Razzano's "Most Beautiful" Victory

What a day this has been for Virginie Razzano, the French player producing a sensational display to stun Roland Garros' biggest favorite, American Serena Williams, in the first round to obtain the "most beautiful" victory of her career. 

A day ago, Alberta Brianti came very close to causing the upset of the tournament in beating the number 1 ranked Azarenka, so when Virginie let a 5-0 third set advantage diminish to 5-3, many were expecting the same outcome. However, the French woman fought hard for most of the encounter, recovering from 1-5 in the second set's tiebreak, so she was determined not to let a once in a lifetime opportunity go by. Although hampered by cramps, she hang on with Williams and, at the end of a marathon game when Serena's shot was called out, she got her reward. "I didn't think too much. I know I have unlimited resources. I dug very deep and I knew nothing was lost, even when I had cramps (in the last game), even when I was not feeling well. It was happiness, pure happiness. It's the most beautiful victory of my whole career, especially on Court Philippe Chatrier in front of the whole crowd", said a visibly emotional Virginie. "In my mind I just never lost," she continued. "Yes, it was 5-1 in the tie-break, but in my mind I knew I could win this set. I knew I could come back, and I knew I had to do that. You don't need to think about other things, you just try to come back and try your best every time, on every point. After, if she played too well, I could say I did my maximum, and she wins. But I believed I could win. Even at 5-1 in the tie-break, I knew I hadn't lost yet."

This success is even more special as it comes after a rather dark period in her life. Struggling with injuries and poor form, she saw her ranking go down from her highest position at number 16 to outside the top 100. Moreover, just over a year ago she lost her fiancé and coach, Stéphane Vidal, who succumbed to a brain tumor. "Maybe it's a new Virginie," she concluded. "I've made a lot of good work on myself from last year to this year."

Razzano goes on to face Arantxa Rus from The Netherlands next. At the same stage last year, Rus produced a magnificent comeback, defeating tournament favorite Kim Clijsters in an epic second round encounter.

Virginie Razzano produced the match of her life to beat Serena Williams, the American's first first round defeat at a major.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

Winning a Battle, but Losing the War

The fact that French players are lacking the mental strength to grab their chances has been attested endlessly throughout the last decades. Tsonga lost one of his rare battles with Djokovic when it mattered most, namely in the final of the Australian Open 2008, Cornet lost being up 5-2 in the 3rd set to Safina (a loss that marked the beginning of the end for her), Bartoli is being defeated recently by lower-ranked players, Monfils and Gasquet are constantly injured and unfortunately, the string of French misses doesn't end here. The Fed Cup battle with Russia this last weekend was just the missing cherry on the cake. 

Entering as the underdogs, Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano did wonders in beating Kuznetsova, respectively Sharapova, to ensure a 2-0 lead. Once again, France had the upper-hand and a place in the semis was within their reach. Then the usual thing happened. After getting a good night's sleep, the Russian squad came out stronger than ever and managed to turn things around, while France succumbed. The previous hard work proved to no avail eventually, as Kuznetsova/ Pavlyunchenkova beat Coin/Cornet in the decisive doubles match to seize a 3-2 win.

Another conclusive example is the Davis Cup final against Serbia last November. Prior to the final, I was expecting two single wins for each team, the double clash to decide the winner. Deep down I was hoping one of the Frenchmen could beat Djokovic. After Llodra subdued the Serb in Paris a couple of weeks before, I was counting on a repeat. Guy Forget, however, had other ideas. He selected Simon to play Djokovic. Of course, Gilles lost in three sets. Even so, after the first two days, France was 2-1 ahead and was in need of one more win to capture the trophy. Clement and Llodra did a great job in overcoming Zimonjic/ Troicki in a five set thriller showing great fighting spirits. With the odds on their side, Forget blew it once more. I am not sure what exactly went through his mind, but he picked Llodra over Simon (who holds a 5-0 record against Troicki) to face the Serb in the singles' rubber. I was appalled by his judgment and the fact that Llodra lost easily in 3 sets substantiates my thinking. His choice was faulty and, in my opinion, deprived France of the win. 

Having such huge talents (i.e. Tsonga, Monfils, Gasquet, Simon, Bartoli, Golovin or Cornet), it is shocking that France doesn't have a top ten player. So why do French players excel in creating opportunities, but are lousy in taking then? 

photo: Kivrin /Golovanov