50 years on, French Open champ Rosewall says Aussies will struggle

When Ken Rosewall is at Roland Garros, he doubts there will an Australian to cheer for in the latter stages of the French Open.

The 1968 French Open singles champion Ken Rosewall at Melbourne Park yesterday. Picture: Getty Images.

When Ken Rosewall is honoured at Roland Garros in just over a fortnight, he doubts there will be an Australian to cheer for in the latter stages of the French Open.

The French Tennis Federation will celebrate Rosewall’s French Open final triumph over Rod Laver 50 years ago, in what was a defining period for the sport with the Open era beginning.

Rosewall added to a win in Paris 15 years earlier when he defeated the only man to twice win the Grand Slam, 6-3 6-1 2-6 6-2.

The International Herald Tribune wrote that the Sydneysider “mesmerised Laver with his immaculate length and tactical nous”.

The eight-time major championship winner was in Melbourne yesterday before his trip to Paris to attend this year’s Champions’ Dinner.

Rosewall, 83, reflected on his famous win over Laver.

“Well sometimes, the way I wake up in the morning, it feels like more than 50 years, but I just wonder where the years have gone,” he said.

“To have played as much as I did, and had a fair amount of success and have good memories of having played in a lot of major events, well 50 years of Open tennis brings back a lot of special memories.”

Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley, who is also the Australian Open tournament director, paid tribute to Rosewall.

“Ken is a true representative of Australia’s golden age of tennis and one of our most outstanding legends of the game,” he said.

“He’s made an enormous contribution to our sport and I’m delighted he will have the opportunity to celebrate this milestone in Paris next month.”

But the legend’s forecast for Australian success over the next fortnight was as dim as the sky above the clay court complex at the National Tennis Academy yesterday. With Sam Stosur the last Australian to win a grand slam singles title, Rosewall felt it would be “a way” before we end a drought dating back to 2011 at major level.

Stosur, who was among three Australian women to progress to the second round in a lead-in event in Strasbourg, is the nation’s best clay court player and has performed well at Roland Garros for the past two years.

The 2011 US Open champion reached the semi-finals in 2016 before breaking a bone in her hand during a narrow fourth-round loss to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko 12 months ago.

Rosewall was impressed by Australian wildcard Alex de Minaur, who pushed German star Alexander Zverev to a fifth-set tie-breaker during a Davis Cup tie in Brisbane in February.

The 19-year-old shares a similar build to that which earned Rosewall the nickname “Muscles”, but is a player who can press in years to come.

“I think he is one we have to look for to lead the way in the very near future,” Rosewall said. “When you think that Alex de Minaur is only 18, 19, he is the next one that has the chance to get there, especially on clay. He is good on most surfaces, I think, and capable.”

And as for Nick Kyrgios, the 83-year-old would love to say the nation’s top-ranked man can deliver on what Rosewall assesses as “more potential than anyone here in Australia at the moment”.

The 22nd seed is under an injury cloud heading into Roland Garros, having struggled with an elbow problem since February, and Rosewall cannot see him threatening until he improves his fitness.

“I would like to say yes. But I don’t know Nick very well. It seems in some ways he is his own worst enemy,” he said.

“He does have some physical problems, which is not his fault. Maybe it is the way he plays or whatever, I don’t know, but certainly he needs to work a bit harder on his physical fitness, because he doesn’t seem to play many long matches. If he is fit, maybe something in his game is going to improve and his physical strength is going to improve as well.”

Qualifying began in Paris on Monday with Bernard Tomic leading the Australian contingent as he seeks to revive his career.

The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist was joined by Thanasi Kokkinakis and Akira Santillan in the second round of qualifying at Roland Garros.

Olivia Rogowska, Arina Rodionova, Lizette Cabrera and Priscilla Hon were in action last night.