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PARIS – At the mere mention of Novak Djokovic’s name, at the mere thought of sharing the pitch with a 17-time Grand Slam champion and first-seeded French Open, Daniel Elahi Galan smiled widely on Thursday (Friday, Time Manila).
He used these phrases: “very, very excited” and “very, very happy” and “very, very special.”
After all, Galán is ranked 153rd and had never won a single main draw match at any major tournament until this week. Which makes this race to the third round even more unlikely: The 24-year-old Colombian lost in the Roland Garros qualifier and only entered the group when other men withdrew from the field.
So, sure, it was a big deal for Galán to beat Tennys Sandgren 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. And certainly something more important to contemplate on Saturday, when he faces Djokovic, who has lost a total of 10 games in two games so far after overwhelming Ricardas Berankis 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, and there is someone who Galán has seen in the dressing room but has never spoken.
It’s the kind of David vs. Goliath showdown that happens often in tennis, but it’s particularly abundant this year in Paris.
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Galán is one of nine men classified outside the top 100 in the third round, equaling the most at any Grand Slam tournament in more than a quarter of a century (Wimbledon in 1994); the last time there were nine at Roland Garros was in 1985.
There were also some unfair clashes on paper set on Thursday by the women.
Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, fourth seeded, will face 105th qualifier Irina Bara. Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova will take on 100th Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez. Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, faces 87th-ranked Paula Badosa, who arrived in Paris with a 1-5 Grand Slam record.
“I have a very complex game. I can do many things on the court,” said Bara, who is making his Grand Slam debut, “and I hope to annoy her with that.”
Perhaps all the success for those who have not done it before is due to the fact that this is a French Open as unusual as it has ever been: it changed from May-June to September-October due to the coronavirus pandemic; from his position on the European clay court circuit until two weeks after the conclusion of the US Open on hard court; he played between the cold fall temperatures and the rain, although on Thursday the sun and blue sky made appearances; only 1,000 viewers allowed on the site each day.
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Whatever the case, it is instructive to remember that from time to time, of course, the stone finds its mark.
Perhaps this is why this was Galán’s philosophy as he looked to the future: “Try to win. Give everything you have. And that’s it. At the end of the day, it’s just another game.”
So, the obvious question: How can you, as the owner of two career Grand Slam victories, maintain enough self-confidence and hope before facing Djokovic, whose 292 major league wins include 70 at the US Open alone. France?
“Well” was Galan’s reply, “I was wondering that, to be honest.”
And then he went on to tell a story about how he was “really, really nervous” before facing former top 10 David Goffin in the Davis Cup finals last November.
“He’s Goffin, a guy you see on TV all the time. And I just went on the court and hoped he would play amazing and maybe beat me so easily,” Galán recalled. “But at the end of the day, they are like humans. They also make mistakes. And they also get angry. They are also doing the best they can. And that’s it.”
Which sounded inspiring and meaningful … until a quick inspection of the result revealed that he lost to Goffin.
At least Galán has this going for him: as much as he has been able to study Djokovic over the years – “A lot; a lot; he is always on television; always in the center court; always in the final” – not the opposite is the case.
“I don’t know much about him, to be honest. I’ve never seen him play, so obviously I’ll have to watch his matches, the videos and try to prepare with my team,” said Djokovic, who won the French Open in 2016 to complete. the Grand Slam of his career.
“He doesn’t have a lot to lose,” said Djokovic, who doesn’t lose much, 33-1 so far in 2020. “It’s always dangerous to face opponents you’ve never faced before. In the big stadium, they can relax and relax. play the best tennis of their lives. Or it could be different. I have to be alert and prepare well. “
Berankis, ranked 66th, now 0-3 against Djokovic, was asked what advice he would give Galán.
Rather than discuss strategic advice, Berankis mentioned mindset.
“With such a great player, you know, ATP No. 1, with a lot of Grand Slams in his pocket, ATP tournaments, as one of the best in history, the advice would be not to play the results you have. Just play. with the player who is on the court, “said Berankis. “From my own experience … the most important thing is how you can perform on this day, not what happened in the last 10 or 15 years with your opponent, you know? So yeah, (don’t) panic. Play your game. And see how it goes. “
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