3 former Roland Garros champions and a former Australian Open runner-up were on Court 1 on Thursday for a fun Legends doubles match.
The beautiful Court 1 – nicknamed the “Bullring” because of its circular shape – is a favorite among serious tennis fans because of its relatively small size and feeling of close proximity to the action.
The Court number 1 has been the scene of some stunning French Open upsets, such as unseeded Gustavo Kuerten‘s 3rd-round victory over Thomas Muster in 1997, on his way to his first of three Roland Garros titles; and Gabriela Sabatini‘s defeat – after a 6-1, 5-1 lead and five match points – to Mary Joe Fernandez in the 1993 quarterfinals. It was also the site of Marat Safin’s famous “dropped pants” match against Felix Mantilla in 2004.
Sadly, court number one will be destroyed. One more proof that decision-makers have no idea what fans like and what makes the beauty of Roland Garros. More informations on Roland Garros stadium modernization.
Long rallies at the net, jokes, that match was great fun for players and spectators alike:
Albert Costa is currently coaching Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enqvist is Fernando Verdasco’s coach and Carlos Moya is now Spain’s Davis Cup team captain, but I have no idea what Gaston Gaudio has been up to since his retirement, if you have any info, leave a comment below, thanks!
Enjoy more pictures:
They played at Roland Garros a few years ago, they are now back in Paris as coaches, TV commentators or are taking part to the Legends trophy, and with this new trend of great champions turning to coaching, there’s plenty of past champions to see around the grounds at Roland Garros.
6-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, coach of Novak Djokovic:
Goran Ivanisevic, quarterfinalist in 1990, the year he beat then world No 1 Stefan Edberg in the first round. He now coaches Marin Cilic:
Sergi Bruguera, winner in 1993 and 1994, coach of Richard Gasquet:
Magnus Norman, finalist in 2000, coach of Stanislas Wawrinka:
Michael Chang, winner in 1989 and coach of Kei Nishikori:
Martina Hingis, finalist in 1997 and 1999. She coaches Sabine Lisicki:
Sébastien Grosjean, semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2001, coach of Richard Gasquet:
Fabrice Santoro, doubles finalist in 2004, interviews players after their matches:
Kim Clijsters and Martina Navratilova, playing doubles together:
Iva Majoli, Roland Garros champion in 1997:
Anastasia Myskina, first ever female Russian player to win a Grand Slam title (Roland Garros in 2004):
Former world number one Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez, 1993 French Open runner-up:
1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna:
Natasha Zvereva, runner-up in that famous 1988 final against Steffi Graf:
Nathalie Tauziat and Conchita Martinez practising on court 15, they play the Legends Trophy together:
Martinez is now captain of the Spanish Fed Cup team. Tauziat is the former coach of Eugénie Bouchard (below a picture of them two at Roland Garros last year), she now coaches Aleksandra Wozniak:
Gaston Gaudio, surprise winner in 2004:
Thomas Enqvist and Carlos Moya, Roland Garros champion in 1998:
Albert Costa, winner in 2002. He is currently coaching Feliciano Lopez.
Cédric Pioline interviewing Maria Sharapova after her victory over Eugénie Bouchard:
Excerpt of Pete Sampras autobiography A champion’s mind:
“I won the Australian Open to launch my 1997 campaign, a pleasant surprise given the way I felt about the tournament. I took extra pride in the win for a couple of reasons.
In the round of 16, I played Dominik Hrbaty in a five-set war that I eventually won 6-4. The on-court temperature during that match hit 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, with the extreme heat policy in effect, they would have stopped the match, or closed the roof on Rod Laver Arena. Given what had happened at the US Open just months earlier in my match with Alex Corretja, I was glad to survive that test of stamina in the infernal Aussie heat.
It was also encouraging for me that while the Australian major is a hard-court tournament, in 97, it was dominated by slow-court players. After Hrbaty, I beat, in order, Al Costa, Thomas Muster, and Carlos Moya, to take the title. Each of those guys had won – or would win – Roland Garros. That gave me hope – maybe my fate at Roland Garros, the one slam that continued to elude me, wasn’t sealed quite yet.”
Organizers of the Barcelona Open paid tribute to Mats Wilander, who won the tournament three years in a row (1982, 1983, 1984) and lost twice in the final (1985, 1987).
Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas during the trophy ceremony in 1983:
Wilander received the award from Barcelona Open tournament director Albert Costa and Real Club Tenis Barcelona president Albert Agusti. Spanish champions Conchita Martinez, Alex Corretja, Carlos Costa and Feliciano Lopez were in attendance:
