And so Iga Swiatek won the title and Jasmine Paolini won our hearts. And their bank balances rose by 2.4 million and 1.2 million euros respectively.
Everyone's a winner
Always loved the thumping groove of Hot Chocolate's hit. Ah the late 1970s. Nice touch from the French Open organisers who got some hot tennis numbers from the 1970s out to adorn the women's singles trophy presentation ceremony: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Evert, 69, won the first of her seven titles in Paris in 1974. Navratliova, 67, claimed the crown in 1982 and 1984. The review wonders if these two would have been deemed worthy enough to have played in the night sessions.
Advance
Well, at least the organisers scrapped the wacky idea of a few years ago. After the 2021 final, Barbara Travi was wheeled forward to belt out France's Eurovision song contest entry Voilà. It is a great tune. But after the French Open final? Really? This year, it was the men's doubles final. Chimes a tad more with the ambiance.
No pain, no gain
The first time Jasmine Paolini played Iga Swiatek was in the Czech Republic in 2018 and the second was at the US Open in 2022. Both resulted in losses. The women's singles final at the French Open went the same way with a difference. "Was tougher than the last time," sighed the 28-year-old Italian. "I think I'm playing better than two years ago but she's playing better too. Especially on clay." Paolini conceded she could not live with Swiatek's intensity. "I was trying to hit the ball as hard as I could because if I just tried to put the ball into the court, she would hit it for a winner. You have to push, push, push every ball because if not, you have no chances to play the points." And so a memo for the next coaching session. "I will try maybe in the practice to try to add more of this intensity. I hope I face Iga again to try to be more in the match."
The horror. The horror
From one who had just endured 67 minutes of suffering in front of 15,000 people, Jasmine Paolini munificently explained the gruesome reality of facing Iga Swiatek. "She takes the ball early and takes time away from you but she's also using spin. She can defend really, really well. On clay, she's unbelievable hardcore." And so with the French Open crown, super soaraway Swiatek became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to win on the clay courts in Madrid, Rome and Paris. "I think to play her here in Paris, it's something different," added Paolini. "She has four titles and she's just 23-years-old! So these numbers are not, let's say normal. It is something unbelievable. Yeah. She's an unbelievable player."
Stand down for action
Sounds counter-intuitive but could this be the clue to Iga Swiatek's rip roaring romp to the clay court crowns in Madrid, Rome and the mamma of them all, the French Open? "I think I learned that if I enjoy life off the court, and I really enjoyed being in Madrid, Rome, and here, it helps me also to be fresh on court," explained the 23-year-old Pole. "So I think I had less drama compared to last year, and I could really just enjoy life. So then I felt more energy on the court." Bar the hiccup against Naomi Osaka in the second round, it's been a sweet ride.
