“I love you more than my wife Roger! “ In the stands of the court Philippe-Chatrier, Monday, we hope that this man did not come accompanied and that he will have escaped the television cameras for the good of his couple. Even with a gauge limited to a thousand spectators, the return of the Swiss to Paris has had its effect.
It must be said that the man with twenty Grand Slam titles is becoming increasingly rare in the French capital: this is only his second participation in the last six editions, with his semi-final lost to Rafael Nadal in 2019. One of the greatest players in the history of tennis had announced that he needed to play matches, with a view to the grass season, or even the Olympic Games.
READ ALSO. Monday’s live stream
He did not drag on the court on Monday, easily dominating Denis Istomin (world No. 212) in three short sets and 1 h 33 ‘(6-2, 6-4, 6-3). “What a pleasure to be back! It took a little while, with a lot of rehabilitation and training, the Swiss said on court. after a very nice ovation from the stands. That’s enough now, I need to play matches, in beautiful stadiums like this. Today, I had more options than my opponent and I was able to keep the leadership in this game, including good streaks at the net which are always good. “
By going to the net very often, the Swiss cut the exchanges short, thanks to his precision and his eye which remain intact. Physically, he also gave off a good impression. This first turn against an all but earth player (no 3e tour in Paris in ten attempts before) was quite a good warm-up, which he also admitted. The organization had not reserved for him the first “night session” in the history of the tournament, because it is played behind closed doors. Both the Swiss and the French public needed to find each other.
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