The clay court competition heats up this week as the great and good of the tennis world descend upon Roland Garros to fight it out for supremacy on the orange surface. This is the second Grand Slam of 2013, and it's all to play for. Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova are the defending champions from 2012, but there are plenty who could challenge them for the trophy. We've got two weeks of this terrific tennis tournament awaiting us, and it should be great!
Roland Garros 2013
Published by Christine Blachford on
Blimey, bit of a shock on the first day?
@BBCSport: Venus Williams is out of the French Open after losing 7-6 6-7 6-4 to Urszula Radwanska in the first round
Managed to get my Eurosport TV app tuned to the tennis, but there's no sound. Pretty orange pictures though.
Currently watching Nadal playing someone very tall.
Him apparently
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/atpbc72.html
6ft 5, that'll be him.
A break point against Nadal, and a double fault to take it! French Open being unpredictable so far.
Three set points for the German giant.
Done! 1 set to Brands.
Ahh, I have sound now. "Égalité."
It's odd to hear them saying Brands without Hatch after it.
Bit more of a challenge to hold his serve now, but Brands(Hatch) is still keeping in there.
hi f1/tennis fans.
whats happening in france, nadal loses the first set and being challenged in the second. surely he cant get beaten in the first round and his best slam.
love the French open, and Wimbledon, starts perfect time here, about 6:30 pm, and finishes in the early hours, get to watch plenty of tennis over the next month or so.
It looks like the tide migh turn soon, but the Brands fella is not making it easy for him.
yeah hes got that big serve though, he really is serving well. big games now though, wouldn't want to drop one here.
Lots of booing for late spectators.
Commentators saying it's interesting that Nadal keeps looking like he's going to make a break for it, but can't seem to keep the momentum up to do it.
So gutted Muzza isn't playing the French Open, hope he gets better soon. I am my focusing all my efforts on my other favourite Tsonga :)
normally he just puts his foot down and blows his opponents off the court but its just not happening right now.
I saw he was out, what's wrong with him?
I think foot, he will be alright for Wimbledon though.
woah into a tie break now.
Set points for Nadal. If he gets this, that might break Brands' spirit.
And he does.
yeah he had a chance 3-0 up in the tie break and missed a volley into the open court, from then on it was all rafa, I agree too, I think that will break his spirit, might be a quick finish now.
he has a bad back! :(
oh oops, ok. I thought it was his foot. bad backs are alot worse
rafa getting right on top now
he had an issue with it sometime last year I think and played through it, it's now getting worse and he wants to be fit for grass court season so is taking some time out. Hopefully he will be ok for queens, but goodness knows!
Aww, better to rest it I guess, he'll want to be fit for Wimbledon.
Checking some other Eurosport channels. Robson being trounced by Wozniacki.
yeah just found a live stream of that match, 'aussie' laura is one of my favourites but I backed caroline so its not a bad result for me.
Early break for Nadal in the fourth. All downhill from here.
He pulled out of his last tournamen with a hip injury. The boy is falling apart
Nadal's definitely woken up now. Finish line in sight.
Nadal is pushing this year to win so he becomes the only player to win a Slam eight times. EIGHT!
Two match points.
Nadal through.
that's it for nadal, wont drop another set until the final now. to think the pressure would have been right on him if brands hadn't missed a couple of crucial shots in when leading the second set tiebreaker.
Choices choices. I've got two German ladies battling it out on one channel, or Richard Gasquet and someone on the other.
I'll go for Gasquet because the crowd are bound to be getting involved.
Home crowd helping, 3-0 for Gasquet in the first set.
Also, they just mentioned Sebastian Grosjean which catches my ear every time!
Gutted I couldn't watch Nadal or Tsonga earlier, have convinced Nanna to put Monfils match on tho! Go Monfils!!!
hip/ back is what I've heard... But not sure now
they have just started showing the monfils v berdych match. might go to 5 sets that one.
I love Monfils even more now. That shirt! Hehe!!
Wow, that's some stripeage!
So excited Monfils won that set!! So was not expecting it!
Berdych appears to be a walking ad for H&M.
Monfils made a storming start to this second set too.
Am in the supermarket. How is my second fav French tennis players doing?
Scooped the second set 6-4. Just starting the third.
yipeeeeeeee!!!
Down a break in the third though.
Eek, this one looks like it's going H&M's way.
nooooo! :(
Third set to the other guy. On serve in the next.
Just been bounced on by both of my aunts dogs! Gosh they are exhausting! Didn't get to see any tennis tho. Christine your updates have been awesome :) I hope Monfils makes it in the 4th
Still on serve in the fourth, heading towards a tiebreaker.
oh goodness! Is Monfils getting tired? Can't imagine he's been in matches like this recently
Fourth set to Berdych. Two apiece, all to play for.
Just got home in time for the 5th set. come ooooonnnn Monfils!
Break point!
ohh. come on Monfils!!
i like that idea, if you have to leave early from centre court, people cna buy your ticket from the boxoffice and the money goes to charity! awesome!
Delpo is injured? :(
That is good!
Mini-Mexican wave.
Think he got a bit distracted by that one, Monfils. Crowd trying to be supportive but ruining it a bit!
He made it back from 0-40 down. Deuce now.
i need to get me to wimbles
this is so close!!
Phew, glad he got that one. Disappointing if he'd done all that work and still lost it. But no, still on serve.
Maria Sharapova won her match just now. Quite like that purple dress.
Is this a first round match? Tough start to the tournament!
He broke! Monfils to serve for the match.
Yipeeeeeee!!
Took his time about it :)
So happy!!! Yay for my favourites!!!
i worked out i could get to the French open from my house in kent for about £50 earlier this year. Wish i'd had the money for tickets to actually get in tho. Next year.
ohhh yes, that is a nice dress!
even Muzza likes Monfils
@andy_murray
You got to love monfils... Great entertainer, one of the most fun guys to watch and he's also a really good person #allezlamonf
Must be tough just watching on at home.
I think he tweeted yesterday how hard it was. Sad times :(
I still can't believe that Monfils won, so proud :)
Also... VENUS LOST?! amazing.
also, because RG is on ITV I can watch it this week!! I can even watch it while i invigilate our grad show exhibition tomorrow! a boring day of sitting still from 9:30 - 4:30 just got interesting :)
It's on ITV?? No wonder I couldn't find it on the Beeb.
yep!! ITV 4 right now. what have you been watching it on?
i don't like it being on ITV tho. Them having the matches from the Royal Albert Hall was enough for me.. but now they have RG.
Eurosport app on iPad. Lucky really because I cancelled the subscription, but it has a week or so left to run.
Beeb still have Wimbles tho i believe
oohh that's lucky!
Well I have located ITV4. They're showing it from 9:30am to 9pm? That's some good coverage!
Hey, Lou, they showed a clip of Tsonga shaking hands at the net. Mr C goes: "I know that man on the left, I remember him from last year's French Open."
This is unprecedented Mr C tennis knowledge!
it was on ITV 1 earlier in the day too, which is nice :)
suppose it's the same as bbc red button tho. i mean what else goes on itv4?!
hehehe it's okay, my housemate only watches tennis just in case she sees Tsonga take his shirt off. :D
I am a bit sad Mr C obviously wasnt watching the Tsonga Olympic match that I went to and was on the coverage for. (apparently the camera kept spinning back to my friend and I's reaction to the game...probably a very good job I can't find the video anywhere!!) :)
right, i must now make the long drive back to farnham (everyone stay off the roads, i refuse to sit on the M25 for another 5 hours!!)
I have enjoyed dipping in and out of the comments today, will be back tomorrow while i sit in a room watching photographs not fall off the wall! :)
x
Oddly, he just said he recognised one of the umpires, so he may be more of a tennis fan than we think.
Now I've found the terrestrial coverage, it's time for it to finish. Good day of tennis, hopefully tomorrow provides some more fun action. Will try to catch some in the evening.
Raining today: http://twitter.com/piersnewbery/status/339321671888535552/photo/1
wohoo, its about to start
Every time i tune in to try and watch some tennis because i get a moment to myself play is suspended. sad times.
yeah not looking good for more play for a while. stosur had a good win though.
really tired tonight, might take this lack of play opportunity to get catch a few zzzz's.
oh rain has stopped, might be some more play soon....
play back on... now my sleep has been suspended for an hour or so.
oh now one of my top three favourites are playing, how am I supposed to sleep when alize cornet is on the tv.
Yay, finally found an english stream for Novak's match
Hopefully it'll stay dry now for the rest of the evening.
I like Novak's top. Nice shade of blue.
Cracking dropshot from Goffin. On Novak of all people.
Very balanced match so far, both players are holding serve well. Goffin's done good for himself I think
Novak finally takes the first set after a tie break
Blue skies!
Novak finally breaks Goffin. Be interesting to see how Goffin recovers now he's been broken...
Sliding about on a clay court looks so satisfying.
Amazing dropshot from Novak!
Right, I'm here, just getting my app on, what have I missed? :)
Novak v Goffin for me, close match so far. Novak took the first set after a tie break and has now only just broken Goffin.
Ah, I got it. Noisy crowd again
They are mental. I feel disturbed and I'm in Wales
Three break points for Goffin!
And he gets it, wow.
I tuned in at just the right time! Who is this goffin that is putting up such a fight!?
I believe he is a Pokemon, the evolution of Ghastly
I was close :)
lots of points lost in this game for goffin.
Heehe, I don't know what that is but I like it!
Oooh, apparently goffin had an amazing match last year at RG with Federer. I don't remember seeing his name
Ahh, he has a history!
Djokovic's colours remind me of Cambridge from the Boat Race.
Great recovery from goffin this game
In other news, iPhone corrects Djokovic to be diplodocus. Make of that what you will!
Aww, unlucky goffin. 2-0 to Djokovic
I thought that was a dinosaur. Harsh stuff from iOS
Such a loud crowd!
This must be going Djoko's way now. The Goffin chap has not come back from two sets down with him.
He held that one though, I wasn't expecting him to.
The tide is slllloowwly moving towards Novak now I think
I like to think I am improving my French by watching this.
Lukeh, I see up above you said you found a stream for this... did you know it's tucked away on ITV4? I didn't until yesterday, they couldn't have found a lesser known channel for it!
say whaaaaaaaat
I know, right? :)
youre right!
I'm not sure I knew there was an ITV4!
I only knew of it for BTCC. Who knew it had tennis rights?
(I don't think ITV know)
This isn't plain sailing for Djokovic by any means
I don't know how Goffin is hanging on, great stuff
Because he is winning points :)
#sorrychristine
Hehe, ahh, so that's how tennis works!!
Hehe, he is doing really well though. Still no break of serve in the third
I like the one random man singing
Someone's enjoying themselves
Based on the drunken sounding nature of his singing, he only came to see the bullfighting
Turning point there I think
Match point...
Aww, poor Koffing.
Ah well, he put on a good show.
so excited for todays tennis, Tsonga, Monfils, and Fed. *rushes round getting stuff done before Tsonga match :)
Looking forward to seeing how Heather Watson gets on today too seeing as she's the only female brit still going. Would be good to see her do well
a couple of interesting matches for me up early today, two young gun aussies playing now, both only in their first french open and both will be top 10 players in a couple of years, ash barty only 16 I will confidently say the best female player we have produced in 30 years. she won the first set v hradecka.
the other is krygios who won the australian open junior boys tourney this year, copping a bit of a flogging v top 10 cilic so far but really he is a couple of years away from competing v the top men.
also sad to see one of my favourites draw azarenka in the first round but vesnina looks like going out in straight sets. always doubles for her though
wohoo barty won.
ITV4 SHOW MY TSONGA!
*me... not my..
stop talking about Miss Watson... pleaaaaaseeee.
ive been watching a stream on firstrowsports, they have basically 7 or 8 games streaming at once. its full of pop up ads but its an option, its the same how I watch the f1 races inbetween all the ads on the local coverage.
our internet is so shocking here that we can't stream anything :(
i love the french crowd.
some serious Tsonga love in this house..
first set in the bag
i went to go help fix the lock on the bathroom door and Tsonga stormed through! Amazing :)
Love Andy -
@andy_murray Commentators on eurosport discussing why tsonga has no coach right now...He's been getting coached by rogerio rasheed for a while now
roger rasheed indeed.
they wouldn't put the tennis on over lunch :(
Loving this match.
a quick roger rasheed story, he is an absolute hilarious clown, i think with tsongas personality and laid back style it will be a good match and should get the best out of him.
anyway, roger is from here in Adelaide and like me is a massive port adelaide football club supporter (Australian football) back in the early to mid 2000s his sister hitaf had the job of media manager for the footy club and roger, in between coaching lleyton Hewitt and monfils, had the job as the stadium announcer for all of ports home games. it was hilarious, he always gave the opposition supporters a bit of a hard time and always gave us a laugh. thinking back to those days makes it feel a bit strange that here he is now coaching one of the worlds best tennis players. he still does a lot of work for his charity here which donates sporting goods to underprivileged children. any way enough of that back to the tennis........
straight sets. thanks for coming
Loving Tsonga. Bonus points in this house for changing his shirt at the end.
Monfils game now. GOOOOOO Gael!
lookout, some ugly ugly clouds hovering nearby
So happy Monfils won that second set, although i think his fitness is gonna affect him towards the end of this match, this is a tough one for him.
amazing! from a break down to a break up! yay Monfils!
our coverage has been showing the raonic v llodra match the last couple of hours. doesn't interest me that much, raonic is about to win in 4 sets though.
trying to stay awake for my number 1 favourite sorana cirstea who plays soon but its getting pretty late.... eyes getting heavy...
Federer match just starting.
such a good match! Gooo Monfils!!
well the sorana cirstea match has started, but I cant find a live stream, good thing she is leading 4-1 in the first set though
Monfils seems to have come back into his match well
Although I can't help but think of Mercutio...
monfils up a break in the fourth, sorana taking out the first set 6-1, very nice. that's it for me 1:30 should get some sleep now, booooo work tomorrow
@andy_murray La monf to win rolly g? #allezlamonf
hehe!
I like the RG crowd, they're so unashamedly noisy
Monfils is allllmost there
I might have made it just in time for a match point.
better late than never as they say
Job done for Gael
wooo! what a match! Monfils is on a roll! :)
Oooh I see tsonga went through on straight sets, nicely done.
Federer on my TV now. That's quite a green tick he's got.
He did an AmA on reddit last week that was pretty good. I like that he refers to his all black outfit as darth roger.
I think Fed might win. Just a hunch.
Jamie won his match! excellent!
Judy!!!
I don't think i've ever heard her talk before.
didn't know she even commentated, that's a new one
All I can hear is a strange female version of Andy
(I realise how staggeringly obvious this sounds)
I left the room briefly, Mr C thought it was Susie Wolff commentating :)
Hehe!
Serena making it look easy peasy.
Raining in France again then!
nooooo they're the worst crowd in tennis! possibly beaten only by madrid. they're so rude/cruel :(
nadal loses the first set.
noooooo, come on sorana. lost the first set 6-0 v S Williams......
6-0 6-2, well the second set was abut better.
oops abit better
Monfils wearing an epic shirt once again :)
Tsonga is in great form, hopefully we get to see that Tsonga v Federer match up in a few days. I might back Tsonga in that one.
Tsonga v Fed matches are always so good. Having said that last year Tsonga was never on good form against him.
yeah he seems to be playing abit better now though, more controlled.
loving this Monfils match
allez la monf!!
:)
whats happening? last time I looked I thought it was over, now it looks like going to the fifth.
they have the ana ivanovic v razzano match on here now.
oh tie breaker
it's all go! Monf through away a silly amount of match points, and Robreto broke back. Tie break now.
now im following the scores on the rg website, didn't realise he had match points
he was serving for the match and everything. silly man.
into the fifth we go!
pleased to see Tsonga won in straight sets too (been too busy with monfils!)
saw a fair bit of that match, he dominated. ominous form.
wonderful to hear!! <3 Tsonga :)
its all up to that Federer match for him. if he wins that then he probably will make it through to the final.
roger rasheed @roger_rasheed 2m
Well done @tsonga7, went out there, delivered with purpose and control. Moving into the 2nd week on the rise. #allez
looks like the coach is happy
i can not wait for that match :)
woooo!!!
me too, I don't care if it at 2am or even 3am (like now) ill stay up for it.
might be a bit tired, and late, for work
big trouble for monfils
hehe! I'm pleased that i don't have much on at uni at the moment, doing alot of working/ editing from home = lots of tennis!
it makes me sad to think he could loose this, he's been doing so well!
oh this is not looking good...
now they are showing the end of the monfils match after ana won in straight sets. woah they said 4 match points. looks all over now.
ah that's a shame :( poor Monfils.
yep, missed a big opportunity.
He has looked quite tired though.
yeah it's been a big week him. So sad he through away those match points tho. Looking forward to seeing him at wimbles!
nice to see Jamie Muzza on ITV4.
I do so like the long-sleeved tops.
I am also loving the name Pfizenmaier.
Ooh, tennis. I forgot. That's Azarenka losing to someone I've never heard of.
come on cornet.......
Back again. Assuming Azarenka won, as we're now looking at Sharapova.
yeah azarenka won in three sets, cornet played well but couldnt keep it up. sharapova dominating
You know it's not a good match when the commentator says: "This is a practice session, isn't it, for Sharapova."
Sharapova has lost the plot in this second set though. Down a break and can't make it back yet!
Hi guys, just settling down now for some tennis after a silly mot
Sharapova is already looking confused, oops
4-1 now, might be an upset.
Oooh controversy, Zheng broke again because a serve was questioned and the umpire went to a completely different spot on the floor!
Maria was not impressed
wemt to an add here so I missed it but the commentator said sharapova was right.
Oop, I blinked but I think Sharapova clawed one of the breaks back there.
Now deuce on her own serve.
Quieter crowd today
heh, great recovery there
what a point, zheng is playing smarter, moving sharapova around, a few drop shots.
Another break, all level in the second set now.
maria steps up.....
Ah, she broke back, they're back on serve and now it's going Sharapova's way.
I do like how the umpire has to run about at rg :)
they should get some grippy dust on all surfaces so the ump can get out there and check the mark.
Maria seems to really be lacking a bit of flow to her game in this match..
Aand just as I said that, Sharapova loses her serve again. What a bizarre set.
Such little consistency!
Does anyone want to win this set?
Match point for maria...
that was a struggle but she is through......geez look at the size difference
Poooof, she got there in the end. Sharapova wins.
wow, that doubles game looked like someone was quite upset with a umpire call again...
nadals record at roland garros, 54-1.... yeah not bad
Looks like we're watching Nadal next. Don't like those red shorts.
Rafa has a goatee?!
Oh wait... ignore me. Brain fail moment.
3 break points here
fognini breaks rafas serve.
This guy is putting up a great fight, Nadal just edges the first set in the tiebreak.
nice, stosur (she would smash me in an arm wrestle with those huge guns) wins the first set.
he had chances in the first set but couldn't put him away, but now nadal is through in straight sets.
Djokovic up next.
I think any and all of these tennis players would beat me in an arm wrestle :)
Was about to say that was an ominously easy first set for Novak. Bit of a wibble in that last game, but one set under his belt easy.
Did I hear that right that John Isner had to defend 12 match points?? He's not one for doing things by halves, is he.
WOAH! That Isner vs Haas match looks crrraaaaaazzzy!
yep in the tiebreak of the 4th!
come on Sammy, what happened, I had a little snooze there and now I see she is down a break in the third.
woah,
just saw this on twitter.
John Isner has spent 8 hours on court competing in the last 33 hours.
its like his Wimbledon epic all over again.
Isner's match so good they're ditching Djokovic on ITV4 :)
Isner always boggles my mind a bit, he's so tall and sort of... lolloping.
finally!!! (been watching the live scores on RG website!)
Perhaps that's because I only ever seem him play tennis when he's exhausted.
I knew he was tall, but when i saw him at Wimbles for the olympics i was not prepared for his giant-ness..
aw poor Isner,
Mahut on twitter -
Such a great fighter John ! Come on @JohnIsner
https://twitter.com/nmahut/status/340895993706979328
Amazing, love that they are close now :)
Unlucky 13!
what a great match! Isner must be so exhausted!!!
Djokovic has a trainer out for shoulder work.
That was awesome stuff from haas... especially considering he's 35
Been stuck in a traffic jam for 2 and a half hours, just got back to the house and I discover I haven't missed all of the Tsonga match! Yipeeeeeeee! :)
Is there play today? I didn't think there would be!
yep! Tsonga is now 2 sets up. And looking mighty smart today.
Have been watching the tsonga match and he's been in control pretty much the whole match, should be a straight sets win but I'm not jinxing anything
He's broken in the third to make it 4-2... should be pretty conclusive now
yay :)
Beautiful. Into the quarters! Allez Jo!!!
Tsonga on fire.. get around him.
backing him to beat Federer in the next round, come on bet 365 give me some decent odds......
really I think he has taken the next step, early on he was very erratic, but now he is a lot more solid all round, in think he can win.
That is a very...very... red top. It makes rocket red look subtle.
he deserves a grand slam at some point, would be good for it to be in France.
yeah he made the final of the Australian open when he first came on the scene but the fed was way too good, I think he is ready now.
he definitely deserves a grand slam! He's performed so well recently! Really looking forward to the Fed match, I remember a few years ago he faced Fed 3 times in a month. (Exhibition match somewhere, and twice at the WTFs in London) he lost each time, lets hope for better luck next week!
Okay, I have my tennis on. Don't know who these two people are but looks like another long match.
Rocket Red vs Other Man
(problem is I don't know which refers to who)
Christine, you said last year you wanted to go to a live tennis match, have you considered any this year? Queens is coming up and should be good fun! If not, WTFs are booking and the earlier you book the easier it is to get good seats! :)
Other Man has a Vettel-esque wobbly finger.
robredo down two sets to love in last 3 matches comes back to win them all. fair effort that.
robrado faced Monfils the other day. ... I think
Other Man reminds me of eddie irvine.
wow, what a comeback
That's mental. three rounds in a row now
saw my first live tennis at the Australian open this year. it was unbelievable, and packed, went on the Saturday, made some rookie mistakes and missed out on a couple of the games I wanted to see because to courts were so packed with huge line ups to get in, but still saw a bunch of doubles matches, loved it. next year im planning on going for three days during the week, probably tuesday - thursday, much easier to get to see who I want and the day pass is such good value.
I need to get some stuff done before the indy car so I'll leave you guys to it to enjoy Federer
Ooh, I'd forgotten I said that :) The trouble with Queens is it's in London, and we hate London at the moment. But I might have a plan.
and hes 35 years old.
Fed just doesn't look the same since he cut all his hair, the headband doesn't look as cool!
Okay, I have some tickets for Eastbourne. Less fancy, I know, but I'm going to be in that area at exactly the right time.
yaaaaaayy!! amazing! Queens and all the London tennis is perfect for me cause i live so close, but yes, i can see why, given your history with getting to London, it's totally understandable!
So excited for you! Fingers crossed the weather will be on your side!! Mum has been to Eastbourne a few times and says it's a nice event!
Thank you for reminding me! It all works out timing wise, and it would be too perfect to expect the weather to hold out as well :)
no worries, i knew i needed to remind you of one other tennis thing! :) hehe bring a brolly just in case, that may fight off any rain clouds!
hehe bless Tsonga - http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/2013-06-02/013f0461453800000c90.html
ouch! Fed goes flying!
Simon takes the second set!!!
ohh and he breaks Fed in the 3rd!
:O Simon takes the 3rd too! crazy crazy stuff!!!
Okay, I need to start paying attention to this match!!
yes! it's so good! Can't believe Simon got a double break in that last set!
Kinda wanted to see Tsonga vs Fed, BUT i'm not gonna complain if Simon takes this match.
Fed seems to have woken up!
Curious that the crowd are with Roger.
the commentators said earlier that the French crowd always prefer Fed.
Fed equals, into the 5th
About time Fed went to five sets :)
Early break in the fifth for Fed.
It always makes me sad when they replay a point and it goes the same way as before. Like, an opportunity wasted.
yeah :( i know what you mean.
I wonder what they would do if the crowd just didn't ever shut up. The crowd at RG, I think it could happen.
That was incredible/lucky!
That was a hard-fought game!
ahhhhhhh!! so close!! goo Simon!
trying desperately to cook dinner, but this is too exciting!
Feel like that was a bit of rage from Federer there! Poor Simon.
aw at least he gave Fed a good run for his money.
Awww, smiles!
he didn't play Roger at that slam, it can't be his fault ;)
Yay I am happy that Christine is going to some tennis! Live tennis is awesome.
I am sad you guys were sending Simon good thoughts though, he's sexist and you should dislike him for what he has said about womens tennis :D
I must say, watching this match is not stressful at all since I know how it ends.
we all clearly have a case of underdog syndrome, we need you in the comments to keep us on the straight and narrow :) Stupid time zones!
cheers amy, i was wrong. in the 08 final it was djokovic that won in 4 sets. for some reason I thought it was roger who beat him. maybe I got confused with the semi they played in 2010, well that will be my excuse........
i am being a terrible tennis fan, it starts here at 7pm and i'm not turning it on until 11 or later by which time i'm laptopless and watching in bed so I don't comment.
Then I watch all the replay all the next day at work and want to comment and no one is here :D
ahhh, 2010, my favourite slam ever for selfish reasons <3 http://twitpic.com/10rrq6
im loving the French open, and Wimbledon when it starts, perfect time to watch a lot of tennis, 6:30 pm start until whenever I fall asleep with the tv on. see very little of the us open and I listen to a lot of the aussie open on my digital radio at work (no tv), but see most of the night sessions.
nice, did you get to see much from this year? I won some money on some first round results so I decided to bus it to Melbourne and get a Saturday ground pass, loved it, will do it properly next year though. go to a few days during the week when its abit quieter, couldn't get near some of the courts this year.
i kept it pretty quiet this year by my standards. Finished work early and headed down with a ground pass at 3pm the first two days, middle weekend in hisense arena and a random last minute Rod Laver decision to go see Federer/Tomic.
Normally I spend too much money going to too many matches but when I got my tickets I'd just come home from the Olympics so I wasn't in serious tennis withdrawal mode.
As I'm sure you learned this year going on the weekend with a ground pass is a guaranteed way to see nobody you want to see unless you're lining up when gates open and don't move from a court all day. They let far too many people in these days!
yeah that was a big rookie mistake be me, thought oh yeah ill se this, ill see that but as soon as I got in there I soon realised the chances of seeing what I wanted were slim. really ended up watching mostly doubles matches and wandering around the outside courts. still enjoyed it though but next year im really looking forward to seeing a few of my favourites play. for what you get for it the the ground pass is such good value.
Hisense is normally a really affordable ticket to see massive names too, they weren't as big this year as last year though as the lack of Rafa meant less big matches to try squeeze onto RLA.
ahh lou, remember that time we went to Wimbledon and stood right next to him? https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405367_10150919655800927_981759949_n.jpg
Yes I totally stole that picture from your facebook ;)
What the heck is Jankovic wearing?? My eyes!
The other one has weird shorts on too now. It must be cold out there.
Is there still tennis on? Annoyingly football has pulled me away from it today (I played absolutely appallingly too so not even worth it)
Looking at ITV4 and the empty stands, I;m gonna say no
I can only assume it's freezing and everyone has gone home.
no excuse, if it's warm in wales it's warm everywhere else :)
That's a 6-0 set to crazy-pink Jankovic.
That is a lot of pink
Even her shoelaces are pink
Ahh, the other one got a game this time. It's only fair.
Not Pink got 2, yay!
Hehe, I don't think she's going to go much further, darn it.
everyone can go home now according to itv4 man
azarenka's boyfriend is on itv4. He is called Redfoo.
That is not a name
He's one half of LMFAO. #nothere
Azarenka goes out with Everyday I'm Shufflin????
ohhhh.
how disappointing
it seems that way. I have absolutely no idea
(if Will is right)
(The younger half.) Correct.
Apparently he also wants to play? http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/9057523/stefan-redfoo-gordy-make-bid-play-us-open
Life gets weirder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redfoo#Personal_life then scroll up.
everyday he's serving?
Every day I'm rallying :)
muuuuch better
Woah. That guy didn't like his racket.
woah serena in a struggle in the third set. not long to go now before probably the match of the tourney. Tsonga v federer
Can't believe I'm missing the Tsonga fed match. Watching the live score on my phone as I run home from Uni. Allez Jo!!
hes a break down in the first set. Federer reminding me how good he is.
broke back, its back to 4-4 now
Gutted Iwon't be home in time to watch it :(
0-30 come on tsonga
Come on Tsonga!!!!!
0-40 now three set points
oh that was unbelievable from Federer, back to duece
It's only the first set and it's so tense!
YYEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!
set 1 to Tsonga. and 7-5 is a very nice result for me........
Federer is in all sorts of strife right now, Tsonga breaks to love early in the second.
Loving this.
10 of the last 11 points to Tsonga.
federer broke his serve to go 4-3 in the first set, it looked like federers class was going to get him on top but since then Tsonga has dominated.
Too many adverts on itv4!!
ah Amy I forgot about that! I miss my tennis guru being around to remind me!
Woop woop!!!!!! 2 sets up!!!!!!
2-0 its all tsonga
early break in the third, this is unbelievable stuff by tsonga
This is awesome. Go Jo!!
just noticed robredo down two sets to love again, I don't think he can come back from here for the fourth time in a row.
Oh I jinxed it. Back on serve
fed back on serves
got him....
Amazing!! Tsonga break!
This.is.awesome
Too much nervous energy!
IN STRAIGHT SETS BABY!!!! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :')
well that was dominant, a few days ago I thought he was in great form and could beat federer but geez that was comprehensive,
Can't believe I missed it, darn it.
Same here, had to work late. The one night, bah.
really recommend catching a replay or something, Tsonga was so impressive. Very proud of him.
sharapova copping a flogging v jankovic, 6-0 first set.
good to see iron maiden drummer nicko mcbrain watching the sharapova v jankovic match at roland garros.
Sad i missed the tennis today, but i was out actually enjoying the wonderful sunshine. How were the matches?
only really saw the sharapova v jankovic match, which was good match that went the three sets. nadal looked way too strong for wawrinka so I decided these late nights / early starts are catching up with me and I should get some sleep, he won easily in the end.
looking forward to Tsonga v ferrer tonight.
ok so its the ladies semis tonight, Tsonga tomorrow night.
It's a catch-22 with these tournaments that the better matches tend to come towards the end of the second week, but by then all the action is done by the time I get home from work!
its friday night and i'm finally ready to keep odd hours to finish up this tournament, but my tv is off at the switch and its on the other side of the room and i'm so comfortable. maybe i'll miss these mens semis :D
I have so much to do today but can't cope with missing any tennis! Multitasking to the max here. Looking forward to these matches
Sad we don't have Eurosport at Uni tho, could have watched the bahrami match this morning
The dedication is amazing :)
hehe you mean you're not gonna support Tsonga? :)
i got thirsty so i combined two birds :)
I am good either way on that one because I love Daveeeed too.
Then again, Jo is more likely to beat Rafa because the other Spaniards roll for him (and Nole is going to lose, bah). Goooo Jo!
its so painful that these two have played each other more than anyone else in the open era because OH MY GOD HURRY UP YOU TWO.
might go the distance this one, wouldn't surprise me if its another marathon 5 setter
even a 3 set is a marathon with these two because THEY'RE SO SLOW
very true, I thought they brought in a rule to speed things up abit.
the problem is the umpires never seem to enforce the rules with the "big name" players.
The odd time I've seen them warn Nadal he reacts like they've killed his entire family, its ridiculous.
noticed that in an earlier match, it didn't speed him up though.
you'll never rid him of his routine.
Novak has gotten marginally better with his bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce serve over the years
yeah he'd even get the head bouncing along too.
id just wish he would stop adjusting himself before ever point
i always laughed that he continued his tuck-my-hair-behind-my-ears thing even after he got all his hair cut off
lookout. looks like going to go at least another 2 hours
tense.
dont touch the net you fool
gah.
well had a bit of a snooze, missed abit of a classic, had a feeling that would be another 5 setter. hopefully Tsonga gets up here otherwise the final might be a bit too one sided, cant see ferrer troubling nadal at all.
So so excited I got home to Kent in time to watch Jo!!
Allez Tsonga!!
Nooo come on Jo!! Time to shine!
No 5,0 is not good Jo!!
:(
Ohh second set is promising!
That match was so sad. Poor Tsonga :( I'm so sad it all got to him :(
well that was disappointing.
it was very sad :(
I see we have graduated to ITV proper channel today!
alright its final number 1 tonight, serena v maria, i think we all know who is going to win, but im hoping that maria gets up,
Maria looks a bit nervous.
she hasn't beaten serena in 9 years.
It begins
Wobbly start but Sharapova saves three break points to deuce.
not sure who those in the white hats are
wohoo maria holds, blow the siren, give her the cup.....
nice 2-0
Are they giving those hats away at the door or something? Everyone has the same headgear on.
2-2 serena starting to fire up.
must be, looks like most people have them.
Those are some incredibly yellow shorts Ms Maria has on.
So, Serena is leading but it's not quite the walkover we expected just yet.
can I say it... im a fan.
back to 4-4, looking like being a competitive match
Hehe, yes, Mr C also not averse to the outfit.
Williams back in the lead again.
First set to Serena.
ah set 1 in thebank for serena, going to be hard to stop from here
3 of 14 break points won is a terrible statistics, and yet it's still Serena in the lead!
4 of 14 now.
4 of 15? Numbers.
maria fighting hard, but serena is just too strong it seems.
serena serving for the match
Two match points.
An ace!
noooooo. boooooooo. serena is just too good / powerful.
when did serena find the time to learn French.
/awesome.
I <3 her
I'm impressed but then again if I was as rich as her I'd totally pay someone to be my full time tutor and just follow me around teaching me all the languages I'd like to learn.
don't get me wrong, i dont mind her, I think she is getting towards the greatest of all time, but I was hoping maria would win.
i always like a good story, i think winning after 11 years is way better than winning after 1 :D
I went for Maria here last year though.
would be handy, I did French in year 8, bonjour tout le monde, mercy bucoup I think how it went, thats all I can remember, it was a while ago now.
I cant believe, given how far ahead of the rest she is, that serena hasn't won in france for so long, it just seems that every time she is fit she dominates.
its incredible how long shes been amazing for, considering that twice her career has practically ended through injury.
I like that years from now I'll be able to say I saw her win a slam and two gold medals, I'm a sucker for seeing legends be legends.
definitely a legend, still got 6 slams to catch one of my all time favourites though, graf 22 slams, serena will probably catch her in two years if she stays fit.
the final day...im guessing nadal in straight sets.
Ooh, tennis, I'm here!
Some good slo-mo shots going on here.
ferrer started well here.
Nadal has broken in the first set, but it seems a lot closer than I might have imagined so far.
it appears similar to last nights match ferrer is playing well, just like maria, but nadal steps up and is too good just at the right time, just like serena.
Nadal storming ahead in the second set. 3-0 before I had time to blink!
yeah he has broken him, I think after that early resistance nadal has gotten into his stride and it might be a quick finish to this match.
That was an incredible rally! Four break points missed for Ferrer now though.
how good was that winner from nadal
look out whats happening here
protesters at the tennis.
Nadal's face was priceless. "How dare you interrupt the master at work?"
Jeez, man with a flare on court now. Security got him instantly.
use the batons, this is madness
How do you focus after that?
I know
no doubt there will be more clowns there, waiting, although that last bloke might be copping a bit of a hiding now.....
I just rad a tweet where someone mentioned that bloke that lit the flare was naked, im not sure but now I must admit I didn't look that close.
um, read a tweet
I thought maybe topless, but the security was on him so fast, who can tell?
yeah I noticed he was topless but the eyes stayed north.
Roland Garros has terrible grounds, boring tennis, awful spectators and terrible security that probably won't change until a player gets stabbed again.
Is it grass season yet?
yeah I think a couple of the grass tourneys have started now
I've only seen one good match this tournament, but haven't been as on it as I should have been. Is it normally boring?
yeah, clay in general is boring because its such a slow surface
I see. Well, I had a calendar reminder about Queens, so it must be grass soon. I don't remember putting Queens in my calendar, but hey ho!
of all the whopping like 4 that exist.
stupid short grass season.
Not naked: http://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/343743242896039936/photo/1
Just stupid.
Raining!
2 court invasions in finals in 5 years is terrible
Nadal ready to play, Ferrer not having any of it.
thankfully, no one needs to see that. (trying not to be crude)
Job done for Rafa.
game set and match. rafa, number 8 on the clay now I think it is,
60 000 balls used during the French open...
usain bolt, what a legend.
do they always play national anthems after the ceremonies, I cant remember that in the past?
the french open always does but they're the only ones
ok thanks.
well that was a good two weeks, sort of a warm up for Wimbledon which isnt far away.