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Shortly before the tournament began, the French government tightened the requirements for the French Open. German stars Alexander Zverev Y Angelique kerber it should block out background noise.
by SID
Last edit: September 25, 2020 8:13 am
© Getty Images
Alexander Zverev whipped his backhand across the court from Suzanne Lenglen, his new coach David Ferrer carefully following every hit. The latest preparation for the French Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, has started a long time ago for German tennis stars, and Angelique Kerber is also moving more and more in Paris. Loud background noises around the tournament should go away.
“My current relationship with the arena: very promising,” the 32-year-old former world number one wrote on social media before her first-round duel with Slovenian Kaja Juvan. The first contact with the ashes of Roland Garros had obviously given him hope for a longer relationship this year. But question marks remain. Behind Kerber, around Zverev, who first meets the Austrian Dennis Novak. Behind the whole tournament in the French capital plagued by Corona.
The initially very optimistic audience planning is increasingly falling on the feet of the French tennis organizing association FFT, the organizers have to constantly readjust. At first they expected 11,500 fans, a week ago they adjusted the number to 5000. Now the authorities have decided on a limit of a thousand people for Saturday’s big events, which will probably also apply to the French Open.
Zverev has to process the loss to Thiem
“The situation is getting worse,” Health Minister Oliver Veran said on French television: “Above all, the pressure on hospitals requires us to take additional measures.” An official statement from the tournament organizers was not available Thursday afternoon.
The pros are now concentrating on their work, they already know the loud background noise around the events of the US Open, where Zverev missed the title in the final against Dominic Thiem. In Paris, the German number one was in the quarterfinals in recent years, the arena is definitely that of Hamburg. But his preparation without participating in a tournament after changing the surface of the hard court is not ideal. After all, his new coach Ferrer is by his side for the first time in a tournament.
Kerber is driven by the goal of completing her collection of important trophies. “Sure, Paris is the goal I still have this year,” she said after her knockout in New York. A clear first round defeat on clay followed in Rome. It’s difficult to assess where the three-time Grand Slam winner stands in a performance comparison. On the same level as the big favorite Simona Halep (Romania), but certainly not currently.
Defending doubles champs Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies are also seeking their form. On Thursday, the Coburg / Cologne duo failed in the quarter-finals in Hamburg 3: 6, 5: 7 against US Open finalists Wesley Koolhof / Nikola Mektic (Netherlands / Croatia). “Right now that’s a bit the way, we have to keep working on that,” said Mies. So there is also a question mark behind “KraMies” before the French Open.
Here is the men’s individual draw.
