From May 26 to June 9, Roland Garros was the scene of spectacular tennis duels. Novak Djokovic, titles Carlos Alcaraz, respectively Ige Sfjontek, and fifty days after the last match on the main field of "Filip Šatrije", a new big tournament started - the Olympic one.
Without Janika Siner (he withdrew due to tonsillitis), but the first day of the tennis tournament showed that the rain may affect the organizer, but not the fans.
It rained mercilessly for the second day in a row in the City of Light, but when around noon a river of people made their way to the Boulogne Forest, it was clear that the first day of the tournament could not disappoint. Although at one point the entire program on open fields was cancelled...
It didn't bother anyone, so around 14 p.m. the plateau in front of the "Chatrije" was probably the most visited place in Paris - the invitation to the spectators was the victory of Iga Sfjontek over the Romanian woman Irina-Kamelija Beg because it was a sign that Novak Đoković's duel with Matthew Ebden.
The Australian wasn't a threat to the man chasing his first Olympic gold (6:0, 6:1), and he wasn't expected to be, given that he was a doubles player and someone who played his last singles match two years ago. ...
- I can officially say that I ended my singles career after such a defeat. I am honored to have shared the field of "Shatrije" with Novak at this moment - said a cheerful Ebden.
And the main impression of the match, apart from Djokovic's routine game, was how Ebden "forced" the fans to support him.
From point to point and game to game, it became clearer that the duel would not last long, and then around 15 thousand people watching in the stadium "turned against" the three-time winner of Roland Garros and tried to push the Australian to at least one game.
And when Ebden won what he wanted, he received a huge ovation - he didn't even try to hide how much they meant to him, so after celebratory gestures to the audience, he patted Djokovic on the shoulder as they went for a short break.
Four hours later, also under a closed roof but with the floodlights on, the clay that Djokovic was treading on was passed by and Rafael Nadal and Karlos Alkaras who played a doubles match.
Rafa won the RG title on this same field an unbelievable 14 times, this year he did not perform, while Carlitos is in a rush after winning Paris at the beginning of June, and recently Wimbledon.
The tournament has just started, Nadal is waiting for the first round in singles today, and if she wins, she will also have a treat on Monday in the 2nd round against Đoković.
For a long time, more tickets have been requested for a potential duel between gladiators, which could easily be the last, given that Rafa is nearing the end of his career.
Bonus video:
