A French newspaper called the red clay at Roland Garros the ‘surface of truth’. The late Lance Tuigay, the doyen of tennis scribes, referred to its testing qualities as “the slow, searching fires”. Indeed, it is a brutally slow surface with no place to hide your weakness. As in the past, honour cannot be salvaged with a single shot at ten paces in the morning mist at the Bois. The route to the title is tortuous and long.

It was a fascinating fortnight full of suspense and high drama. As many as eight matches were won by competitors who were match-point down. Fairytales, shattered dreams, comedy were entwined in the unpredictable twists and turns of fate. The unlikely champion was unseeded Argentine Gaston Gaudio, 25 years of age and ranked 44th in the world. Earlier in the year, he had considered giving up the game!

The unseeded Gaston Gaudio was an unlikely champion

Down two match-points in the final against Coria, when the title was slipping through his fingers, Gaudio stood his ground, planted his solid legs firmly on the clay and went for his shots with the courage of a true champion.

For Coria, just one point short of glory, it was a traumatic tragedy. Can you imagine winning 48 out of 50 matches on clay and losing the most important one after holding two match-points! Seven best-of-five set matches on the red clay found Coria just a fraction short physically. Leading two sets to love against Gaudio, Coria was comfortably sailing through the final when Gaudio, egged on by the crowd clamouring for a good contest, managed to win the third set.

At one game all in the fourth set, Coria was immobilised by cramps in both legs. After medical attention, he made no effort in the fourth set waiting for the cream rubbed on his legs to have effect. Alas, Coria’s spirited and brave comeback in the fifth failed by a whisker.

Of the potential winners who fell by the wayside, the top-seeded Federer failed to meet the level of consistency and application required to counter the deep, heavy groundshots of former three-time champion Kuerten.

The 1998 French champion Carlos Moya, with his long hair, tattooed bicep and sleeveless shirt considered to be the sexiest male player, was unfortunate to run into Coria in the quarters. Coria, with eyes narrowed and nostrils flared, went after Moya like a terrier on an adrenaline high to record an emphatic victory. Moya would have surely made the final had he been in the other half of the draw.

I fancied Nalbandian to win the championship. His all-round game is not spectacular but rock-solid and consistent, bolstered by a great fighting heart. His matches against Safin and Kuerten were very tough and took a heavy toll on his physical reserves. Against Gaudio in the semi-finals, his fuel level was close to empty and he seemed to be carrying and injury.

Henman played superbly to reach the semi-finals, and at one stage it looked like he could win the title. He controlled the tempo of his matches with brilliant volleying, unsettling and destroying the rhythm of the baseliners. In the semi-finals, Henman was demolishing Coria leading by a set and 4-2, when, for some unknown reason, he chose to rally a little more from the baseline. This helped Coria regain confidence, touch and rhythm. Soon, Coria got a grip on the match and won an amazing 13 games in a row!

Marat Safin, the six-feet-four-inch bear-like lumbering Russian who, till now, had been venting his simmering frustration by smashing rackets and swear words, put McEnroe, Nastase and the lot in the shade. After a breathtaking rally, which ended with Safin retrieving a superb drop-shot by Mantilla of Spain and gently angling it for a short crosscourt winner, guess what Safin did! Instead of pumping his fist, as is the current fashion to access the adrenaline, he dropped his shorts briefly to his knees. Mantilla’s jaw dropped in surprise and nearly hit the court. A moment of stunned silence and the centre court broke into cheers and some jeers!

Anastasia Myskina has improved beyond imagination

Asked why he had done this, Safin said, “I don’t know why. Because, because I did it. It just happened.” Slapped with a point penalty for unsportsman like conduct, Safin is said to have stuck his tongue out and berated the officials after the match saying that “nobody had complained and everybody was okay. The officials have no clue about tennis and destroy the show by showing their authority”. McEnroe is reported to have said that tennis needs more players like Safin! With badly blistered hands and two very long and exhausting five-set matches, Safin had no chance against Nalbandian.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, the best of the Spanish Armada and holder of the title, was suffering from wrist and rib injuries after a fall during training in early May. Nowadays, there are so many good players around that it is impossible for the top-notchers to win with even a minor injury. Ferrero is an exciting player to watch and would have provided very tough opposition for Coria if they had met. He is one of the very best on claycourts.

Andy Roddick, good-natured, fidgety, impetuous and aggressive with the fastest serve in the world and destructive groundshots, plays his matches with the accelerator flat on the board — a sort of carpet-bombing attitude. On clay the ball keeps coming back once too often, like it did for one of the greatest, Pete Sampras. Roddick will not thrive on the slow courts of Europe.

The very popular Agassi, aptly described by one scribe “with limpid spaniel eyes, looked the unsold puppy in the pet shop,” fell in the first round. Thirtyfour years of age with eight Grand Slam titles under his belt, Father Time is gently tapping him on the shoulder, saying “enough”. But to most of us, the whisper of time is inaudible, till one gets a thump on the head.

The youngster to watch in the future is Igor Andreev of Russia, who beat Ferrero. He has a powerful game with a big serve and strong forehand. We will surely hear a lot more about him.

The ‘Galacticos’ in women’s tennis are the Williams sisters, the two Belgians Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, Capriati, Mauresmo and Davenport. Clijsters did not play due to injury. Henin-Hardenne lost in the second round as she had not fully recovered from her illness. Capriati and Mauresmo played well below par to lose to Myskina and Dementieva, the finalists. Naturally, the Russians exulted. But the final was of poor quality and very disappointing.

The Russians have a battery of promising youngsters in Nadia Petrova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko, and I would not be surprised if they throw up a champion in the future.

I have been unfair to the ultimate champion Myskina. It is difficult to assess how much Myskina has improved. After all, winning a Grand Slam is no mean achievement. We will find out how good she is when she plays against the other ‘Galacticos’.

With three players in the semi-finals, the Argentines dominated the championships. They are going to be a force to reckon with in world tennis. On the Wimbledon grass, the Argentines will have a tough time, but in due course they will be able to adapt themselves to the faster surfaces as Nalbandian has done.

The Australian and American eras are over in Paris. The slow grind of the red clay at Roland Garros is no longer compatible with their character or attitude. The high level of skill in the modern game on clay now demands even more perseverance, patience and consistency than in the past.