Synopsis U.S. Open 2010- Do the Frenchmen have what it takes to be the one?
The last time French players dominated the world of tennis was in the last millennium, between the 1920s and 30s. Four French players (also known as ‘the four Musketeers’) gained international recognition on the courts in those days. The quartet of these
players consisted of Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet. Between the four of them, they had considerable success, bringing home 20 Grand Slam titles to France.
However, not since Cochet’s victory at the US Open in 1928 has France been awarded with any success at this particular tournament. However, this year, a new school of Frenchmen entered the battle, titled as “the new musketeers.”
Earning their nickname from the French media, these players proved their new moniker surprisingly apt at Flushing Meadows earlier this month. Out of the 64 players who went on to play at the second round, 12 of them were from France. At the third round,
only half the players were eliminated. This set a new record for the country with 6 players in the third round. Players such as the 34th seed Michael Llodra, trained by retired Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo, surprised spectators with a spectacular
win against seventh-seed Tomas Berdych, in the first round.
Players such as Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils both advanced to the tournament’s fourth round, where the two countrymen will be pitted against each other in the match. However, other players such as Arnaud Clement and Paul-Henri Mathieu were thrown off
the court and out of the tournament by Mardy Fish and Roger Federer respectively.
These matches ensured that at least two Frenchmen would advance to the last 16. Michael Llodra and Gilles Simon would have tallied the score to four Frenchmen; however Llodra was beaten by Tommy Robredo for the third time in four matches, whereas Gilles
Simon was upset by eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Amelie Mauresmo herself expressed pleasure at the efforts of Llodra, due to her own hand in his coaching. She was also of the opinion that the Frenchmen did not have what it would take to land them in the finals of this tournament, saying: “For me, Roger
and Rafa are too still too strong, too fit, too good."
Despite the pessimistic yet accurate prediction, Mauresmo also said that the French public was in celebration over the triumph of its countrymen at the 2010 US Open Tournament. The Frenchwoman stated, “"To see so many French players in the second round and
then third round is quite a surprise but I have no clue why it's happened - there's no big secret.”
However, her more dreary prediction of the chances of a Grand Slam final appearance for Monfils or Gasquet, where she said “I hope it’s possible but I don’t really think so” came true when Gasquet was defeated by Monfils, who was subsequently knocked out
of the tournament by Novak Djokovic, eventual runner-up at the US Open.
The last French Grand Slam winner was Yannick Noah, at Roland Garros in his homeland. He won the title match to become champion at the French Open in 1983. The last Frenchman to reach the finals of the US Open tournament itself was Cedric Pioline, who reached
the final at Flushing Meadows in New York in the year 1983.
However, Monfils is still the first Frenchman to make an appearance at the US Open quarter-finals since Arnaud Clement achieved this in 2000. All in all, France may look forward to the possibility of an imminent victory at upcoming Grand Slams.
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