Eat, Pray, Win French Open

I woke up this morning and was rooting for Sam Stosur to bulldoze her 29 year old Italian opponent, Francesca Schiavone, on her way to a much deserved first grand slam win.  It was Stosur after all who earned her way to the title round having ousted 3 world number #1′s, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena “Fish-Face” Jankovic.

But by the end of the 1.5 hour contest, I was utterly thrilled for Schiavone.

You see, this year, I had already become acquainted with the peoples and culture of Italia vis a vis Julia Roberts’ NYT best-seller, Eat, Pray, Love. (or was it Elizabeth Gilbert’s?) Breaking through the morass of her self-pity and self-indulgence – pausing briefly to get over my own predilection against First World middle-class women’s woes and empathizing with her pain – what I actually got out of Eat, Pray, Love was an appreciation for that boot-shaped nation.

I had even gotten a chance to see Schiavone play in person a few years back at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. It was a late afternoon doubles match, and I thought, this woman has got great arms.  Not as muscular as Stosur’s, but taut and impressive all the same.  She played with pizazz and several kilos of personality.

I remember thinking, it’s great that women can still play this type of game and still make a living on the professional tour.  But how can a 5’5″ woman ever hope to win a slam? Schiavone doesn’t have even the power of a comparable shorty, Henin.

This morning, Schiavone drew us all into her time warp as her all-court style of play defused the Australian’s biggest baseline shots.  Her Graf-like slice backhands, Sabatini-esque topspins, and Navratilova-ish serves constituted a rarely seen formula in the modern era.  By match’s end, she was also nearly perfect at the front of the court, winning 14 of 15 net points.  Can you say, winning percentage?

Schiavone’s defensive play was not surprising.  What was surprising was how rattled Stosur was by Schiavone’s aggressive play.  Sam never settled into her power zone comfortably.  She managed an impressive 25 winners, but undid her own cause with 28 unforced errors.

Witnessing Schiavone become her country’s first grand slam singles winner in the open era was such a pleasure.  This was a woman who played for love of the game, not for the endorsements, the money, or her own ego.  Her excitement was palpable and irresistible.  As each point in the tiebreaker brought her closer to the magic score of 7, the French audience got more and more electrified.  Heck, even at match’s end, she was still floating!

This year’s final was the crowning of a first time slam champion, the second time in three years.  Whereas two years ago, Ana Ivanovic was proclaimed to be tennis newest “it” girl as she ascended to world #1 ranking, expectations of Schiavone are not nearly as high.  Who cares! Francesca, you worked it and you deserve the champagne e prosecco. Let it runneth over.

Advertisement