Every day during the Roland Garros tournament, a new french word or expression related (or not) to Paris, tennis and Roland Garros.

FWOTD #1: DIMANCHE (Sunday)
Since 2006, the final draw of the tournament has begun on a Sunday. So, Roland Garros is the “longest Slam”, being contested over 15 days (14 days Oz and US Open and 13 for Wimbledon).

In 2000, Mary Pierce became the first French women’s champion at Roland Garros since Françoise Durr in …1967!
She beat 3-time FO champion Monica Seles in quarterfinals and world number one Martina Hingis in semies, both in 3 tight sets. She then defeated clay court specialist Conchita Martinez 6-2 7-5 to capture her second GS title (the first being the 95 Australian Open).

She also won the doubles title with partner Martina Hingis, defeating doubles specialists Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez in final. Seriously, who knew she could volley?

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May 2009:

From 2005 to the start of Roland Garros 2009, Rafael Nadal won 150 matches for only 5 losses on clay. He has never lost a match at Roland Garros where he’s playing for a fifth consecutive title, which has never been done before.

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Svetlana Kuznetsova:

The future was bright for Svetlana Kuznetsova when she won the US Open in 2004. But she never fullfilled her potential, and had just reached one Grand Slam final since.
With the help of new coach Larissa Neiland, she refocused on her game, and put her career back on track. She battled past Serena Williams and Sam Stosur in quarter and semi finals, but Safina was no match for the powerful and versatile Kuznetsova.

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From Nadal‘s shocking defeat against Soderling to Safina‘s collapse in final, FO 09 was full of surprises and upsets. Here’s a quick recap of last year’s Roland Garros in 9 photos.

Rafael Nadal:

“Defeats never make you grow, but you also realise how difficult what I achieved up until today was, and this is something you need sometimes. You need a defeat to give the value to your victories.”

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