Virginie Razzano explains how she managed to play her first round match at Roland Garros despite her fiancé and former coach Stephane Vidal passing last week due to a brain tumor at the age of 32.
"I can't explain this strength. It took me a lot of courage to get on the Philippe Chatrier court today,” Razzano told reporters after she fell 6-3, 6-1 to Jarmila Gajdosova. "I had lots of emotions and sighs because it's difficult for me to be here today. It's difficult. It's painful. It's hard. If I did it, it's for Stephane. But also for me, because wanted me to play. He wanted me to continue to go on with my life, even if in these very painful circumstances, very difficult circumstances. He had faith in me. He knows I have this strength that he also had, and this is also why we worked so well together. We had courage. We fought together day after day. And if I played today, it was as if it was something written. I grabbed all my courage. I don't have much. I'm very fragile. I feel lonely, and even though there are many people around me supporting me, but I still have the strength in me that keeps me standing up and moving on step by step. I'm mourning right now, and it's difficult."