BBC Sport Interactive nominates the 10 greatest moments in the history of the French Open.
1. 1926 final: Suzanne Lenglen v Mark K Browne
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was regarded by many as the best female player
of all time, and her 1926 French Open final victory was her crowning glory.
She shocked the world with her dresses cut just above the calf and always
entertained the galleries.
Suzanne Lenglen: The good old days
|
This was never more true than against American Mark K.
Browne in Paris. The match remains the quickest ever Grand Slam final, for
Lenglen won 6-1 6-0 in 27 minutes.
Lenglen's tennis was supreme as she
clinched her second successive French title, but not without a fuss.
She
broke down in tears after just four games, and then sipped brandy between
sets before taking the acclaim of a bewildered public.
2. 1956 final: Althea Gibson v Angela Mortimer
Tennis was barely ready to cope with the seismic change in culture and
attitude brought about by Gibson, a rebellious child from New York's Harlem
borough.
Courting controversy: Trail-blazing Althea Gibson
|
She was the first black player to compete in United States grass
court tournaments, but her major breakthrough came at Roland Garros in 1956.
Several benefactors, such as boxers Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson, had
helped pay for her air fare to Europe, and Gibson's "thank you" was a 6-0
12-10 win over Britain's Angela Mortimer in front of a hostile French crowd.
She was the first black athlete to win a major tennis singles title.
3. 1984 final: John McEnroe v Ivan Lendl
Those critics who felt John McEnroe was his own worst enemy had a field day
during this match.
McEnroe had blazed his way
through the tournament by swearing, arguing, driving balls at the
photographers' pit, claiming he was on a "Haagen-Dazs" diet and requesting
on-court repairs mid-match.
Brilliantly, he took a two-sets-to-love lead
against Lendl in the final, but then indulged his temper once too often.
Czech-mate? Not after this final
|
At
1-1 in the third, McEnroe objected to a cameraman's headset that was
emitting the director's instructions and cast it aside.
Lendl held serve and then saved three break points later in the third set when McEnroe berated photographers.
McEnroe, who succumbed 5-7 in
the fifth to Lendl, would never win the French Open, and he never had a better
chance than that year.
4. 1995 third round: Jana Novotna v Chanda Rubin
Jana Novotna could stage her own competition for "choking" matches, but this
occasion - and not the more infamous 1993 Wimbledon final against Steffi
Graf - would prove unbeatable.
In a third-round match at the 1995 French
Open, Novotna, a genuine and decent competitor, met American Chanda Rubin.
Not again Novotna: Jana cracks under the pressure
|
Novotna struggled to establish a 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 5-0 lead in an
already-intriguing match. With Rubin serving at 0-5, the Czech then secured
three match points at 0-40 on Rubin's serve.
Novotna could have played all day and night and she still would not have
been able to close out the match.
Rubin saved the match points, then saved
another six before emerging victorious 8-6. Novotna cried out in anguish and
shed tears of desperation.
It made for unpleasant viewing but, from
0-5 0-40 down, Rubin had achieved the ultimate comeback.
5. 1999 final: Andre Agassi v Andrei Medvedev
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf fell in love in Paris in 1999. It was fitting
that their careers should also merge at Roland Garros.
Agassi had been beaten by Andres Gomez and Jim Courier in the 1990 and
1991 French Open finals respectively.
Awesome Andre: Agassi's global domination is on track
|
Critics said he would never add the
French honour to those he had already secured at Melbourne Park, Wimbledon
and Flushing Meadow in the 1990s.
Losing 1-6 2-6 and down a break in the
third set to Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev in the 1999 final, Agassi's career
looked over.
His desperation to complete the Grand Slam set sparked an unlikely, but thrilling, comeback.
Agassi took the next three sets 6-4 6-3
6-4 to became only the fifth player to ever win the four Majors.
6. 1999 final: Steffi Graf v Martina Hingis
An emotional year at Roland Garros got the better of most on the final
Saturday.
Graf had not won a Grand Slam title since 1996 and, after
overcoming a number of personal and health problems, she had stated her
desire to win one more before retiring.
Hingis wanted the French after
losing to Iva Majoli in the final two years previously.
Hingis took a one set lead but Graf secured a dramatic second set 7-5.
Swiss Miss: Hingis' outburst brings howls of derision from the crowd
|
Hingis tried all she could, even copying Chang's underarm serve of a decade
ago, but the German closed out a fraught match 6-2 in the decider.
The Swiss star broke down in tears and stormed off court at the end, only to be hauled back on by her mother to accept the second place trophy.
Graf was serene throughout, even capturing the hearts of the
Roland Garros audience. They had booed Hingis and cheered Graf.
"I feel
French," said Graf.
She retired weeks later with a staggering 22 Grand Slam
singles titles, and her romance with Agassi emerged shortly afterwards.
~RS~a~RS~Domestic~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~42~RS~){kind=small}
MMX
Email this to a friend
Printable version
