Fabrice Santoro, the French snibbler, who played forehand and backhand with both hands and managed to defeat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic despite being only 1.77 meters tall, was in the round of 16 on the Suzanne-Lenglen court – and made a kind of declaration of love. She plays wonderfully, whispered the now 50-year-old, she has every stroke in her repertoire, so many options on the pitch. Karolina Muchova smiled, but immediately replied: That’s exactly her problem – she had to choose between too many options. That drives her insane. Santoro’s heart rose. It was the same for him then. He could feel understood by this 26-year-old woman from Olmütz in beautiful Moravia.
In the press conference later, Muchova went deeper into the matter and explained how she approaches her game: In order not to get bogged down, she has got used to radically playing the first shot that comes to her mind. Even if she suspects: Actually, the second shot would have been the better choice. Or the third. Sometimes her first-pick strategy fails, she blunders in the rally and thinks to herself: “Oh, I hope nobody saw that,” she revealed with a smile, “but a lot of people are watching.” However. And this Saturday there will be 14,929 again in the Philippe-Chatrier court. More do not fit into the main arena of the French Open for the women’s final.
The Czech is now playing her first final in a Grand Slam tournament, she is currently 43rd in the world rankings. But there should be a consensus that this position is a mistake. Former top player Pam Shriver rightly hailed the semifinal match between Muchova and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka as one that will be “referred to as one of the best ever at a major”. In fact, what the two offered on Thursday was tennis for gourmets, a collision of two contrasting styles that resulted in sometimes artful rallies that Claude Monet could not have painted more beautifully.
Final opponent Iga Swiatek is conspicuously enthusiastic about Muchova
With 7: 6 (5), 6: 7 (5), 7: 5 Muchova, who mixed poisonous stops and spectacular volleys in her angular baseline game, prevailed against the impressively uncompromisingly shooting second in the world rankings, who at 5: 2 im missed a match point in the third set, lost the thread, but found her smile again after debates about her person. Due to critical questions about her position on the war of aggression waged by Russia and Belarus against Ukraine, Sabalenka even refused to allow two press conferences. “I had so many chances, but I still want to see this tournament as a positive tournament,” said the Belarusian. Incidentally, she has now received her visa for England, and in Wimbledon Sabalenka can try again to replace Iga Swiatek in first place in the world rankings.
The still only 22-year-old Pole, who won her semi-final 6-2, 7-6 (7) against Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil, is now fighting for her third Roland Garros title in just four years. Swiatek, who sometimes seems tense because of her ambition, radiated a more relaxed atmosphere after the win than at any time during this tournament. She may also have been relieved not to face Sabalenka in the final, against whom she last lost in the Madrid final. It is well known that the Polish woman from Warsaw and the Belarusian woman from Minsk do not have the most intimate relationship. Of course, Swiatek didn’t say anything to that effect. What was striking, however, was how enthusiastic she was about Muchova. She had never said anything like that to Sabalenka.
In the final: Iga Swiatek prevailed against Beatriz Haddad Maia – and could win the French Open for the third time in four years.
(Photo: Susan Mullane/USA TODAY Network/Imago)
“I really like their game, honestly,” said the defending champion. you respect them. Muchova is a player “who can do anything”, who has “a lot of feeling”, but also “speeds up the game”. She admired Muchova’s “freedom in movement”. Swiatek made it clear that she had already dealt with her final opponent down to the smallest detail. Both of them train together more often anyway.
The respect that Swiatek expressed was noticeably not only based on friendliness, but also expressed how Muchova is seen in the tennis scene, among colleagues: as a top player who is only (yet) not one because she is too much due to injuries often absent from the tour. If there were a world ranking for the best professionals who could not live out their talent, they would be number one in this category.
Pliskova, Barty, Osaka, Sakkari – all of them Muchova defeated on big occasions
For example, not many have it in their cross to conquer the best. Muchova’s record as a top 3 shock: In 2019 she threw compatriot Karolina Pliskova out of the Wimbledon tournament, then third in the world rankings. In 2021 she defeated first, Ash Barty, at the Australian Open and second, Naomi Osaka, in Madrid. In 2022, the then third, Maria Sakkari, fell over her at the French Open, this time clearing her in the first round.
Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ former coach, commented on Muchova’s appearance in the semifinals that she played her game so routinely “as if she were playing her 15th major semifinal”. The truth is: Only once has she been in the round of four, at the Australian Open 2021. After her defeat against the American Jennifer Brady, it was like so often: Muchova revealed that she had completed the entire tournament with a torn abdominal muscle . A year ago she had to give up in Paris in the third round, this time she twisted her ankle with her right foot.
“Yes, it wasn’t easy in the past,” admitted Muchova, who comes from a sports family. Father Josef Mucha was a footballer and played in the first Czech league. In Paris she continues the tradition of strong Czechs, in 2015 Lucie Safarova was in the final, in 2019 Marketa Vondrousova, in 2021 Barbora Krejcikova triumphed. Various teenagers such as the sisters Brenda and Linda Fruhvirtova, 16 and 18, are moving up. Muchova believes that this never-ending flow of talent from her country is due to the tennis enthusiasm of many parents, who intensively encourage their children. That’s how it was with her too.
She’s definitely not going into the final as a favorite, Muchova said. She doesn’t stress, she’s a pleasantly calm, level-headed person. And the way she sounded, she’s already won anyway. In general, she only has one thing in mind: “I will definitely try to push my limits, and who knows where the limits are.” Possibly where a certain Coupe Suzanne Lenglen is positioned on this Saturday afternoon.
