Susan Lenglen, one of the greatest players in the history of women's tennis, can even be said to be one of the pioneer risk-takers who opened up a new world.
First, she was the first female tennis player ever to turn professional, losing only one match between 1919 and 1926.
Secondly, early women's tennis competition attire was derived from the clothing of noble ladies in the Middle Ages. They were all long-sleeved dresses, paired with hats or handkerchiefs. The cuffs must be tightly wrapped around the wrists, and the skirts must cover the ankles. Such inconvenient and cumbersome clothing is It was a strict code for tennis attire at the time.
Until the appearance of Lenglen, she changed her long sleeves to short sleeves and paired them with loose knee-length pleated skirts and long skirts to play more lightly. This also became an important turning point in the history of women's tennis clothing, laying the foundation for laid the foundation for the transformation process that followed over the next century.
By the way, in 2018, in order to prevent blood clots in her thighs, Serena Williams designed a stunning "Black Panther costume" to compete in the French Open. Although this costume was later banned by the tournament, she It also opened a door for female players——
Since then, the requirement for women's players to wear skirts has been abolished and they can opt for shorts if they wish.
From Lenglen to Serena Williams, women's tennis clothing has undergone changes and changes for exactly one hundred years.
In the end, Lundgren's contribution was not just an innovation and a breakthrough. On the court, the four Grand Slams had not yet entered the Open era, so the events she could participate in were very limited. Despite this, she still showed her ability. Top level:
Six French Open championships and seven Wimbledon championships, covering singles, doubles, mixed doubles, etc., including four singles championships.
His dominant performance on the court also made Lenglen one of the powerful promoters of professional tennis.
Unfortunately, this legend died young at the age of thirty-nine due to pernicious anemia.
To this day, the French Tennis Association, in order to commemorate this legendary figure, not only names the second largest court after Susan Lenglen, but also the women's singles championship trophy is also named after her. Every early summer, it is located in the suburbs of Paris. , welcomes tennis enthusiasts from all over the world.
Today, Gao Wen is about to step onto this court and start his first trip to Roland Garros.
Although it is not Center Court Philippe Chartier, Gao Wen's mentality is still very stable. After all, objectively speaking, everything is brand new. No matter which court it is, it is the first time for Gao Wen to experience it, and it is the first time in his career. It is already an honor to be able to play in Susan Lenglen for the first time at Roland Garros instead of playing on a small court in the outfield.
A little excited, a little excited, and a little nervous.
But Gawain believed that he had done it well——
"boom!"
There was a blasting shout from behind, and the blasting sound made with his mouth exploded above his eardrums. Gawain, who was concentrating on feeling the atmosphere of the game, was severely startled, but before he could turn around and respond, like a Samoyed The big dog opened his arms and hugged him heavily.
Accompanied by a cheerful laugh, he kept repeating it.
"Feel sorry."
"I'm sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I just couldn't help it. God, I just couldn't help it."
"As expected, I am a bad boy."
Turning his head, Gawain saw a face full of smiles, and he kept admitting his mistakes with a flattering look on his face, as if he could see the invisible tail wagging.
Sometimes he is proud, sometimes he is aggrieved. His vivid facial expressions are so vivid that you can feel the emotional changes without the need for words.
France-Tiafoe, Gao Wen's first opponent at the French Open.
Tiafoe, born in 1998, American player.
Like the Williams sisters, he was born into poverty. His father was a janitor at the tennis hall, so he spent his childhood playing on the tennis court.
At first, Tiafoe could only practice tennis by picking up rackets discarded by other children in the trash can. But later, his talent gradually became apparent, and he got the help of Misha Kuznetsov, a coach at the tennis center. Kuouzmetzov not only sponsored him to continue training, but also began to serve as his coach to enlighten Tiafoe.
Later, with the help of Kuznetsov, Tiafoe gradually realized his talent. He successively received scholarship sponsorship from the state project and a tennis scholarship from Salisbury University, officially entered the NCAA system and embarked on his own tennis career. career.
Tiafoe has outstanding talent and is a typical North American hard court player. His powerful serve and forehand are his key weapons; and his forehand shot is very distinctive.
Tiafoe's forehand hitting action is a bit awkward. When it is close to the body, it does not hit the ball flatly, but completes the hit after making a small circle. This kind of pull-up hitting the ball from the bottom up maintains the smoothness of the hit. In addition to power and speed, it can also create strong tail power, and the ball quality is very special.
Unlike Nadal's strong topspin, Tiafoe's forehand does not spin, but it has full stamina, a bit like a "bone-splitting palm", and the remaining power after impact will bring continuous destruction.
Thanks to his own talent, Tiafoe began to emerge early, reaching the highest world ranking as a teenager and reaching second place. After entering college, he frequently participated in hope competitions during his freshman year. The overall growth rate was particularly gratifying.
This year, while participating in NCAA competitions and challenge tournaments, Tiafoe's world ranking broke into the top 300 in just four months. So in April, Tiafoe did not continue to participate in subsequent NCAA competitions and announced After turning professional, he got a wild card from the French Open——
Just one month after turning professional, he is about to embark on the first Grand Slam stage of his career.
From this perspective, Tiafoe has entered the Grand Slam world earlier than Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev and other future top players.
Looking back at the historical height of 2022, Tiafoe has outstanding talent, but his offensive methods are relatively simple, and his defensive ability is far from being able to compete with top players. Therefore, when meeting top players, he always lacks tenacity. It was not until August 2022 that he reached a new high in his career ranking:
Twenty-three.
As for the Grand Slams, she reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2019 and the semi-finals of the US Open in 2022. In addition, she has advanced to the top 16 of the US Open for two consecutive years.
Of course, never underestimate Tiafoe's impact. His tennis idol is Del Potro, and he is most eager to play an offense as smooth as Del Potro. Therefore, once this "crazy man" enters the state, he will lead The impact is often overwhelming for players.
Tiafoe has a very cheerful and sunny personality, and his laughter can always be heard wherever he goes. Coupled with his young age of seventeen, he is not only a pistachio but also a mascot in the tour. , it can be said that he has friends all over the world, and he is extremely close even to the Big Four.
It's like now, even if the game is about to start, Tiafoe still has the mind to joke with Gawain.
(End of chapter)
