Black Tennis Pros

PARIS — No. 23 Gael Monfils beat No. 14 Fabio Fognini 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the fourth round of the French Open and, oh, what a spectacle it was.

In their last meeting at Roland Garros, in 2010, Fognini won 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7 in a controversial match that was suspended for darkness at 5-5 in the fifth set amid jeers. This time, there was no threat of darkness, and the highly anticipated rematch sizzled when it came to drama, but fizzled when it came to high-quality tennis.

After a nervous start in which he dropped the first set, Monfils rolled through the next two in entertaining fashion. The Frenchman began to suffer from fatigue, however, and completely gave away the fourth set, winning only six points. But Monfils came out firing in the final set, inspired by the constant cheers of “GA-EL, GA-EL” from the crowd. Showing off his trademark athleticism and shot making, he opened a 3-0 lead and avoided a late collapse.

During his post-match interview Monfils discussed coming back in the fifth set,  “I was pretty tired after the third [set], and I took my time. I was suffering with the long rallies. When I arrive in the fourth, he break me like straight away. I tried to break back, but I couldn’t. The first two points were too tough for me, and then it’s easy. I wanted to serve first in the fifth, so the only option I had is to take six‑Love. Why should I make any effort [when trailing that much]?”

Monfils was asked whether he could win a Grand Slam amid the ups and downs of his career, "For me, it’s not about ups and downs. It’s more about saving my ass every day [laughter].”

Read the rest of this post...........

Donald Young, 2012 Olympics, London

Andreas Seppi, Italy

It's back to the drawing board for American Donald Young who is now the holder of a fifteen-match losing streak. The fifteenth loss came in a place where winners go to win... the Olympic Games. Italy's Andreas Seppi defeated Young 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of play.

Which is why I have to admit that I too was surprised when Donald's name was released as one of the US's 2012 Olympians. He had not been having a great year, so why the selection?

Then again, we all know that Donald is a very talented lefty, who soared as a junior, but has just not been able to capitalize on that talent since joining the ATP Tour. So, in addition to the fact that others who may have gone, who are injured or out for other reasons, we could've done a lot worse than Donald Young.

Thankfully, he's still a young man and the promise is still there. It is the proof that is lacking.

Read the rest of this post...........