There was not a cloud in the Parisian sky and the crowd in Court Philippe Chatrier were out en masse to watch their chouchou (darling) Roger Federer in his opening-round match at Roland Garros against Feliciano Lopez.
You knew Federer would be extra-focused after his perilous match (one match point saved) against the flashy left-hander in Madrid three weeks ago. It looked like he would send a message as early as the second game, when he held four break points on the Spaniard’s serve. But he failed to convert any, and Lopez seemed to believe he could break through after eight consecutive losses in their career head-to-head.
Serving at 3-4, Lopez led 40-15. I was sitting beside a Swiss journalist who said, “It looks like a tiebreak.”
That was the kiss of death for Lopez, who lost four straight points on errors. Suddenly, Federer had the separation he needed to take the set and, in an hour and 59 minutes, complete a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory.
There was a bit of craziness in the second game of the match. A total mishit by Lopez skied over to Federer’s side of the net and appeared to be going out. But it landed in, and after the ensuing long rally, Lopez won the point when Federer hit a backhand into the net. The same game also featured a yahoo in the stands loudly calling out “Mirka” (who was seated in the friends’ seats) during silence between points, as well as someone yodeling. The Swiss reporter told me that always gets a laugh when a Swiss plays in Paris.
While there were patches of brilliance by both players, there were also many sprayed shots. Some of that had to do with the wind—the flags at the top of the stadium were flapping at a good clip. One of the former came in the ninth game of the final set, when Federer made a leaping, down-the-line backhand smash off a Lopez lob that eventually led to a forehand winner into the open court.
After no break points in a competitive third set, the match was decided in a tiebreak, with Lopez falling behind quickly and irrevocably 1-4. It was a solid outing for Federer, who did not face a break point.
Afterward, on-court interviewer Cedric Pioline asked Federer if he felt less pressure with all the attention on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The crowd jeered at the mere suggestion that their favorite might be diminished. But he quickly quieted them, saying, “It’s okay, I’m asked that question five times a day.”
—Tom Tebbutt