Wants to really get going in Paris for the first time: Viktorija Golubic.
Keystone
For both Swiss, the French Open starts on Sunday. Viktorija Golubic and Stan Wawrinka enter the tournament confident, but also with unanswered questions.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- At the French Open, Stan Wawrinka meets Andy Murray in the first round.
- “It will definitely be a good game,” believes Wawrinka before the 23rd encounter (13:9 wins for the Scot).
- Viktorija Golubic meets Barbora Krejcikova.
Viktorija Golubic was beaming from ear to ear on Saturday as she took her seat in the interview zone. She had come straight from Court Suzanne-Lenglen, where she took part in the traditional Yannick Noah Day in front of many fans. “I’m full of adrenaline. If I wasn’t awake and ready before, I definitely am now.” It was a cool and somewhat surprising opportunity to play in the big stadium.
She will return to the second largest court at the Stade Roland-Garros late on Sunday afternoon. The 30-year-old from Zurich was not very lucky; she will face Czech Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 winner, in the first round. Golubic (WTA 74) has only played three matches on clay this season after injuring her foot at the end of January. But she now feels completely fit again.
The unrequited love
She has a somewhat complicated relationship with the French Open. “It was always a bit of my love,” says the Swiss. “It’s the tournament that I always watched on TV.” The results, however, don’t match that. She only reached the second round at her debut in the main draw eight years ago, and since then she has suffered five first-round defeats.
She also sees positive aspects in her strong opening opponent: “I know that I have to give Gutzi from the start.” Krejcikova, currently number 26 in the world, is usually in her own world and plays the ball independently of her opponent. “When she’s in a good mood, she does it very, very precisely.” That’s why it’s important to get the Czech out of her comfort zone as much as possible.
Duel of the ailing oldies
Stan Wawrinka will even be playing against Andy Murray in the first night session of this year’s tournament on the biggest court. “I feel very good mentally, physically and in terms of tennis,” says the 39-year-old from Vaud. “But I have to start winning matches again.” That has hardly been the case so far this year.
Wawrinka’s lowest point came in Rome. He lost to Albert Ramos-Viñolas at a Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence, after nine previous victories against the Spanish veteran. “After two days in Rome, I went home because I really didn’t feel like being on the court.” He admits that the official reason for the forfeit, a wrist injury, was just a pretext.
But now the desire is back, even more so for a duel against a long-time companion. “It’s nice to play against someone of my generation again,” says Wawrinka with a smile. He and Murray have already had some epic duels, not least in the semi-finals of the 2017 French Open. The French-speaking player won after more than five hours, but after that both players were so exhausted that they never returned to their previous physical level. “It will definitely be a good match,” believes Wawrinka ahead of the 23rd meeting (13:9 wins for the Scot).
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2024-05-25 14:41:00
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