PARIS (AP) Barely a week after the death of her fiance, French professional tennis player Virginie Razzano has honored his memory by competing at the French Open.
Razzano's eyes welled and mouth quivered when she slowly stepped into the sun-soaked main stadium at Roland Garros on Tuesday to play in the first round against 24th-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia.
Stephane Vidal, her fiance and also her longtime coach, encouraged her to enter the tournament. He died May 16 at age 32, nine years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Needless to say, playing at all is challenging enough.
Winning? Well, that is too much to ask.
Says Razzano: ``I tried to pay tribute to Stephane today. It was almost a 'mission impossible,' but I did my best.''