RG legend Wawrinka targets Father Time

Hungry for intel on the state of the courts, newly minted world No.5 Jack Draper and Grigor Dimitrov went through their preparations across two courts on Wednesday.

Draper and Dimitrov, who have never clashed on tour, made the journey to Simone-Mathieu after an hour of practice on Chatrier – both, no doubt interested in getting familiar with the playing conditions on different show courts.

Just after lunch, as a light rain started to trickle down, 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka and Holger Rune took over Court Simone-Mathieu in a closed door session.

With his intrepid coach Magnus Norman standing cross-armed courtside, legendary Wawrinka slugged away, looking fleet of foot as he pounded his enormous groundstrokes in the direction of a young lad nearly half his age. 

Forty-year-old Wawrinka looks ready to continue his assault on Father Time in what might be his last appearance on the Parisian clay, while the Dane, who had barely turned two years old when Wawrinka made his main draw debut in Paris in 2005, hopes to continue the momentum he built when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in this year’s Barcelona final. 

Inside Court Philippe-Chatrier the roof was closed as well, and the lower bowl was crowded with enthusiastic fans who were happy for a reprieve from the drizzle. Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda gave them plenty to cheer about, the pair taking the court moments after top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Tunisia’s “Minister of Happiness” Ons Jabeur left the court to a hearty round of applause. 

Fans broke out their trademark “Ole!” chants for Medvedev and Korda, who engaged in a competitive practice set that eventually turned in Korda’s favour. 

The outcome was less important than the execution for Medvedev, who was fixated on perfecting his drop shots for a good portion of the points. And when the world No.11 wasn’t dropping, he was chatting. 

It was fascinating to watch Medvedev’s rapport with his coach Gilles Cervara. There was ceaseless chatter after almost every point of the practice set, with the two longtime partners discussing and gesticulating as Medvedev poured an enormous amount of mental effort into the practice.

Credit Korda for the shot of the day: a running tweener that drew a volley error from Medvedev – and, of course, a funny reaction.

Next, a big round of applause as 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff emerged from the locker room. The American, who enters this year’s event with big expectations after reaching finals in Madrid and Rome, hit with 11th-ranked Diana Shnaider for an hour before yielding the court to French favourite Caroline Garcia and a hitting partner. 

French legend Richard Gasquet, who will be playing his last Roland Garros – 23 years after his debut! – took the court next and put his elegant game on display against left-handed practice partner Ugo Humbert. 

Hard not to get emotional watching the 38-year-old Frenchman crack myriad gorgeous backhand winners during the session. Has there ever been a more stylish, one-handed backhand? You be the judge.

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