ers will be in their 30s, which should inspire a sense of urgency. Noah might just be the shock to the system France’s stars need: He’s got a bigger ego, a bigger temper, and the unimpeachable credential they all lack—a French Open title. Noah himself seems to understand the stakes: “This generation created lots of hopes because it’s unique,” he said. “But if those players happen to be too tough to handle, then that would mean they don’t deserve to win. So be it! Some people don’t know how to win. There’s something negative surrounding that team today. People don’t believe in them anymore. This situation, it’s an emergency.” Gasquet agrees that the country isn’t en - tirely pleased with his generation, a fact he’s had to grapple with for most of his career. “Crowds wants to see a Grand Slam winner, and I think that’s the issue,” he said. “We’ve all been rather close, but it never happened. I’ve always received a lot of support from the crowd, maybe also because they love the one-handed backhand. And I’ve been on tour since I was very young, so they’ve always known me. But then you’ll always have some who say, ‘He never won a Grand Slam.’ That’s fine, I accept that. I don’t know how many seasons are left for me, but I know I can still play high-level tennis. Winning a Grand Slam, I don’t know. But I’m able to get back into semis, winning big tournaments and the Davis Cup, too, so why not?” Tsonga has said over and over again that he still feels he has a Grand Slam in him, and Monfils also dreams of the French Open. “My goal is the same every year, but I’m gon - na stop talking too much about that. I now want the results to speak for me,” Monfils said in Melbourne. So you see how one country’s hopes and dreams have come to rest on one man, deemed capable of reaching excellence and soothing a nation’s long-held anxiety. There’s a pervasive feeling in French tennis: When everything else has failed, you go back to the only thing that worked—Noah. “You can get this extra something that
match point to then play Cilic, and Nishiko - ri, who was in a wheelchair”—a reference to Nishikori’s injuries at the time—“that was a real opening.” Tsonga lost the French Open 2015 semi against Stan Wawrinka, who went on to win the tournament. In 2012 Tsonga lost a quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic, de- spite having four match points, and he lost close Wimbledon semifinals against Murray that same year and Djokovic in 2011—great chances to win a Slam that might never come again. Some critics point to the French tennis system, saying they coddle players who turn out technically perfect but lack a winning mentality, ambition, mental toughness, or love of sacrifice. The federation offers amaz- ing facilities and sends its medical and fitness staff to some tournaments. Financial help is generous by global standards. The country even subsidizes coaches for some of its top players. There’s also the fact that France has had an amazing generation of players…at prob- ably the worst time. The real Big Four— Djokovic, Federer, Murray, and Nadal—have minimized most players’ chances of ever winning a Slam. But Gasquet won’t make ex - cuses: “Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka won a Grand Slam, so it’s not an excuse. Each time, I wasn’t good enough and lost against Feder - er, Nadal, and Djokovic, who were at their best and ended up winning the whole thing. They were better,” he said. “Sometimes you need a bit of luck, and it never happened for me. I played Novak last year in the Wimble - don semis, but he nearly lost against Kevin Anderson in the fourth round…. Imagine you play Anderson for a spot in the final.… No, I had Djokovic at his best, as Nadal in New York in 2013, who was just unplay- able. And Federer on grass in years when he wasn’t beatable there. I haven’t lost because I messed up or something, but because each time they were the best they could be and I didn’t stand a chance.” As of next year, all of France’s top play -
Noah, getting into it, as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga approaches the net.
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