Winter closes in on Rafael Nadal’s stormy year
These are testing times for one of tennis’s most intense and most intensely followed men: Rafael Nadal. He has the kind of physical presence, unbreakable…
french open 2012
French Open 2012: Paris cannot rain on Rafael Nadal’s 7th parade
Against all the odds and all the forecasts, two men took to Paris’s Philippe Chatrier court at their allotted time, on a third Monday at…
French Open 2012: Nadal and Djokovic destiny in the balance
And so the rivalry of the decade headed towards perhaps its most telling confrontation. It was here, in 2010, on France’s famous terracotta, that the…
French Open 2012: Stunning Sharapova seals her Slam in Paris
On one side of the sun-drenched Philippe Chatrier court stood a three-time Grand Slam champion, a former and future No1, 6ft 2ins of picture-perfect elegance…
French Open 2012: Djokovic seals Parisian revenge over Federer
It was Roger Federer’s 50th straight Grand Slam, his 14th straight French Open, his seventh semi-final in Paris as he aimed for his sixth Roland…
French Open 2012: Fearless Ferrer falls to fearsome Nadal again
In physical stature he may not be the most gifted: 5ft 9in falls rather short for the ideal tennis player. But David Ferrer is a…
French Open 2012: Errani and Sharapova contest places in history
Perhaps only the most prescient of tennis experts would have predicted the last four women standing in 2012’s French Open, but two of them in…
French Open 2012: Del Potro rues ‘intensity drop’ against Federer
Juan Martin Del Potro admitted a drop in intensity cost him a place in the French Open semi-finals after the Argentine was beaten 3-6 6-7…
French Open 2012: Stosur expects tough semi-final against Errani
Sam Stosur is expecting a “tough” French Open semi-final against 21st seed Sara Errani after the Australian secured a 6-4 6-1 victory over Dominika Cibulková.…
French Open 2012: Azarenka plans to rest up ahead of Wimbledon
Victoria Azarenka plans to take a break ahead of Wimbledon after she was dumped out of the French Open by 15th seed Dominika Cibulkova in…
French Open 2012: Mathieu, Benneteau and flights of fancy
The draws in Paris did, of course, boast ample measures of French interest and not simply because of the wild card places that are the…
French Open 2012: Murray beats Nieminen and the pain barrier
It may be a while before Andy Murray’s his team and his fans know just what toll his second-round match took but, for now, they…
French Open 2012: Williams and Razzano and the spirit of survival
A year ago, the two women who were about to bring down the curtain on a hot and tranquil day at Roland Garros were both…
French Open 2012: Andy Murray survives the dragon’s fire in Paris
The draw that the French Open handed Andy Murray was hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep. He found himself in the same half as…
French Open 2012: Heather Watson powers through in style
She is petite of frame, young of face, and turned just 20 last week, but the popular young Briton, Heather Watson, is making a habit…
French Open 2012: Roger Federer’s marriage of stats & style
The French Open is perhaps the most elegant of the Slams, the most aesthetically pleasing of all tennis tournaments. Its clay is a particularly deep…
French Open 2012: Sharapova and Williams will vie for Azarenka test
The rankings say it like it is. The more you win, the higher you go. Whether the points come from a few big tournaments or…
French Open 2012: Nadal, Djokovic & Federer seek history
This week in Paris, the sun has suddenly put its hat on — and what better time to bathe the sparkling burnt orange courts of…
French Open 2012: The winning ways of Petra Kvitova
Much of the attention and much of the expectation, going into the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros, has been on three…
Picture special: Sharapova, Williams, Vinca & Errani in Rome
It’s not a bad way to prepare for the French Open next week, especially for a woman who has won all three of the other…