Ginepri loses — no U.S. men left at French
It's first time in nearly 40 years that American males out after 1st round
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PARIS - Robby Ginepri heard the news at breakfast before heading out to play Wednesday: He was the last U.S. man in the French Open.
By early afternoon, he was gone, too, making Americans 0-9 in the first round, the country’s worst showing at Roland Garros in at least 40 years.
“They all wanted to win, like I did,” Ginepri said. “And we’re walking away with a loss. So it’s tough.”
It’s the first time at any Grand Slam tournament since the 1973 Australian Open that no man representing the United States will play in the second round of singles — and it’s worth noting that no Americans entered that Australian Open.
U.S. men went 0-8 on the French Open’s red clay Tuesday, with losses by No. 3-seeded Andy Roddick, No. 8 James Blake, Vince Spadea, Justin Gimelstob, Amer Delic, Robert Kendrick, Sam Querrey and Michael Russell.
“It kind of all happened fast,” said Venus Williams, one of five American women still around.
The 48th-ranked Ginepri, a semifinalist at the 2005 U.S. Open, might have joined the exodus Tuesday night, but his match against Diego Hartfield of Argentina was suspended because of darkness after they split the first two sets.
When they resumed play Wednesday, Ginepri won the third set and went ahead 2-0 in the fourth, with Delic and Kendrick offering support from the 259-seat bleachers alongside Court 8. But Hartfield slowly took control as Ginepri’s unforced errors mounted, and the final score was 6-4, 1-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
It’s not as though Ginepri’s status drew a big group of face-painted, “U-S-A!”-chanting fans. Indeed, the only flag being waved in the stands was Argentina’s.
“I wasn’t aware that he was the last American,” Hartfield said. “An American journalist told me after the match.”
Ginepri was aware of his status, although not until a few hours before he played. While grabbing a bite to eat, his coach, Diego Ayala, said, “You’re the only one left.”
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“Right now, for me, it’s more mental,” he said, adding that he’s been working with a sports psychologist.
Apparently, the entire contingent of American men could use some help with their approach on clay. Roddick, Blake and others acknowledge that part of the problem is they don’t spend as much time playing or practicing on the surface as they do on hard courts, for example.
“It is to be expected that they would be eliminated in the first or second round,” Hartfield said. “We’re used to playing on clay. We (Argentines) are eliminated early in the U.S. Open — it’s the same thing.”
Clay tends to slow shots and make for longer points, often rewarding patience while punishing aggressiveness. It also requires plenty of good footwork.
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“It’s just a different type of game and mentality you have to have out here on the clay,” Ginepri said. “And I think we’re all still trying to figure it out.”
He was asked whether part of the problem is that Americans don’t take the French Open as seriously as tennis’ other major events — Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and Australian Open — which are played on faster surfaces.
“Oh, no, no. It’s definitely a Grand Slam in our minds. It’s one of the biggest events of the year,” Ginepri said. “And no matter what surface it’s on, it still counts.”
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