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Guy Forget, dyrektor Roland Garrosa, powiedział, że turniej powinien rozpocząć się pod koniec września bądź na początku października. - Ale wciąż jest jeszcze za wcześnie, by to ogłosić - zastrzegł.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
24 Maja 2020, 09:03
Guy Forget
Getty Images / Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Na zdjęciu: Guy Forget


Tenis. Marin Cilić nie chce US Open bez kibiców. "To nie będzie miało takiej samej wagi"
W niedzielę miał rozpocząć się wielkoszlemowy Roland Garros. Jednak został przełożony z powodu pandemii koronawirusa. Nowym, wciąż niepotwierdzonym, terminem turnieju jest 20 września - 4 października, lecz pojawiły się nieoficjalnie doniesienia, że start nastąpi jeszcze o tydzień później.
Pytań dotyczących Rolanda Garrosa 2020 jest dużo. Na część z nich starał się udzielić odpowiedzi Guy Forget, dyrektor turnieju, który na antenie radia Europe 1 podkreślił, że są czynione działania, aby impreza doszła do skutku.


- Oficjalnie jeszcze nic nie jest ogłoszone - mówił Forget. - Turniej prawdopodobnie rozpocznie się pod koniec września lub na początku października. Ściśle współpracujemy z ATP, WTA i ITF, aby ogłosić kalendarz do końca roku.

ZOBACZ WIDEO: Koronawirus. Czy zabraknie pieniędzy na polski sport? "Liczę na to, że budżet ministerstwa sportu będzie wyglądał tak samo"
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- Istnieje opcja, aby 20 września rozpocząć kwalifikacje, a następnie, by przez dwa tygodnie rozgrywany był turniej główny. Ale wciąż jest jeszcze za wcześnie, by to ogłosić - wyjawił.

Roland Garros może się więc rozpocząć kilkanaście dni po zakończeniu innego turnieju wielkoszlemowego, US Open, który jest zaplanowany w dniach 31 sierpnia - 13 września. - Nowy Jork jest w trudniejszej sytuacji w związku z koronawirusem niż my. Oni też próbują rozwiązać problemy organizacyjne - powiedział Forget.


- W obliczu obecnej sytuacji jesteśmy zobowiązani do rozważenia wszystkich opcji. Jedną z nich jest gra za zamkniętymi drzwiami. Pozostajemy ambitni i optymistyczni, ale zobaczymy, co będzie za kilka miesięcy. Dostosujemy się do tego, co powie rząd. Chcę wierzyć, że uda się zorganizować turniej w dobrych warunkach - dodał Francuz.

Marco Trungelliti began his 2018 ATP Tour season with two goals. Alongside his ambition to enjoy a breakout year, the Argentine also wanted to reach the main draw at Roland Garros for the third straight season.

Trungelliti entered the tournament with confidence, having won eight consecutive matches from qualifying to claim his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Barletta in April. But the 5’10” right-hander fell just short of his goal, losing in three sets to Hubert Hurkacz in the final qualifying round.

“Even though I had come this close to one of my goals, I was still at peace with the outcome,” said Trungelliti. “I felt secure about my level of play and just happy with what I had accomplished so far [in 2018].”

Following his loss, Trungelliti eventually made it back to Barcelona on a delayed flight, where he had relocated a few months earlier with his wife Nadir. His mother, Susi, his grandmother, Lela, and his brother, Andre, were also waiting there. His family had made the trip from Argentina, with plans to see him play in Paris.


Plan B was soon created, with sightseeing, trips to the beach and barbecue food at the top of the agenda. But one conversation would soon throw those ideas out of the window. During a call with his coach on Sunday morning, the Argentine was told he could still make the main draw in Paris as a lucky loser.

"Grandma, change of plans, pack your bags, we're going to Paris,” said Trungelliti.

With train strikes and the risk of further flight delays, Trungelliti made the decision to take the trip in his rented Seat Ibiza. With his mother and grandmother in the back seats, Trungelliti and his brother shared driving duties for the 10-hour trip to the French capital. All he had to do was sign in the following morning and he would book his place in the first round against Bernard Tomic at 11am on Court 9.

After arriving at his hotel around midnight, the 28-year-old managed just five hours of sleep before his encounter with the former Top 20 star. But that didn’t stop him from earning a memorable victory and a place in the second round for the third straight year.

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With his 88-year-old grandmother sitting courtside for the first time, unable to keep score, Trungelliti moved past the Aussie in four sets.

“This isn’t the first Grand Slam match I’ve won, but what makes it so special is having my family around me to witness this marvellous moment… I don’t know if what I’ve accomplished is that big a deal; what’s important is that I’ve enjoyed every moment of what led up to this with my family by my side,” said Trungelliti.

Trungelliti’s journey was ended in the second round. The Argentine lost in straight sets to Marco Cecchinato, who went on to defeat Novak Djokovic to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final.

From one Marco to another, both players will look back on their remarkable 2018 trips to Paris with fond memories.

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Rafael Nadal beat John Isner at 2011 Roland Garros, which was the Spaniard's first five-setter at the clay-court major.
Roland Garros Flashback: Nadal's First Five-Setter In Paris
May252020
ATP Staff
Relive Nadal's 2011 five-set victory against Isner

Staring down Rafael Nadal on clay is one of the biggest challenges of modern sport. Doing so on Court Philippe Chatrier, Roland Garros’ centre court, has proven nearly mission impossible.

But in the first round at 2011 Roland Garros, John Isner became the first man to take the Spaniard to a fifth set in Paris. Nadal had five Coupes des Mousquetaires under his belt and a 38-1 record in the French capital — his only loss at Roland Garros had come against Robin Soderling in 2009 — but the big-serving American pushed the lefty to the brink.

Although Nadal would eventually see off the Isner threat, it certainly rocked Nadal’s boat at a venue where he was used to calm waters.

The battle was the epitome of tension, an even match that the Spaniard eventually won 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4. After more than four hours of hard work, the Spaniard was still fending off the American’s serve, which, even on the slow surface, proved a lethal weapon.

“It was like a penalty shootout”, Nadal reflected. “Isner’s serve is practically unstoppable at the moment. In the tie-break, you’re playing under huge pressure all the time.”

You May Also Like: Remember Paris, 2011: Agassi On Nadal's Clay Form

The American, who connected with 13 aces and took two one-sided tiebreaks, proved a tough nut to crack in the first round of the tournament.

Nadal was rewriting the history of the event and there was one chapter he did not want to add to the book — no Roland Garros champion has lost in the first round the year after claiming the crown. That afternoon in Paris, challenged by his opponent’s vicious serve, the Spaniard’s reflexes and concentration were relentlessly tested.

“The matches are always very close against John because he makes you play with no room for error,” admitted the Spaniard. “At times, in the tie-breaks, I didn’t play well. I was too nervous. He was a very tough opponent for me. I would like to congratulate him on a great match.”

Nadal found another gear when he needed it the most. With his back against the wall and no room for error against an intimidating rival, the Mallorcan produced a great stretch of focus in Paris. In the fourth set, he did not make an unforced error, forcing a deciding set.

With no final-set tiebreak, there were plenty of nerves for everyone involved. But the Spaniard drew on the confidence from his strong fourth set and rode that to victory.

“The way he played in the fourth and fifth set... I had never seen tennis like that,” Isner said. “That’s why he’s the World No. 1 and one of the best players of all-time”.

The sheer effort from the players is testament to the demands of the match.

“At 30/30 in the final game, I needed oxygen. I nearly collapsed. My legs were gone,” Isner said.

Nadal was pushed to the limit, but the champion battled back even harder.
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Roland-Garros organisers are considering playing in front of reduced crowds, to avoid having to cancel the tournament altogether.

Things are looking brighter for the French Open. On Saturday, tournament director Guy Forget announced that the final dates for Roland-Garros will soon be announced; if it goes ahead it will start either on September 20 or September 27. The date will be set “soon”, Bernard Giudicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), confirmed on French radio station “France Info”.


“We are discussing the date with all the international bodies, the ATP, the WTA, the International Federation (ITF), the Frenchman said. “We are working on setting up a global calendar for the end of the season as well. It’s still a little early to announce the final date.”

In an exclusive interview with Tennis Majors, in which he also discussed the financial aspects of the crisis for the Federation, FFT Treasurer General Hughes Cavallin said he was optimistic that the tournament will take place as scheduled:


“The scenario is increasingly optimistic. I’ll give you an example. If the French Government holds municipal elections in June, I don’t see how we couldn’t put people in stadiums.”

“We escaped the worst”

In an interview on Sunday on the FFT’s Twitter account, Giudicelli, ranked 7th in our list of the major actors of the lockdown, reflected with satisfaction on his original decision to postpone the tournament to September, a unilateral move that created some turmoil among players and tennis’ other governing bodies.


“I think we avoided the worst: the suspension or the total cancellation. We’ve got a postponement of a few months and it’s a huge sigh of relief! We’ll be there for all the tennis lovers and that’s what matters. We’ve preserved the world’s biggest clay-court tournament,” he said, enthusiastically.


Premier épisode de "L'appel d'Emilie" avec comme invité le président de la FFT, @bgiudicelli_pr ! pic.twitter.com/4hy7nBS5Go

— FFT (@FFTennis) May 24, 2020



The FFT boss said playing the tournament behind closed doors would be a last resort.


“It’s really the ultimate option. It’s the one that would be decided if the only other possibility is cancellation. So it’s not our priority at all.”

“We are working on a reduced crowd capacity”

Giudicelli, in an interview on French TV show Stade 2, said reducing the capacity of the stadiums was the favoured option. Roger Federer suggested the same thing on Saturday.


“We’re working to host a tournament with the entire crowd, even if it seems very unlikely. We will follow the conditions of the authorities. More likely, we are heading towards holding the tournament with a diminished capacity. We would be satisfied with that option.”

The general treasurer of the FFT confirmed this hypothesis to Tennis Majors:


“We’re working on a scenario with a reduced crowd capacity: maybe instead of 40,000 people a day, we will host 25,000. That is a scenario that would allow us to organise a very nice French Open.”

Speaking on French radio station, RTL, French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu was less optimistic about the French Open being played. But she confirmed she is looking into the possibility of fewer people attending the event.


“It is too early to make a statement because we have to follow the evolution of the epidemic. We are considering what kind of adjusted configuration we might have. We are working on scenarios with smaller audiences.”

She also agreed with Amélie Mauresmo on the need for a vaccine for professional tours to be completely back to normal. To the question, “Is a vaccine necessary for a return to normal?” she replied, “Of course. It is the case in all environments where people are very close together”.

ATPTour.com follows Ramos-Vinolas just days before his opening round match in Paris

Editor's Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Roland Garros would now be underway. During the next two weeks ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the clay-court Grand Slam, which tournament organisers are now hoping to stage in September. This story was originally published on 28 May 2018.

I get asked all the time what day-to-day life is like as a player, what I do to prepare for events and what I eat. So now I'm going to answer all those questions that my friends, my fans and journalists have about a regular day on the ATP Tour. For some background, I'm getting ready to make my eighth consecutive main draw appearance at Roland Garros. My opening round match is just a few days away. (No. 31 seed Ramos-Vinolas faces Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday).

6:30 am: My day begins. I get up and prepare a breakfast with gluten-free products. I'm not a Coeliac (a person with an autoimmune condition that affects the small intestine and must avoid gluten), I just feel better not ingesting gluten, milk or eggs. We're sticking to a simple menu this morning: lots of fruit, turkey on bread, and a little rice for the carbs I'll need ahead of a long day.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

8:30 am:I leave the apartment I’m staying at and get to the Roland Garros grounds via the tournament's official players' transport vehicle and begin my daily warmup routine.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

9 am: By this time I'm exercising at the facility's gym and completing my joint stretches so that I'll be loose when I step on the court for the first of two practice workouts I've scheduled for the day.

Ramos Viñolas y Paire

9:30 am: I'm on Court 5. My practice partner today is Benoit Paire. After a somewhat short but intense practice session, we take a selfie together! It's just a fun way for us to look back and remember the moment.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

12 pm: I take a shower and get ready for a Q&A session with the media. By 1:30, it’ll be time for lunch. Today I'll have gluten-free pasta with chicken as fuel ahead of my second workout of the day.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

4 pm: I'm back out on the practice court. This time I'm booked to train with Fernando Verdasco for an hour. Afterward, I take some pictures with my coaches, Jose Maria Diaz and Juan Ros, and also some with Fernando and his coach Guillermo Alcaide and his physiotherapist/physical trainer Javier Bustos Hernan.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

6 pm: I've done all the work I've had to do at the club, so now it's time to head back to where I'm staying. Before I get there, though, I have to make a stop at the supermarket. This year, my team decided not to stay at the players' hotel; we rented an apartment so that means we have to cook and prepare the meals ourselves.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

8 pm: It's dinner time! We've made salad, along with baked chicken and rice for the last meal of the day.

Albert Ramos Viñolas

8:45 pm: My physiotherapist stops by the apartment to provide general treatment and get me ready for tomorrow. Today was a long day and I can use the rest. I'll be in bed and call it a night by 11.

Relive the Slovakian's big upset and run to the Roland Garros semi-finals
Editor's Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Roland Garros would now be underway. During the next two weeks ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the clay-court Grand Slam, which tournament organisers are now hoping to stage in September.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov reached the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 3 May 1999, becoming the first Russian to accomplish the feat. Three weeks later, he was the top seed at Roland Garros, where he became the first man from his country to win a Grand Slam title in 1996.

Kafelnikov didn’t enter the event in his best form. After winning the Australian Open and Rotterdam earlier that year, he didn’t reach another final. Facing 1989 champion and 1995 finalist Michael Chang in the first round certainly didn’t help.

Although he doesn’t recall the moment he saw that year’s Roland Garros draw, he knew Chang wasn’t the only issue. He saw one player who always gave him nightmares — Dominik Hrbaty — potentially lurking in the second round.

“If I’m looking at the draw and see Hrbaty on the way I’m going, ‘Oh my God! How can I avoid this guy?’” Kafelnikov told ATPTour.com. “Dominik would lose to anybody, but when he played against me, he always brought his best game. That was really painful for me.”

My Point: Get The Players' Point Of View

Kafelnikov battled past Chang in four tough sets in his opener, and Hrbaty defeated home favourite Julien Boutter in a tight four-setter, so the Russian’s nightmare was going to become a reality. The pair had previously met twice, with Kafelnikov only winning one set.

“Dominik is a player who had all the answers to my game,” Kafelnikov said. “Thomas Johannson and Hrbaty were two of my nemeses who I couldn’t figure out how to beat them, comfortably.”

Even so, a one-sided match in favour of Hrbaty didn’t seem likely. Yet the Slovakian rolled past the favourite 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

“I was the No. 1 player in the world at the time, but Dominik’s game was such a solid game that he had every answer to all my shots,” Kafelnikov said. “If I was hitting the ball hard, the ball was coming back twice as hard. That stuff was driving me nuts. Those two players [Hrbaty and Johansson] read my game so well.”

Tennis At Home | How ATP Players Make The Most Of Stay At Home

Kafelnikov at times appeared frustrated, double faulting to end the second set, which only took 23 minutes. But he continued to fight.

Hrbaty broke early in the third set, but the Russian levelled the set at 3-3. Hrbaty’s pressure was relentless, breaking for 5-3 by lacing a backhand passing shot up the line, giving himself an opportunity to serve for the match. Kafelnikov remained mentally engaged, breaking back once more when Hrbaty missed a forehand volley wide.

But the Slovakian wouldn’t be denied, clinching the match after one hour and 47 minutes when Kafelnikov mishit his trusty two-handed backhand well out.

“Before the match I was thinking I could beat him because I beat him two times before,” Hrbaty said in a television interview right after the match. “All the match I was just confident I was going to beat him.”

The upset spurred the best Grand Slam run of Hrbaty’s career. The Slovakian, who won his second ATP Tour title in Prague a month before Roland Garros, beat Andrew Ilie, Marat Safin and former World No. 1 Marcelo Rios to reach his lone major semi-final.

The only man who was able to stop Hrbaty was Andre Agassi, who eventually lifted the trophy. All of it was possible because of Hrbaty’s stunning performance against Kafelnikov.

Frenchman recorded biggest victory of his career in second round

With just two tour-level victories to his name and no wins against Top 100 opposition, French wild card Eric Winogradsky entered Roland Garros in 1987 under the radar.

But, after his win against World No. 77 Marcel Freeman in the first round, the 21-year-old made headlines around the world with a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory against two-time reigning Australian Open champion and World No. 3 Stefan Edberg.

With four trophies to his name already that year and a comfortable victory in his opening match against Mike Leach, Edberg was attempting to avoid back-to-back second-round losses in Paris after a five-set loss to eventual runner-up Mikael Pernfors in 1986.

Tennis At Home | How ATP Players Make The Most Of Stay At Home

The 1985 quarter-finalist charged to a 4-1 advantage in the first set, but Winogradsky proved relentless with his attacking brand of serve-and-volley tennis to find his way back into the set and force a tie-break.

"I was up, 4-1, in the first and then I let him back in the match," said Edberg. "I just couldn't get his serve into play all day. I felt the whole time like I was in trouble because I just couldn't handle his serve."

After claiming the tie-break, Winogradsky reached 4-4 in the second set before rain interrupted play. Wet conditions were on the Frenchman’s wish list heading into the match.

"I went out thinking that I had a small chance to win if it rained, and if the balls got heavy, and if I played very well, and if he didn't play very well," Winogradsky said. "Notice there were a lot of ifs."

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After taking the second set in another tie-break, Winogradsky broke serve late in the third set to claim a memorable victory in front of his home crowd. It would be the 21-year-old’s lone third-round appearance at a Grand Slam singles event and his only win against a Top 20 player.

"He never seemed to get tight," said Edberg. "He just kept hitting good shots. I never had an opening.”

Winogradsky, who fell to Karel Novacek in the next round, will also be remembered at Roland Garros for his runner-up finish alongside Mansour Behrami in the 1989 doubles event. The Frenchman also coached Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from 2004 to 2011.

Bernard Giudicelli, szef Francuskiej Federacji Tenisa (FFT), podkreślił, że trwają prace, aby wielkoszlemowy Roland Garros został rozegrany. - Jesteśmy w trybie przygotowawczym. Pracujemy, aby Roland Garros odbył się - powiedział.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
27 Maja 2020, 08:15
deszcz na kortach Rolanda Garrosa
PAP/EPA / YOAN VALAT / Na zdjęciu: deszcz na kortach Rolanda Garrosa


Tenis. "Słychać tylko latające muchy". Francuski finalista wielkoszlemowy o grze bez publiczności
Według słów Guya Forgeta, dyrektora Rolanda Garrosa, turniej powinien zostać rozegrany jesienią. Wśród najważniejszych osób we francuskim tenisie panuje optymizm, choć brakuje oficjalnych informacji, czy paryska impreza dojdzie do skutku. Dobrej myśli jest również Bernard Giudicelli, szef Francuskiej Federacji Tenisa (FFT).
- Jesteśmy w trybie przygotowawczym. Pracujemy, aby Roland Garros odbył się i by jesienią przywitać Rafaela Nadala, wszystkich pozostałych najlepszych tenisistów i kibiców - powiedział Giudicelli w rozmowie z drugim kanałem francuskiej telewizji publicznej.


Sternik francuskiego tenisa przyznał, że tak późny termin rozegrania turnieju może wymusić korekty w harmonogramie. Rozważane są wprowadzenie sesji nocnych oraz zmiana formatu rywalizacji w grach podwójnych.

ZOBACZ WIDEO: #dziejesiewsporcie: techniczny popis Grosickiego. Boniek skomentował to w swoim stylu

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- Mój zespół przygląda się wszystkim opcjom, w tym zainstalowaniu sztucznego oświetlenia na kolejnych kortach i zmianom w turniejach gier podwójnych. Czy będziemy mieć pełne zmagania deblistów? Jeśli chodzi o sam czas trwania meczów, to będziemy gotowi, bo będziemy mieć jupitery na czterech głównych kortach i czterech bocznych. Rozważamy także oświetlenie jeszcze czterech aren - mówił.

Giudicelli odniósł się również do możliwości przeprowadzenia turnieju za zamkniętymi drzwiami. - Pracujemy, aby móc przyjąć kibiców, ale wydaje się to mało prawdopodobne. Warunki organizacji zostaną określone przez rząd. Może być tak, że liczba fanów zostanie ograniczona. Ale nawet wtedy bylibyśmy zadowoleni.

Two free-spirited American brothers, obsessed with football and hard rock put doubles front and centre as they lifted the 1993 Roland Garros trophy. Twenty-five years on, they spoke exclusively to ATPWorldTour.com

The abiding memory is watching Luke Jensen stretch three fingers of his right hand to reach a handle of the Jacques-Brugnon Cup as his younger brother, Murphy Jensen, with two hands firmly on the base, hoisted the trophy high above his head. It was meant to be the high-point celebration of a family game for the box-office siblings with firepower, who always competed with great emotion and enthusiasm.

Here were the Jensens, hailing from a Christmas tree farm in Ludington, Michigan, a town of 8,000 residents, as tennis champions watched by millions globally, trading insults for a couple of minutes. The Tournament Director was seen pleading for Murphy, nursing concussion and a broken jaw, to drop his bag and return to Court Central [the main show court’s name until 2001] for the trophy presentation “‘Murphy, you must put down your bags,’ Luke remembers the official saying, just as Philippe Chatrier, in his final year as president of the French Tennis Federation, stepped out onto the red carpet. It certainly wasn’t what the organising committee had envisaged of their 1993 Roland Garros doubles champions.

The seeds had been sewn for the Jensen brothers’ moment in time seven days earlier, when, after a third-round victory at Roland Garros on the middle Saturday, long-time ATP trainer Bill Norris asked, “What are you going to do if you win this title?’ As big fans of wrestling, Luke told Murphy, ‘If we win this, I’m going to body slam you to the ground, Hulk Hogan-style. It will be the greatest celebration of all time.’”

It was quite some admission, considering that Murphy thought that the team — formed at the start of 1993 — would be better off splitting up just four weeks earlier. Murphy, who only wanted to play tennis with his brother, remembers, “In Hamburg, I had suggested to Luke that he find another partner for Roland Garros. But I remember Luke telling me, ‘No, even if I drop to 1,000 in the world, we’ll still play together.’ We didn’t have a lot of success in clay-court matches, but beating Jakob Hlasek and Marc Rosset, the defending champions, in the Rome first round, gave me confidence. It helped me to believe that I belonged and what it took to win. From Rome to Bologna, where we reached the final [l. to Visser/Warder], and on to Roland Garros, we never gave up.” Luke, who initially received criticism for teaming up with his inexperienced brother, recalls, “Family was more important than maybe getting a better partner. When I won with Murphy, it was so much better, and the weekend before Roland Garros began, I said to Murphy ‘You know man, we can win this thing!’ Murphy said, ‘What are you talking about, ‘I’m just happy to be here!’”

American Gene Mayer, who captured the 1979 Roland Garros doubles title with his older brother, Sandy Mayer, told ATPWorldTour.com, “Every player dreams of winning a Grand Slam title. Playing with a sibling brings both additional pressure and satisfaction, so winning the French was not merely indicative of how far we had come from the two-year-old’s that had first picked up a racquet, but also, a fitting tribute to our Dad as a coach. On an emotional level, this was the pinnacle of our tennis careers.”

The same was true for the Jensens, whose father, Howard, a former New York Giants offensive lineman who played with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle, was an elementary school teacher that had been asked to take over the Ludington high school tennis team in the 1970s. At the time, Howard Jensen knew nothing about the sport and learned from magazines, but he went on to build a tennis court — one of just four in the town — in the family backyard, clearing out trees and pouring concrete for all of his children, which also included Rachel and Rebecca, both former pros. Tennis became his passion for more than 30 years and the family court, with one side fenced, and the other side open to the woods, was central to their rise. “We’d do a 10-mile run to decide who would play No. 1 on the high school team,” says Luke, who aged eight cycled from Michigan to Florida. “Selection wasn’t based on singles prowess, but on athleticism. Our whole games were founded on fitness. It toughened us up early on and instilled in us the ability to think we could win when we were down in a match. Our father had an unorthodox style and learned with us, through tennis magazines, being on site and watching other coaches.”

With their mother, Patricia, always known as PMJ, a six-foot, red-headed, high school gymnastics teacher, as their chief marketeer of rock n’ roll tennis, the ‘Gen-X’ doubles team of the 1990s were football players playing tennis, who’d taken tap-dancing lessons as children to improve their footwork. Ambidextrous 6’3” team leader ‘Dual Hand Luke’, with a gap-toothed smile and shoulder-length hair, had long dreamed of being a quarterback at Notre Dame, but became one of the world’s leading juniors and enrolled at the University of Southern California, before transferring to Georgia after two years. Murphy, 6’5”, three years younger and with $35,000 in prize money after two years as a pro, was the sensitive, yet effervescent playmaker, who made things happen, and as a teenager believed he would lead Michigan to the Rose Bowl.

Jensen brothers

The Jensen brothers run to the 1993 Roland Garros doubles title, included five of their six matches going to three sets – two were 12-10 third-set triumphs; Goran Ivanisevic “broke every racquet in his bag after losing with Henri Leconte in a fervent quarter-final,” says Murphy, on the bullring, Court 1, then there was a stand-out team performance in the semi-finals against Stefan Edberg and Petr Korda, that year’s Monte-Carlo champions.

The brothers’ endurance had stemmed from relentless competition, numerous trips to Norton Pines and West Shore Tennis Club to play indoors during the winter months, punishment runs behind their parent’s car, long road trips to national tournaments and brutal sessions on the almost 40-50 metre vertical sand dunes of ‘Puke Hill’, which their father used for his football teams. “When we played junior matches, you’d have to travel a long way to find people who were fitter than Murphy and I,” says Luke. “We always knew the longer the match went, if it became a test of endurance, we would win.” Murphy adds, “Dad once gave me his best line, ‘You never leave a match, you just run out of time.’”

Prior to the biggest match of their lives, John McEnroe, who was due to commentate live with his great friend Vitas Gerulaitis — who had previously dubbed the Jensens as “Grunge tennis” — and Bud Collins on NBC Sports, had come into the locker room to give the Jensen brothers a surprise, rousing pep talk. “With Goellner and Prinosil sat nearby in the locker room, McEnroe talked about how the next day was going to be the 49th anniversary of D Day [6 June 1944],” remembers Murphy, who, aged 24, was appearing for the first time at the clay-court major. “A hero of mine was yelling at me. He cared, and still does care, about American tennis so much. He wanted us to bring the trophy back home. He said, ‘Luke, you’re experienced and have Davis Cup experience. Murphy, just do what you’ve done to get yourselves here. You have to seize the day.’" Luke, aged 27 in June 1993, remembers, “Until the moment McEnroe walked in, we’d been joking around, not even thinking or being nervous about the match. But McEnroe changed all that, after saying, ‘This is the title. This is what you dream about, you play for. You have to do it. You’ve come this far. You’ve been down serving for it. You’re not going to lose it.’ Suddenly we had responsibility.”

Up a set against Germans Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil, who’d beaten top seeds Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in the semi-finals, the trophy sat on the front row of the president’s box. “We could taste it, but our problem was we started to think of winning,” Luke told ATPWorldTour.com, 25 years on. Murphy got broken late in the second set, and recalls, “I told Luke I blew it, that we’d lost it. I really believed that.’ Luke remembers, “I told Murphy, ‘We’ve been down in every match, it’s a dog fight.’” The writing was certainly on the wall, when they were 0-3 down in the decider “and packing our bags” remembers Murphy, but Luke had inner-belief. “I said to my myself, ‘I’ve got to get our team back into the match.’ It was the biggest service game of my life.’”

“Goellner was serving at 3-1, 40/15 up, a virtual match point, when Prinosil missed a point-blank forehand on the top of the net,” says Luke. “At 40/30, I went for a poach. Murphy played a solid deep volley, Prinosil lobbed, Murphy called for me to take it and I hit the second smash for a winner. From 0-3 down we found ourselves 5-3 up.”

Having put Goellner under pressure, Murphy, competing in his second Grand Slam championship, constantly moved on his courtside chair preparing to serve for the trophy at 5-4. He was shaking his legs to stay lose. Murphy was initially rock solid, with one big serve and then great defence at the net for a 30/0 lead. Murphy remembers, ‘It was at that point I asked Luke, ‘Whatever you do, don’t hurt me.’”

The nerves set in. “We got to 30/0 up and Murphy hits a double fault,” remembers Luke. “At 30/15, Murphy needed a first serve, but double faulted again. At 30/30, I could tell Murphy couldn’t breathe properly, he was rushing. I didn’t know if he could hit a serve, so I decided that if he did hit a first serve, that I would cross. I sent the ball out of the court with a forehand volley. On the first match point, Prinosil hit a forehand that was too hot, then at deuce, Goellner struck a forehand return long as I crossed. Soon, on the second match point, Murphy picked up a great half volley on approach to the net, then I struck two smashes, the last of which Prinosil netted.”

As the Jensens went to celebrate, Luke’s right elbow caught Murphy squarely in the jaw. “As our German opponents walked to the net, he started swearing at me,” recalls Luke. “They saw us swearing and he said to me, ‘I told you not to hurt me.’ Murphy didn’t shake the umpire’s hand, but sat on his chair, grabbed his racquets and began walking off the court as the red carpet unfurled. Murphy, perhaps diplomatically, says 25 years on, “I didn’t realise there was a trophy presentation on-court, it was such a blur and surreal receiving the trophies.” Luke, who’d been on Tour since 1987, had once missed part of 1989 and 1990 after accidentally walking through a glass door, which required two surgeries to get the glass out of an elbow and finger.

Afterwards, Murphy sat in the locker room alone, shaking with emotion. Luke was off somewhere. “I used to have nightmares, centred on whether I would be good enough, because you don’t know what it takes until you do something,” remembers Murphy. “Prior to the final I had been stressed out, going through hundreds of superstitions. We’d been told for years that Americans couldn’t win on European red clay, but we did so through fortitude and fitness. We learned to play with wooden racquets in the 1970s, playing with two hands. We tried to be the best we could possibly be, maximising on our potential.”

Twenty-five years on Luke says, “Winning a Grand Slam validated all the hard work, they can’t take it away from you. Murphy felt so lucky. Instead of confidently talking up winning a Grand Slam, we did it and lived up to the result. He had never felt worthy to be a Grand Slam champion, but it was his destiny.”

Murphy didn’t join in the post-final family celebration that saw Luke and their mother drink a champagne toast at the hotel, which didn’t have air conditioning, so Luke continued to sleep on a mattress out on the porch. “Murphy went out with a friend, apparently, to a night club, Les Bains Douches, where Ilie Nastase used to hang out,” says Luke. “Dressed down and with half the prize money, he presented his cheque by way of identification in order to get in.”

On the flight home, ahead of a two-week break, Murphy recalls that Luke said, ‘I am going to sign every autograph and shake every hand and thank every tournament director from here on out.’” Their victory gave doubles global visibility and through their mother’s savvy marketing skills, product endorsement deals came flooding in, feature stories were written in Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People and dozens of tennis magazines. The entertaining Jensen brothers became a brand, a must-see show-court attraction in the 1990s, and 25 years on from their momentous early summer’s day in Paris, their influence and legacy endures.