds me of that.” She said the suit made her feel like a warrior princess and Pliskova certainly felt the force in the 7-6 6-4 defeat. “I'm always living in a fantasy world,” added Williams. “I always wanted to be a superhero and it's kind of my way of being a super hero. I feel like a super hero when I wear it.” Serena, here’s a thing. You are even when you don’t.
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