Newly crowned US Open champion Dominic Thiem will have to deal with his emotions and on Monday, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams started attacking Grand Slam records in first-round opponents Rowland Garros.
Nadal's runner-up here in the last two
years, Theme, has captured his first slam in New York and will be the only
person in open time to win his first two big games in consecutive tournaments.
Although he was challenged with the 2014
US Open Marine Cell.
"It's a tournament coming up where
I've done well over the last four years, where I really want to play well this
year," Theme said.
He added, "I will see how I deal with
all the physical challenges, and all the emotions, in New York.
"Playing tournaments after big titles
like Indian Wells or Vienna last year was not so good.
"I haven't always played so well next
week. I'm trying to make it different here in Paris, trying to be at the top of
my game from Monday."
World number two Nadal began what he
described as his "toughest Roland Garros ever" in his quest to
compete for Roger Federer's record 20 major titles.
Spaniard, who won his first of 12 French
Open titles in 2005, is unable to prepare and is unhappy with the selection of
new balls for the French Open.
Nadal said: "The situation here is
probably the most difficult situation for me in Roland Gears so far.
"Hair is very different. It's very
slow, heavy. It's also very cold, slow conditions."
Nadal has lost only twice in 95 matches at
the tournament but will now have to adjust to the extraordinary autumn cold
following the Corona virus crisis that has pushed the event back from the
traditional May-June date. Left
The match began on Sunday amid a steady
drizzle of temperatures struggling to reach 10 degrees (50 F), with US Open
finalist Victoria Azarenka described as "ridiculous".
- Rain raises game again -
Monday's game was delayed’ due to more
rain. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova defeated Oceane Dodin 6-3, 7-5
in the only match that started on time under a new roof at Court Philippe
Chatterjee.
The heavy atmosphere could negate some of
Nadal's deadly torpedoes when he first joined the event without a dusty title
under his belt.
The second badge disagrees that the French
Open has changed a new ball supplier and even believes that it could cause
physical discomfort to the players.
"I'm really convinced that for the
next two years, the organization needs to take a look at the health of the
players as well because the ball is too heavy and it becomes dangerous for the
elbows and shoulders," Nadal said. .
However, his first meeting with world
number 83 Egor Gerasimov from Belarus is unlikely to hurt him.
In the women's draw, Williams made another
attempt to win the exciting 24th Grand Slam at her least successful level.
She has not advanced to the last 16 in
Paris since losing to Garbine Maguruza in the 2016 final.
The former world number one is reluctant
to leave Rome after retaining Achilles' injury in his US Open semifinals but is
confident of challenging for a fourth Roland Gears crown.
"I wouldn't play if I didn't think I
could perform," said Williams, who turned 39 on Saturday.
"I'm not 100% physically fit. But I
don't know of an athlete who ever plays physically when he feels full. He's
just what I think we athletes are. To play with. "
Williams competed against American Kristie
Ahn in the first round tie of the US Open, and he was playing in Roland Gears
in 1998, he stepped in 1998.
Her last major during her pregnancy was at
the 2017 Australian Open. Since giving birth to baby Olympia, she has reached
four finals in nine attempts, without being able to nominate the 24th Salem,
equal to Margaret Court.
The overall prize money for this year's
event is down 11% to 14,491,000 euros, but the losers in the first round will
receive 60,000 euros - a 30% increase over 2019.
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