Todd Woodbridge and Sam Stosur consider Australian gamers can go deep at this 12 months’s clay-court Grand Slam event.
Melbourne, Australia, 25 Could 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Todd Woodbridge and Sam Stosur are optimistic that Australian gamers can carry out nicely at Roland Garros 2024.
The clay-court Grand Slam event, performed within the French capital of Paris, is historically thought of probably the most tough main for Australians to win.
Nonetheless, Stosur believes that narrative is altering.
“There’s no explanation why Aussies can’t do nicely (at Roland Garros),” Stosur declared when speaking to media in Melbourne this week.
“We do have clay courts right here, our juniors are beginning to play on it increasingly more. I by no means noticed a clay court docket till I used to be 15, however that’s definitely not the way in which it’s now.”
Stosur went on to turn into certainly one of Australia’s biggest clay-court gamers, advancing to 4 singles semifinals at Roland Garros and profitable the ladies’s doubles title in 2006.
“I’d wish to suppose all of the Aussies really feel like they’ll contend at Roland Garros,” mentioned Stosur, a ladies’s singles finalist at Roland Garros in 2010.
“My outcomes, the outcomes of Ash Barty who received the event, I’d wish to suppose that does give somewhat little bit of a lift and hopefully (units) the bar to try to get to in years to return.”
> READ: Australians handed difficult attracts at Roland Garros 2024
| Roland Garros Australian champions within the Open period |
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| Occasion | Titles received | Most up-to-date champions |
| Males’s singles | 2 | Rod Laver (1969) |
| Ladies’s singles | 5 | Ash Barty (2019) |
| Males’s doubles | 8 | Todd Woodbridge/ Mark Woodforde (2000) |
| Ladies’s doubles | 4 | Alicia Molik with Mara Santangelo (ITA) (2007) |
| Combined doubles | 8 | Casey Dellacqua with Scott Lipsky (USA) (2011) |
| Boys’ singles | 2 | Alexei Popyrin (2017) |
| Ladies’ singles | 1 | Lesley Hunt (1968) |
| Boys’ doubles | 6 | Nick Kyrgios/ Andrew Harris (2012) |
| Ladies’ doubles | 3 | Jessica Moore with Polona Hercog (SLO) (2008) |
| Quad wheelchair singles | 3 | Dylan Alcott (2021) |
| Quad wheelchair doubles | 1 | Dylan Alcott (2019) |
Woodbridge, a two-time doubles champion at Roland Garros, believes Alex de Minaur is Australia’s finest likelihood on this 12 months’s singles competitors.
“Alex can go deep,” Woodbridge predicted of the world No.11, who’s but to progress past the second spherical in Paris.
“He’s had sufficient wins in opposition to high gamers on clay that if (the draw) opens up the appropriate manner he might sneak by way of. We’ve had the likes of Pat Rafter attain the semifinals (in 1997) earlier than on the boys’s aspect, so it may be achieved.”
C’mon, Demon 💪
In his eighth #RolandGarros, @alexdeminaur will characteristic because the eleventh seed within the males’s singles draw. pic.twitter.com/VWASsdU1fw
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) Could 24, 2024
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is most impressed with the way in which De Minaur has “upped the ante when it comes to tempo off the bottom” this season.
“He’s acquired larger, he’s acquired stronger however he hasn’t misplaced any pace,” Woodbridge famous. “He’s taking over a way more front-foot angle and taking it to his opponents.
“It’s not his favorite (floor), however his mindset is nearly as good as anyone’s.”
De Minaur is amongst 9 Australians on this 12 months’s males’s singles primary draw, the very best illustration in 25 years.
> READ: Australian males to set 25-year excessive at Roland Garros 2024
Essential-draw motion at Roland Garros 2024 begins on Sunday 26 Could. It will likely be broadcast stay in Australia on the 9 Community and Stan Sport.
Discover your technique to play: Go to play.tennis.com.au to get out on court docket and have some enjoyable!
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