French Open thread

On the weekend and day that we honor our fallen, some of who helped liberate France, France holds a tennis tournament. That's sad.

It's just a thought that came to me. Last night I was watching a documentary about Major Richard D. Winters of Band of Brothers fame. The French erected a statue of him.

Amazing man.

Martina Hingis was never a conventional beauty but I would pick her over Kournikova or Sharapova or any other -ova any day, in the unlikely event that I would find myself in the position of object of desire of various current and past WTA players.

Now if Gabriela Sabatini were also a possibility, that would make the decision process much more complicated.

Two things here.

The French actually resent the fact that Britain came riding to their rescue (twice), so don't let them hear you speaking like that.  Just 20 years after Hitler was giving it the chest bumps with Herr Goebbels, Herr Himmler et al right in the centre of bleedin' Paris, do you know who was the only country in Europe in the 60s to veto Britain joining the EU?  Yup, France.

Also, secondly, your American arrogance is showing here a little.  You expect the world to go on hold just for you.  And really, everyday in America should be a memorial day what with all the people you killed over the years. 

Your post reminds me a little bit of a podcast I was listening to the day after the AJ-Klitschko fight.  It isn't a podcast I listen to very often, but these three Americans who were talking about the fight were getting pissy at one stage because after the fight AJ grabbed the mic and said "a big shout out to Britain, Germany and Ukraine" while failing to mention America.  It didn't occur to any of these three numbskulls that the reason AJ didn't mention America, was not because of some hatred of America or some sort of rivalry between America-Britain like they were suggesting, but because neither fighter had any sort of connection with America.  AJ is British, the fight was in Britain and Klitschko famously fights out of Germany and is born in Ukraine, which is why AJ gave a shout out to these countries, if he'd given a shout out to America he would have had to given a shout out to about 190 other countries who were watching the fight.

Some of you guys think the world revolves around you!     

There's a new and upcoming female tennis player who caught people's attention in the Wozniaki/Fourliss match. Many commentators were impressed by the 17-year old Australian's ( Jaimee Fourliss) skills and athleticism and are already predicting great things for her.

On the men's game -- it seems the attention is now more on Rafa Nadal's march into tennis history ( La Decima for a Grand Slam, at Roland Garros). Six matches to go!

His co-members of the Spanish Armada had field days in the first two days of competition at Roland Garros, save for Granollers who lost to Nole. It seems that clay is a court which favors most European tennis players? Or is this just a more recent trend with the advent of Rafa ( and a little from Federer, Wawrinka and Djokovic)? Who were the last American players to win the French Open -- Agassi? Courier? Chang?

In 3 weeks time after the French Open ( they added another week for rest...and warm-ups) we switch to grass at Wimbledon? Will it be Roger or Andy or somebody else?

I thought at first, it's not as bad as it sounds, then by the end

Anyone catch Johnson vs. Coric? I only just saw it on delay a little while ago, but it was a real emotional roller-coaster, complete with a clinic on racket-smashing from both players.