As much as I've enjoyed some of the unpredictability at this year's Roland Garros, the problem with so many upsets is that you often wind up with lopsided endings -- and 2026 is no exception. A Mensik-Zverev final and a Kostyuk-Andreeva final would be just fine. But instead Arnaldi or Cobolli will be in the men's final and Shnaider or Chwalinska(!) will be in the women's -- and either of them could end up beating their more challenged opponent. While it's foolish to say anyone who wins a major didn't really deserve to do so, sometimes the luck of the draw is more egregious than others.
Loving every minute of today's French Open coverage -- did you catch the whole gang teasing Caroline Wozniacki about the time she cramped? -- especially this match between Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca, which was quite an eyeful before it even began.
Can’t imagine a better place to celebrate my birthday (June 8) than a trip to the French Open, which I hadn’t attended since the year Novak Djokovic was born! Got to see him perform one of his classic Houdini routines before injury finally got the better of him -- something Federer, Nadal and Murray fans know all too well -- as well as dozens of other players. A big thank you to my hubby for arranging the fifth-row seats on Chatrier, and to my longtime friend Ken for hosting us in his charming new apartment in the Marais! Truly I am blessed. xo 🎂❤️🏳️🌈
Lots more photos -- including Tomas Machac's short shorts -- BELOW
Ashleigh Barty won her first Grand Slam title over the weekend, beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 to become first Aussie champ at Roland Garros since 1973. (She'll now rise to No. 2 in the WTA ranking.)
That she mouthed "what the f**k" after match point was pretty tacky -- does everyone under 30 only speak in text-message abbreviations and emojis? -- but that she joined Evonne Goolagong on the list of Aboriginal tennis champions helped me get over it! As for Vondrousova, it was exactly what should have happened -- she had a Cinderella run to a major final! -- and is what should have happened two years ago when Simona Halep refused to put Jelena Ostapenko away. In a strange way, it almost feels like Latvian's career was sidetracked by reaching the pinnacle so quickly.
And then in a surprise to no one, Rafael Nadal captured his record 12th title in Paris. Perhaps the only upside to the butt-picking OCD poster boy's win is that while Serena Williams did not catch up to Margaret Court's all-time majors feat, Nadal now surpassed Court's 11 of any one major record. Hers, of course, being the Aussie Open, which wasn't even a full-fledged tournament many of the years she won it, but still. No one can ever say she was "the greatest" at any one major again.
Poor Dominic Thiem joins a long list of players unfortunate enough to have competed during the era of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, who is now in very serious danger of losing his majors record as the Spaniard is now just two away but five years younger than the Swiss.
I'd be hard-pressed to describe this man as a "loser" ...
Had a pretty great weekend after a few rough months. Work is going through a major reorg and we all had to reapply for new versions of our existing jobs. [Sigh.] Although management insisted it wasn't a ploy for mass layoffs, no one could really relax until the dust settled -- which it finally did by week's end when most of us found out what our new roles would be moving forward. I'm thrilled with what they offered me, so I could finally unwind -- and what better timing than during the French Open fortnight and my birthday week?! (Added bonus: Damian informed me he was taking me to Martha's Vineyard for the big 5-1 on Friday!)
Can't complain too much about what's happened so far. Novak Djokovic is finally back in a major quarterfinal after two long years. (Hard to believe that two years ago he was on the brink of winning his fourth major in a row, something neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal have yet to do.)
Next up for Nole is Marco Cecchinato of Italy, who upset David Goffin in round of 16.
I wouldn't have minded if Karen Khachanov -- who topped Luca Pouille earlier in the week -- had beaten Alexander Zverev. But having Sascha finally reach a major quarterfinal was a step in the right direction. (He's No. 3 in the world, after all.) And that his quarterfinal opponent is fellow Next Gen twunk Dominic Thiem bodes well for the future of the game. (Naturally I'm thrilled Thiem is into Week 2 yet again.)
And speaking of the future, Kyle Edmund seemed on course to have another solid Grand Slam run, until he came up short against Fabio Fognini, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. (Maybe THIS is his true calling.)
Odds-on favorite Rafael Nadal has been cruising along, of course.
Here's hoping Maximilian Marterer can distract him with his matinee idol looks when they meet in the round of 16.
I guess my biggest disappointment on the women's side was that Petra Kvitova -- who has been having a great year -- fell in the third round to Anett Kontaveit. The Baltic babe also dismissed Venus Williams in the first round, before losing to Sloane Stephens in the round of 16. (Happy about Sloane, of course.) Also pleased that Madison Keys, Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza and (why not?) Caroline Wozniacki are still around, giving the women's game some much-needed stability. The Maria Sharapova-Serena Williams fourth round will be interesting. At 19-2 -- with Williams winning the last 18(!) -- it's not much of rivalry. But with both players on the comeback trail, for very different reasons, perhaps it's the Russian nut's only chance.
Read my friend Beth's article about Alexander Zverev's ultra-light Richard Mille RM 67-02 watch HERE.
Was in Washington over the weekend but am finally home with computer access again. Although it was not the outcome I had hoped for, all due credit to Rafael Nadal on his 10th French Open title -- and for passing Pete Sampras on the all-time majors list. (The Australian Open outcome becomes all the more important when you realize Rafa would be just one behind Roger had he won.) Before this year I really didn't think Nadal had another major in him -- his injuries seemed to drain his confidence -- so you really have to respect this enormous resurgence in his 30s.
With the top four reshuffling as it has, it suddenly makes the luck of the Wimbledon draw extra important for whoever has to play No. 5 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. (Hard to believe that a year ago Novak Djokovic held all four major titles and is now ranked No. 4 with none. Also didn't know his VERY HOT brother was the person who introduced him to this cult leader many feel is the cause of his downfall.)
Stan Wawrinka is now three for four in Grand Slam finals. But his ass in white shorts still has a perfect record.
After drinking Wednesday (pre-birthday), Thursday (birthday) and Friday (first night in D.C.), I didn't actually get up to see the women's final. But Damian was in the adjoining room watching and I hear him screaming at the TV, completely disgusted that the odds-on favorite repeatedly squandered her opportunity to finally win a major and secure the No. 1 ranking. I don't think anyone can deny that Jelena Ostapenko has an enormous amount of talent. But she didn't exactly come out and blow Halep off the court -- instead Halep blew three points to go up a set and 4-love and again a 3-1 lead in the third, before losing five straight games. If Ostapenko capitalizes on this win -- her very first WTA title! -- then it will turn out to be a great thing for women's tennis. I just fear she will fade into obscurity now that the pressure is on her to win, which has been the case with nearly every rising star in the game. All of this makes our upcoming trip to Wimbledon -- my 50th birthday present -- all the more exciting as it seems like anything could happen!
SIDELINES:
Federer is putting all of his eggs in the grass basket, preparing for this weekend's tournament in Stuttgart with Tommy Haas.
Would be fun to see Tommy play friend Roger. (He beat him on grass just a few years ago!)
Also, Maria Sharapova -- who had been granted a wild card into Birmingham -- announced she is injured so will skip the grass-court season with hopes of rebounding in time for the hard courts and U.S. Open.
Juan Martin del Potro tweets that he's "So happy to be playing in @rolandgarros after 5 years... ☺💪" -- and I must say he's finally growing into his looks!
Alexander Zverev -- aka the second coming of the Swiss Miss -- signaled his arrival among the tennis elite by beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 Sunday to win the Italian Open. The 20-year-old Zverev became the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic won in Miami a decade ago at 19.
"It's nice to know that I can compete and play and win the biggest tournaments on tour against the biggest players on tour," Zverev said. Djokovic destroyed Dominic Thiem -- fresh off snapping a European losing streak to Rafael Nadal -- losing just one game and beat Juan Martin del Potro in convincing fashion.. But in the final, all of his weaknesses and lack of weapons seemed to be on full display -- which hearkened back to how Venus Williams's game seemed invincible in 2000 and 2001, then looked like it had more holes in it than a pack of Kraft Swiss Singles. All of this is to say the game is 90 percent mental, and his belief is gone. We found out the rumored intervention of Andre Agassi was a-go for Roland Garros, for whatever good that might do.
On the women's side, Simona Halep didn't lose in the first round after winning the previous week's title. But it sure would have been nice if she'd been able to look like a legitimate front runner in Paris, instead of losing 6-1 in the third to Elina Svitolina, who surged to No. 1 in the season-long rankings race by taking home the crown. It was a tour-best fourth title this year for Svitolina and the most prestigious trophy of her young career. The 22-year-old Ukrainian also leads the tour with 31 match wins this season.
"Every day I'm just trying to work on my mental part, my physical, my tennis," Svitolina said. "Everything just came together and I'm very happy that it's happened in such a big tournament."
Meanwhile, you undoubtedly heard that Maria Sharapova was denied a wild card into the main draw and qualifying for the French Open, which was a bit shocking considering she's a two-time champion. She was granted a spot in Birmingham and says she will attempt to qualify for Wimbledon (she's ranked high enough to get into its qualifying automatically now), where she's also a former champion.
Not a whole lot to say about this weekend's French Open finals. Maria Sharapova is one hell of a competitor, but I've never felt less about a champion than I have about her. Don't love her, don't hate her. She's just fine. As for Rafael Nadal, well, it's hard not to be in awe. As much as I wanted Novak Djokovic to win, Nadal was just too good. Nine French Open titles -- he's now tied Pete Sampas on the all-time Grand Slam list, and will now undoubtedly surpass Roger Federer -- is truly unbelivable. And as for Nole, he's in some very good company of champions who have never struck gold in Paris. On to Wimbledon!
The Twittersphere is horrified by how few people are in the stands for the Kuznetsova- Safarova match, but I'm not surprised at all. I used to curate and compute my own rankings systems for Chris, Martina, Tracy and Andrea, then saw them replaced with the even more gifted Steffi, Monica and Gabriella. (Well, two out of three isn't bad!) Then of course came the full-on Big Babe Tennis -- Venus, Lindsay, Jennifer, Serena. But it's getting to the point where I don't even know who any of the players are anymore because I just don't care. And I thought the Belgians were bad.
A longtime reader wrote to me to tell me he too was a huge Roger Federer fan, but he was disappointed about comments Fed made about photographers taking his picture when he changes his shirt on court. Here is what Roger said:
"It's not like because I like to do that, but it's because I have to. And then it's like that focus, I feel like it's a bit odd, you know, 'Who is that guy controlling the camera?' I don't know. Is he a weirdo or not? I don't know. That's probably why."
This reminds me of the Kelly Ripa-Clay Aiken situation that Rosie O'Donnell called homophic a few years ago. No, I don't think Roger meant to be anti-gay. But I also don't think he realizes how this sounds to a gay man. ('Cause you know how guys taking photos of other guys tend to be weirdos?) If tennis photographers were predominantly women would he be saying this? I think the answer is clearly no.
Words have power. I doubt he will, but I think he might want to clarify or apologize about this -- or at the very least think twice about it.
It's always easy for me to remember how old Novak Djokovic: We're almost exactly 20 years apart, making him 27 today. The most disturbing part of this fact -- do I really LOOK LIKE I could be his father? -- is that it means he was an actual newborn the time I went to my first Grand Slam, the 1987 French Open. Here's hoping some Roland Garros hardware will be his present this year, he truly deserves it.
Not a huge fan of Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams -- Rafa strikes me as a meathead, Serena's lack of graciousness and intimidation techniques are frequently appalling -- but there's no denying they were both spectacular this past two weeks in Paris, hugely deserving of their singles crowns. (What a heartbreak for Nole!) For Rafa, number 8 makes him the best clay court player of all time. For Serena, it moves her to number 4 on the winningest Grand Slam champions of the Open era. Although she still trails Steffi Graf by six, and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert by two, many are starting to see her as the greatest player of all time. To watch her, it would be hard to argue. But seeing how invincible she's been this year -- now that she's recommitted herself to the game -- has only reinforced my disappointment in her lack of focus over the years. She's "so much better than everyone" yet hadn't won here since 2002, and has now only won here twice? Steffi, on the other hand, won at least four of every major, including the ultra rare Grand Slam, and rarely missed an event. I guess you could compare this part of Serena's career to Andre Agassi's. Although it seems likely that she will surpass Martina and Chris if she plays another few years, I doubt she can catch up to Steffi, which is a shame. She probably is better than any other woman to ever play the game. But GOAT requires more than just raw talent: It requires focus, staying healthy and a relentless commitment to the game. And, above all, it requires cold, hard stats. Can Serena make up for lost time? Perhaps. But I have a feeling she will end her career regretting that she let her destiny get away from her.
Huge win for perennial "next-tier" player Jo-Willie Tsonga, who took Roger Federer out in straight sets at the French Open today. I got a snarky comment about my "lack of loyalty" to players the other day, but just to clarify: I am still a huge Federer fan. It's just that after losing sleep over his wins and losses for so many years -- as I did with Chris Evert, Tracy Austin and Steffi Graf in the past -- I decided that once he won Roland Garros, thus completing the career Grand Slam, I would finally relax and allow myseelf to enjoy it if someone outplayed him. I decided this was a compliment in and of itself because to beat him means you too are really something special. (Unless your name is Rafael Nadal!) Novak Djokovic came along and started to figure out how to beat Roger, and I applauded. Now the Frenchman pulled it off and I'm happy for him, too. Disappointed for Svetlana Kuznetsova, who had a real shot at beating Serena Williams. Sveta is one of those players who had everything she needed to be a HUGE champion, but had to settle for a Hana Mandlikova type of career ... because of a similar mentality.Damn brain gets in the way of so many great athletes -- just ask Sam Stosur.
This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Alex Espenshade, Belmont Cameli, Darren Criss, Lucas Oakley, Matt Damon, Fabien Frank...
Fake Jan Alert
My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Little Kenny
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
Back to the Old House
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Oceans 11
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
1983
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
A Death in the Family
Little Larry left us too soon.
Once I Had a Love
With Debbie Harry
'Jungle' Fever
With Robert Buckley
Roger & Me
With Roger Federer
Step Brother McMullen
With Ed Burns
Headline News
With Thomas Roberts
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