2014 Roland Garros Preview

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Blogs

WHAT’S INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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ROLAND GARROS GUIDE

TOURNAMENT FAVORITES

INSTRUCTIONAL

8-19

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VIVE LA FRANCE

FILA & HILFIGER APPAREL

20-22

32-34

TOP 10 FRENCH FINALS

RANKINGS

24-25

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ROLAND GARROS FUN FACTS

CLOSING SHOTS

26-29

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2014 Australian Open Preview

Editors

Lana Maciel Blair Henley

Contact Us

To advertise with us ads@tennisnow.com General comments or questions media@tennisnow.com

Writers

Erik Gudris

Chris Oddo

Blair Henley

Letter from the Editor Let’s be honest here. There’s only one major question we can’t wait to have answered at this year’s French Open event: Can Rafa win a historic nine Roland Garros titles, or will the King of Clay be usurped by another victor? It’s hard to think that winning his ninth Coupe des Mousquetaires might not happen, especially considering how synonymous the name Nadal is with clay. After all, Nadal is to clay as Michael Phelps is to water, Lebron James is to basketball, or Cristiano Ronaldo is to the pitch. You just can’t go wrong betting on them.

But this clay season put the slightest bit of doubt in our minds. Is there a crack in Rafa’s confidence? Has he lost a half step? Despite making the finals (and winning one), the opponents he faced in the lead-up events at Madrid and Rome tested his resolve and pushed him to the brink. Still, he found a way to win by digging deep and shifting into yet another “emergency” gear that we didn’t know he had, but weren’t surprised to see. It’s just classic Rafa. His biggest threat, Novak Djokovic, could pull through and steal the title, as he did in denying Nadal his eighth championship in Rome. Without a doubt, the next two weeks could be the toughest test in Nadal’s career, both physically and mentally. All eyes are on Paris as we see how it unfolds.

blair@tennisnow.com

Enjoy the tennis!

Design

Melinda Ramos

Photography

Christopher Levy Getty Images

Lana Maciel Editor, Tennis Now Magazine lana@tennisnow.com

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2014 Roland Garros Preview

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THE FAVORITE FIVE: TOP PICKS FOR PARIS

WHO ARE THE

FIVE MEN AND WOMEN MOSTLY LIKELY TO WIN IT ALL AT ROLAND GARROS?

by Erik Gudris

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2014 Roland Garros Preview

WOMEN

Serena Williams Best result: Winner 2002, 2013 With her title run in Rome, Williams proved once again she is the one to beat in Paris. But Williams enters Roland Garros this time around without the invincible and unbeatable aura she exuded last year. Several losses this season, including an early round shock exit in Charleston, proved Williams is perhaps still most vulnerable on clay. For her part, Williams keeps stressing that she isn't feeling any pressure to defend her Paris title. As long as she can stay injury free and avoid losing focus in the early rounds, the only person who can stop her from raising the trophy again is Williams herself.

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Li Na Best result: Winner 2011 The likable Chinese star proved by winning Melbourne that she can rise to the occasion when others falter. Li returns to Paris with good – but not great – results from the lead-up events. As she continues to work toward becoming a more complete overall player, her tendency to produce too many unforced errors remains a weakness.

How confident Li feels, especially if she gets tangled up in a tight early round match, could be the best indicator as to how far she goes. Her added variety on all shots might just give her the tools she needs for a return trip to the final.

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Simona Halep Best result: 2nd Round 2011 The rising Romanian star will be a top four seed this year in Paris. With a thoughtful, all-court game well suited to the clay, Halep possesses everything needed to make the semis or better. A run to the Madrid finals proved she can handle most of the field. But Halep has yet to prove herself against the tour's elite and remains somewhat injury prone, especially if she goes deep in an event. Whether or not she can handle all of the expectations placed on her will be something to watch. But does Halep believe herself that she can win it all?

2014 Australian Open Preview

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Maria Sharapova Best result: Winner 2012 The Russian star continues to prove that clay really is her best surface. Winning both Madrid and Stuttgart, Sharapova assured herself of a top eight seed in Paris after appearing poised to fall out of the top 10. Though owning the best clay-court winning percentage of any current WTA player, Sharapova will likely have to somehow avoid Serena Williams if she wants another chance at the title. If Williams loses early, Sharapova will be more than happy to assume the mantle of favorite for her second Paris title.

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Ana Ivanovic Best result: Winner 2008 The former No. 1 from Serbia is having her best season in a long time. Ivanovic, with two titles in 2014 and wins over Serena and Sharapova, is now showing the same form that took her to the Paris title six years ago. With her service toss no longer a liability, along with a more potent return game, Ivanovic could give one of the top seeds real trouble should they meet in the fourth round. Hanging on to her newfound confidence will be a must for the newly minted dark horse contender.

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Rafael Nadal Best result: Winner 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 The world No. 1 will seek an incredible ninth Paris title. But this year's quest for Nadal could be his toughest yet. Nadal looked vulnerable on clay this season with surprise early losses in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. That means now many players don't feel as intimated taking on Nadal. That especially includes Novak Djokovic who has won his last four meetings against the Spaniard. Converting break points will be key for Nadal this time around. Still the toughest question for any player to answer is this, "Can you beat Nadal in best out of five in Paris?" Only one man has done it (Robin Soderling) and it will take a very special performance to unseat Nadal from his French throne.

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Novak Djokovic Best result: Finalist 2012 Djokovic has a real shot at the World No. 1 ranking depending on his results in Paris. A still elusive French Open title would not only complete a stellar last six months for Djokovic, but also a career Grand Slam for the Serbian star. Djokovic came very close to beating Nadal last year in their classic five set semifinal. Now with four straight wins over Nadal, including in Rome last week, Djokovic proved he is very capable of going all the way.

Yet, Djokovic still must deal with a lingering wrist issue and the fact others tested him quite a bit in Rome in the rounds. If Djokovic can avoid drama in his opening rounds, he may just write the final chapter for his first ever Roland Garros championship.

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Stan Wawrinka Best result: Quarterfinals 2013 "Stan the Man" proved he has what it takes to win a major down under in Melbourne. But Wawrinka now enters Paris with a few question marks over his head. Despite winning Monte Carlo, Wawrinka suffered early round losses in Madrid and Rome. Now heading into Paris as a top four seed, Wawrinka will need to prove he's adjusted to his new status and is ready to make another deep run at a major. He's got the game, and the heart to go deep, but he may need to find that extra "something" to push him into the semis. Wawrinka may need a couple of solid early round wins to get himself going. If he does, and others look vulnerable, the "Stanimal" may just roar again.

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2014 Roland Garros Preview

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Roger Federer Best result: Winner 2009 With his mind more on his new twins these days, Federer could be forgiven for not being as focused heading into Paris. Yet this might be Federer's best chance to reach the Paris final since his title run in 2009. Federer is playing some of his best tennis in a long while and opportunity is there for the former champion to make a deep run. Already locked in as a top four seed, Federer will have to hope both Nadal and Djokovic continue looking vulnerable as they did during the clay court season. If Federer keeps his early rounds short and gets some help from the draw, the Swiss megastar just might find himself in another Paris final.

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Kei Nishikori Best result: 4th Round 2013 The newest member of the top 10 could well find himself in the final stages of Roland Garros. Nishikori's allcourt game keeps getting better and better and his recent Barcelona title and Madrid final appearance proved he can go very deep on the dirt. But Japan's No. 1 must find a way to remain healthy during the grinding two weeks if he has any chance of making a significant impact at the event. Though a dark horse favorite, Nishikori just might still the spotlight from the favorites if they prove vulnerable. How Nishikori fares in the early rounds will prove key to his chances in the second week. He's a long shot to win the title, but Nishikori looks ready to make himself heard in Paris.

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V i ve L a F r a n c e !

Home Favorites Compete For Their Nation's Grand Slam France will cheer on their nation's best at this year's Roland Garros. Find out who to keep an eye on as they play for their country on the terre battue.

by Erik Gudris

The French Open awaits those seeking glory on the "terre battue" at the year’s second Grand Slam. With that opportunity also comes a spotlight on a handful of French players all hoping to make their nation proud at their home major. Yet this year's Roland Garros could prove a challenge for many French veterans, with perhaps the best hope coming from a rising young star.

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The French Men Jo-Wilfried Tsonga returns to Paris having reached the semifinals last year. Despite all his tremendous gifts, the 29-year-old Tsonga enters as a huge question mark, having so far posted a mediocre season that includes falling outside the top 10. Though certainly capable of beating anyone on a given day, Tsonga will need to find inspiration playing on home soil if he aims to make an impact with his big-serving, fullvolume game this year.

Injury could derail two of France's hopes before the event even begins. Richard Gasquet, dealing with an ongoing back issue, has already missed most of the clay court season. Mercurial talent Benoit Paire, hampered by a knee injury, could soon face surgery himself. As of this writing, both Gasquet and Paire are both possible early pre-event withdrawals, but if they do play, neither is expected to go far.

The always fun to watch Gael Monfils is healthy enough, though still always prone to injury. A former semifinalist, Monfils proved he is one of the sport's great showmen after his surprising and entertaining run to the fourth round last year. If Monfils can catch fire, he is certainly one to watch.

The same can be said for Gilles Simon. The always patient backcourter can frustrate anyone with his smooth strokes, as he proved last week in Rome against defending champion Rafael Nadal.

Perhaps the Frenchman who might surprise everyone is Jeremy Chardy. The 27-year-old reached the Australian Open quarters last year, and his upset win over Roger Federer in Rome proved he can be dangerous when playing well. How he handles any increased expectations from the home crowd could determine if he can do better than a career best fourth-round showing six years ago.

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The French Women When Marion Bartoli abruptly retired soon after her stunning Wimbledon victory last year, it left a big void in French women's tennis.

Alize Cornet is now France's No. 1, but if she can be a factor at Roland Garros is hard to tell.

Though known for being too emotional on court and wearing her heart on her sleeve, Cornet has proven this season she can score huge wins. In addition to beating world No. 1 Serena Williams in Dubai, Cornet also upset Agnieszka Radwanska in Katowice.

Backed by a partisan Parisian crowd, Cornet could pull off another big win in her favor. But she would need a lot of help on her side of the draw to make a deep run.

Perhaps the French player who could make the

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biggest noise in Paris this year is 20-year-old Caroline Garcia. After Garcia led Maria Sharapova by a set at Roland Garros a few years ago, Andy Murray famously predicted on Twitter that Garcia would become No. 1 in the world someday.

Sharapova won that match and since then Garcia struggled to find her way on tour.

That's all changed this year with Garcia winning her first WTA title in Bogota and leading the French Fed Cup team to victory over the U.S. in April. Now inside the top 50, Garcia enters this year's event as a dangerous unseeded player that few will want to deal with in an early round.

France's best players will feel the pressure and privilege of playing in front of their own. Don't be surprised if one of them finds a way to delight Paris with an unexpected yet popular run into the later stages of Roland Garros.

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Counting Down the 1 10 Noah d. Wilander, 1983 The match itself may not have been one of the most compelling, but given the historical implications and the sheer magnetism of Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open final still stands head and shoulders above the competition as the quintessential Roland Garros moment.

Noah's cakewalk over defending champion Mats Wilander led to a mob scene on the court, as the dreadlocked Frenchman was greeted by his father, friends and family in a heartfelt, timeless celebration of France's first male winner at the event since 1946.

"It doesn't seem like reality right now." At 25, the former teenage prodigy had resurrected a career derailed by drugs and personal problems to become the dominant player in women's tennis once again, and this emotional victory made Capriati the first female player in nearly a decade to win the first two Grand Slams of the season. Clijsters, playing in her first Grand Slam final, would never win the French, but the lovable Belgian would go on to claim four Grand Slam titles in her career.

7 Borg d. Lendl, 1981

9 Schiavone d. Stosur, 2010

Though the last 12 women’s single finals at Roland Garros have been won in straight sets, there was something inexplicably beautiful about Francesca Schiavone’s crowning achievement in 2010, a 6-4, 7-6(2) masterpiece over Sam Stosur that struck an emotional chord with so many.

Singled out as the least likely of the four semifinalists to come through to the title, the 17th-seeded Italian proved all the naysayers wrong, and won them over in the process with her artistically crafted clay-court game and her wide-eyed, emotional reaction to her success. She would take down the powerful and heavily favored Stosur in the final, seizing the opportunity with a delightfully diverse attack plan that featured serve-and-volley, dinks and dunks, and lots of spunky topspin drives. Schiavone became the only Italian to win a Grand Slam title with her victory, and the world joined Italy in rejoicing with the spirited underdog who rode her hot spell all the way to Grand Slam glory.

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Capriati d. Clijsters, 2001

"I'm just waiting to wake up from this dream," Capriati told the crowd during the trophy ceremony, after coming back from a set down to defeat Kim Clijsters in the 2001 final, 1-6, 6-4, 12-10.

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Funny that Ivan Lendl's first Grand Slam final would mark Bjorn Borg's last Grand Slam title (and penultimate final), but that was exactly the case in 1981, as a young, fresh-faced Lendl pushed Borg to five sets in a surprisingly entertaining battle that saw the iceman resort to his superior physical fitness to finish off a tiring Lendl in the decider. It would be a muted celebration for Borg—just a smile and a quick toss of the racquet skyward—and just like that he would be gone from Roland Garros forever.

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Lendl d. McEnroe, 1984

Ivan Lendl’s breakthrough was John McEnroe’s breakdown in 1984 in Paris. Johnny Mac, riding a 42-match win streak into the final, and storming to a two-sets-to-love lead with some of the finest claycourt tennis he would ever play, suddenly became unraveled in the the third set. He became upset with noise coming from a cameraman’s headset, and that was Lendl’s cue to do his best iceman imitation (something he learned from the ‘81 final, no doubt) and take over the match. Though they were close in each of the final three sets, Lendl won the big points, and the title, eventually breaking in the final game of the fifth set to claim his first career Grand Slam title.

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Graf d. Hingis, 1999

‘’This feels amazing; I feel French,’’ Graf said after taking out Martina Hingis, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, in a mean-spirited and raucous final that would be her last at Roland Garros. ‘’This is by far the biggest, the most unexpected win I’ve ever had.

10 Best French Open Finals

By Chris Oddo most unexpected win I've ever had. It was one of the craziest matches ever; it had everything.''

Hingis, who had drawn the ire (and catcalls) of the crowd with her histrionics (serving underhand on match point for Graf among other things), had left the court crying only to be returned for the awards ceremony by her mother and coach. Having failed to serve out the match in the second set, everything simply became too much for emotionally frail Hingis. Meanwhile, Graf, in her ninth career Roland Garros final, was more than ready to cash in on all the crowd's affection to ride it to her sixth title in France, as well as her 22nd Grand Slam title overall.

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Chang d. Edberg, 1989

As the dreadful events in Tiananmen Square were unfolding in China in June 1989, a 17-year-old Chinese American was becoming the youngest man in the history of Roland Garros to win the title. Chang and his famous underhand serve would take down Ivan Lendl in the round of 16 before going on a mystical, mythical run to the final where he would come back from two-sets-to-one down to defeat Stefan Edberg for the title. “It turned out to be something of a fairy tale,” Chang would say 20 years later, when reflecting on his clay-court wizardry. Chang would reach two more Grand Slam titles in his career, but the 1989 French Open still stands as his one and only crowning achievement.

Graf would say after the match. “It definitely was a special match, but it’s really difficult to feel great about it 10 minutes after it’s over.”

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What many consider the greatest rivalry in the history of tennis provided a French Open final for the ages in 1985, as Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova locked horns for the 65th time with claycourt supremacy and the No. 1 ranking on the line. After more than two and a half hours of back-and-forth, elevated tennis, Evert would wiggle out of a 0-40 hole at 5-all in the decider and eventually break Navratilova for the title in the next game. Though Evert had not defeated her fiercest rival in nearly two and a half years in a Grand Slam, she would seize this memorable day at Roland Garros, claiming her sixth of seven career titles on the terre battue and reclaiming the No. 1 ranking for a fifth and final time.

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Seles d. Graf, 1992

“I could have stayed out there longer if I had to. In this kind of match, you have to give everything you have, your last breath,” said Monica Seles after outlasting Steffi Graf in the 1992 Roland Garros final, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8. Graf would save five match points, but on the sixth she would float a backhand into the net to enable Seles to become the first woman to win three consecutive French Opens since 1937. "I just wish I would have played better on those big points,”

Evert d. Navratilova, 1985

Agassi d. Medvedev, 1999

“This is certainly the greatest feeling I’ve ever had on a tennis court,” said a teary-eyed Andre Agassi once he had completed his comeback from two sets down against Andrei Medvedev to win the 1999 French Open and become the fifth man in tennis history to own the career Grand Slam. Less than two years after bottoming out at No. 141 in the world, Agassi completed his surprising run thanks to an impromptu pep talk during a rain delay in the final from his coach Brad Gilbert, and some sparkling, timely clay-court tennis.

“Sometimes when you expect the most from him, he shows you the least,” Gilbert said afterwards. “But sometimes when you expect the least, he can reach back and grab some magic.” Agassi, who had lost back-to-back French Open finals in the early ‘90s, was considered a longshot to take the title by many—including himself. “When you consider all the elements realistically, you’d have to have put maybe six different guys as the possible champion, and I wouldn’t have been one of them,” he said.

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French Ope

A compilation of French Open obscurit

Who was Roland Garros?

Roland-Garros was an aviation pioneer who, in 1913, had become the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean. On Oct. 5, 1918, he was shot down and killed near Vouziers, Ardennes, a month before the end of the war and one day before his 30th birthday. Stade Roland Garros is named after him because he was a renowned member of Stade Francais, the club that preceded Roland Garros.

Roots The French Open moved to the Roland Garros site in 1928, when the French decided they needed a bigger, state-of-the-art stadium to host the Americans in Davis Cup. Two of the fabled Four Musketeers met in the final that year, with Henri Cochet defeating Rene Lacoste in the final.

Credit: Corleve

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en Fun Facts

ties, artifacts, milestones and more.

By Chris Oddo

Young Blood?

Only five singles players have won the French Open before they turned 18: Mats Wilander ('82), Steffi Graf ('87), Michael Chang ('89), Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ('89) and Monica Seles ('90). The year 1989 marked the first time that both the men's and women’s singles titles winners (Chang, Sanchez-Vicario) were under 18.

The rare feat has not occurred since.

Letting the World In The French Open held its first men's singles event in 1891, and the women's singles followed six years later, but the event didn't allow foreigners to compete for the title until 1925. Aussie Jack Crawford became the first non-French male to win in Paris in 1933 when he beat Henri Cochet in the final.

Kornelia Bouman of the Netherlands was the first non-French female to win the singles title, in 1927.

Boys to Men, Girls to Women The last winner of the Roland Garros junior title to also win the men's singles event was Mats Wilander. The Swede won the junior title in 1981 and came back the next year to hoist the Coupe des Mousquetaires. He would win it two more times in the next six years. Belgian Justine Henin was the last girls’ singles champion to make the jump and win the women's singles title. Henin won the girls’ title in 1997, and would win four women's singles title between 2003 and 2007.

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Trophy Talk The Coupe des Mousquetaires is the trophy that is awarded to the men's singles winner each year. It is housed in the office of the president of the FFT, and is only removed once every year when the men's singles winner at the French Open is announced. The winner does not get to keep the actual trophy; a new replica is produced every year. The Suzanne Lenglen Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the women's singles title. It is named in honor of Suzanne Lenglen, winner of the first edition of the international women's singles title in 1925.

The Quest for 9 Rafael Nadal is bidding to become the first male player in Open Era history to win nine titles at the same Grand Slam. Last year, Nadal broke away from the six players who had won seven titles at a single Grand Slam when he claimed his eighth Roland Garros title. Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have each won seven Wimbledon titles.

Seeing Double Elena Dementieva holds the French Open record for most double faults in a match (for a female player), and most double faults for a tournament. In 2004, she double faulted 16 times in the first round and 64 times for the tournament. American Vince Spadea double faulted 22 times in a third-round loss to Sebastien Grosjean in 2002, which is the most ever recorded by a male in a single match.

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Breaking the Barrier American Althea Gibson became the first black player to win a Grand Slam title when she won Roland Garros in 1956, defeating Angela Mortimer, 6-0, 12-10 in the final. In 1983 Yannick Noah achieved the honor of becoming the first black male to win the title. Noah is also the last Frenchman to hoist the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Nadal's Rival?

You don't hear the name thrown about in tennis circles too often, but the king of clay still has one man to beat if he is to stand alone as the all-time men's singles title holder in French Open history: Max Decugis. The Paris native won eight French titles between 1903 and 1914, and had it not been for the fact that World War I denied him a chance to defend his 1914 title, Rafa might still be chasing the man's ghost today. Decugis was also a fourtime runner-up at the French, and he won 14 doubles titles and seven mixed titles.

French Failings Since the end of World War II, only five French players-Nelly Landry (1948), Françoise Durr (1967) and Mary Pierce (2000) among the women, together with Marcel Bernard (1946) and Yannick Noah (1983) among the men—have won the Roland Garros title. That's three less than Rafael has won in the last nine years!

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Guide to Roland Garros 2014 May 25 – June 8

DRAWS Men’s Singles Draw

Women’s Singles Draw

Men’s Doubles Draw

Women’s Doubles Draw

Mixed Doubles

TV SCHEDULE

LIVE SCORES

SCHEDULE OF PLAY

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TENNIS NOW INSTRUCTIONAL

HOW TO HIT A KICK SERVE

by Blair Henley

The kick serve is a difficult shot to master, so why bother? The answer is simple: rhythm. Adding a high-bouncing spin serve to your repertoire allows you to keep your opponents guessing, preventing them from settling into a comfortable routine on the other side of the net. By avoiding a predictable pattern with your spin and placement, you make each serve more effective. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a good kick serve, you know they can be tough to return. So, what are you waiting for? Go out and start breaking your opponent’s return rhythm today.

VIEW THE INSTRUCTION VIDEO HERE Blair DiSesa Henley is a USPTA Certified (P1) tennis professional with over 10 years of teaching experience. She is also a former Division I tennis player and a writer for Tennis Now.

2014 Roland Garros Preview

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Hilfiger and Fila Partner

for Fresh Looks in Tennis Apparel

By Tiffany Thor For over a century now Fila has been outfitting athletes across the globe in unforgettable designs that are just as much about fashion as they are about function. From the Borg polo to Jankovic’s carwash dress, the brand with the iconic F-Box logo has pioneered trends in athletic apparel and leisure wear alike. So it’s not surprising that when Jon Epstein and Gene Yoon were looking to reinvent the Fila Heritage collection, they turned to couture designer and former Senior VP of Tommy Hilfiger, Ginny Hilfiger, for help. With the assistance of Fila’s in-house design team, the first design team of its kind to be nominated for a Global Fashion Award in active wear, Hilfiger formed a partnership with Fila that’s sure to keep people talking.

Drawing on her experience branding Tommy Hilfiger, Ginny combed through the vast Fila archives in Biella, Italy, to identify design and construction elements past and present that epitomized what makes Fila a brand and not just another manufacturer of athletic apparel. After studying every piece of history – including sketchbooks once belonging to Fila’s first creative director, Pier Luigi Rolando – she conceptualized a collection of classic designs made modern with a timeless color palette and impeccable attention to both functionality and fabrication.

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Ginny sat down to talk about her inspiration for creating the line and the unique challenges she faced while making the shift from couture to active wear.

Can you tell us about your experience going through the Fila archives?

Oh sure! Actually the Fila archives in Italy are just so rich in history. It’s filled with ski wear, mountain climbing gear, swimwear, race car gear, and most importantly tennis is such a strong DNA of Fila. And Fila was actually a knitwear company that changed to active wear and then they moved on to more technical wear. But it was just amazing to see all the details.

Everything was so consistent and had such a strong brand presence from over the years that I just took a million pictures and created books and guides so that I have this consistent feeling for the brand’s history when I start designing every collection.

I’m curious, all the different sports - particularly race car gear - were there some things that you saw in those lines that you thought, “You know, that would be great for tennis as well,” and you carried over, things that Fila hadn’t already?

A lot of it, yeah. The zippers from the skiwear, the plastic and the metal snaps, the taping and the cool fabrication combinations. Some of their pieces had mixed knits with wovens and stretch neoprene and the contrast color block and they were all very detailed. I loved the stitching on the skiwear, and some of the soccer wear had the cool necklines. So when I first started designing I came up with a glossary of details and referenced the archived items and established this book. That’s kind of become my code of designing now. I bring the book everywhere I go because I’ve been designing in a lot of countries for Fila as well. I’m making sure that wherever I go it’s consistent with this code of detail.

Thank you! It was good fun playing with the stripes because it is a huge part of the Fila archives, but to make them look “now” and to make them look fashionable and to marry them with the concept of the French for the French 0pen was kind of the thought process behind that. I myself am short, too, so I always try to keep in mind things that are good for both tall and short. I think that a lot of those design tricks in designing women’s wear is from my experience of having my own collection and meeting so many women in so many different shapes and sizes.

I’m sometimes surprised as to how stripes are used or misused – I’m not a tall person so I appreciate the vertical stripes and the way they’ve all been used and come together.

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In the Ginny H collection, you use patterns sparingly but the Heritage line has very bold stripes in addition to the solids. What inspired you to use the stripe? Though if I understand correctly it’s mostly the vintage Fila archives that you went through?

Yes, it was basically making the navy and white, which is so strong in Fila’s heritage, like the Borg stripe from the Borg Polo, but also the fact that my first collection for Fila for 2014 was for the French Open and, you know, the navy and white stripes are very notorious to the French. So it was a combination.

You of course have your own couture line that’s been wildly popular with celebrities like Bethenny Frankel. What are some of the unique challenges you faced in designing a collection that’s specifically for tennis players, and what aspects of your couture collection are apparent in this line as well?

Well actually, you know, it’s a lot more challenging to design for an athlete but it’s more fun. Designing for couture is just for a runway minute, and when design-

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ing for athletes it has to be beautiful and it has to be functional. And it’s more of a challenge to design for players who are going to be on the court for a number of hours, but still make sure that they look fashionable and comfortable.

How do men differ from women in shopping, and how do you adjust your focus when you’re designing the pieces so that each line appeals to its intended audience?

Men aren’t as experimental as women so when designing for menswear it’s really like: they appreciate great fabrics, great cut, and they like some details but not too many. I think men are attracted to fun colors and I think they do like style but they’re not quite as experimental as most women. Women, on the other hand, are willing to take risks with fashion and they’re just more risk takers when it comes to dressing for the court. But, of course you know everything has to be functional. So women are a little bit easier for us to be more innovative or trendy with. Men you have to be a little more careful. (Laughs) As you know.

RANKINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Nadal, Rafael Djokovic, Novak Wawrinka, Stan Federer, Roger Ferrer, David

Berdych, Tomas Del Potro, Juan Martin Murray, Andy

Raonic, Milos Nishikori, Kei

Isner, John Dimitrov, Grigor Gasquet, Richard Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried Fognini, Fabio Youzhny, Mikhail Haas, Tommy Robredo, Tommy Gulbis, Ernests Anderson, Kevin Dolgopolov, Alexandr Almagro, Nicolas Janowicz, Jerzy Monfils, Gael Verdasco, Fernando

ESP SRB SUI SUI ESP CZE ARG GBR CAN JPN USA BUL FRA FRA ITA RUS GER ESP LAT RSA UKR ESP POL FRA ESP

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Williams, Serena USA LI, Na

CHN

Radwanska, Agnieszka POL Halep, Simona ROU Azarenka, Victoria BLR Kvitova, Petra CZE

Jankovic, Jelena SRB Sharapova, Maria RUS Kerber, Angelique GER

Cibulkova, Dominika SVK

Errani, Sara ITA

Ivanovic, Ana SRB Pennetta, Flavia ITA Wozniacki, Caroline DEN Suarez Navarro, Carla ESP

Stephens, Sloane USA Lisicki, Sabine

GER

Vinci, Roberta ITA Bouchard, Eugenie CAN Stosur, Samantha AUS Cornet, Alize

FRA Flipkens, Kirsten BEL

Makarova, Ekaterina RUS Safarova, Lucie CZE Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia RUS

12,500 11,850 5,830 5,125 5,030 4,330 4,125 4,120 2,975 2,815 2,600 2,515 2,445 2,315 2,155 2,065 2,005 1,900 1,890 1,710 1,645 1,620 1,510 1,495 1,420 11,590 7,540 6,360 5,140 4,741 4,600 4,255 4,141 3,870 3,705 3,590 3,455 3,404 2,790 2,785 2,600 2,556 2,510 2,490 2,485 2,295 2,015 2,005 1,950 1,915 2013 French Open Review 2014 2014 Australian Roland Garrost Open Preview Preview

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Romania’s new star, Simona Halep, has shown impressive form this clay season, reaching the finals in Madrid and becoming everyone’s favorite dark horse for the Roland Garros title.

36-year-old Tommy Haas revived his classic form this spring with deep runs in the clay season. In addition to two semifinal showings (Sao Paolo and Munich), he reached the quarterfinals in Rome, defeating Stan Wawrinka along the way.

Defending champion Victoria Azarenka is attempting a threepeat of her Australian Open title. And after reaching the finals at Brisbane, it’s possible she could have a chance to achieve it.

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After a recent wrist injury scare, the rest of the season looked to be in question for Novak Djokovic. But his quick recovery and title in Rome proved he’s still a contender for the one major he’s missing.

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In one of her toughest tests this season, Maria Sharapova found her best form on what’s become her best surface in winning the Madrid title over Simona Halep.

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For the fourth time, Rafael Nadal owned “La Caja Magica” to take the title, although it didn’t come without a few tests along the way.

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At 32, Serena Williams continues to prove she is the biggest force on the WTA Tour no matter what the surface. She claimed her career 60th title in Rome in convincing fashion.

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The Foro Italico’s Pietrangeli court at the Internazionali BNL D’Italia created an interesting setting for tennis and art fans alike.

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Novak Djokovic’s title win in Rome, where he dethroned seven-time champ Rafael Nadal, made him an immediate frontrunner to potentially win the Roland Garros title.

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2014 Australian Open Preview