Today, we’ll talk about WTA Legends without Roland Garros title. If the Corona-virus had not impacted the world of sports, the regular tennis season would have been going on in full flow. It would have been the deciding week at the French Open with the Men’s and Women’s final being played. Since Roland Garros has been rescheduled to September this year we capture a very important historical dimension of the tournament.
Played on the slow red clay, the tournament is known famously as the elusive Grand Slam. Many great tennis stars who have dominated the other 3 majors have never been able to touch the glory at Roland Garros. In this article, we introduce you to the popular WTA players whose dream in Paris remained an evasive one. Here we bring you the WTA Legends without Roland Garros title.
Venus Williams
Venus has been playing professional tennis for more than 25 years now. She is one of the best players on the fast courts having won 5 Wimbledon and 2 US Open titles. At Roland Garros however, the elder of the famous Williams sisters has not been so much lucky. She did reach the 2002 French Open singles final but was beaten in straight sets by her younger sister Serena. Since that year Venus has never been able to reach the final or win the singles title at Roland Garros again.
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The 7 times Grand Slam champion and former world number 1 had however been a French Open champion in doubles and mixed doubles category. She has won it 2 times in doubles and once in mixed doubles. Venus is almost approaching the age of 40 but continues to be competitive on the tennis courts. Her supreme talent along with great fitness and longevity make the American a true inspiration for the young players on the tour. However now in the closing times of her career, Venus is unlikely to win a singles Roland Garros championship. Thus, among the WTA Legends without Roland Garros title.
Martina Hingis
The talented Swiss female superstar was a perfect tennis protégée. She began to dominate the game in her teens. In 1997 Hingis reached the finals of all 4 majors. She won 3 of the 4 Grand Slams that year except for Roland Garros, where she lost in the final. Two years later in 1999, Martina Hingis would again reach the French Open final. She won the first set but later lost her way as Graf came back strongly. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Swiss starlet that prevented her from winning the much-wanted career Grand Slam.
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Hingis also faced regular injury problems in her tennis career. This forced her to virtually give up her singles career and concentrate more on the doubles arena. The former world number 1 won Roland Garros in both doubles and mixed doubles. She would retire from the game in 2017 after having one of the most successful careers ever. Hingis’s contribution towards the game was acknowledged in 2013 when she was inducted in the Tennis Hall of Fame. Thus, among the WTA Legends without Roland Garros title.
Lindsay Davenport
The former world number 1 from America was among the best female players in the 1990s. She won 55 singles titles in her career which also included one Grand Slam trophy each at the Australian Open US Open and Wimbledon championships. At the French Open Davenport’s journey was not a successful one.
Her best performance at Roland Garros was in 1998. That year the American would reach the semi-final stage but lost to Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez. Lindsay’s attacking game-style and her affinity to fast courts proved to be a hurdle in her success at Roland Garros. Thus, among the WTA Legends without Roland Garros title.
Kim Clijsters
The 4 time Grand Slam winner and former world number 1 from Belgium is another in the list of players who could not taste the glory at Roland Garros. Clijsters made it to the final in Paris two times in her career. That was in 2001 and 2003. She would however the 2nd best on both the occasions.
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She lost in 2001 to America’s Jennifer Capriati and in 2003 to fellow Belgian Justine Henin. The former world number 1 who took retirement from professional tennis in 2012 has now come back to the tour. Clijsters has already had a great career winning 41 singles titles. Thus, among the WTA Legends without Roland Garros title.
The French Open thus has proved to be an elusive Grand Slam for many of the great players. Many of the other former WTA world number 1 players like Tracy Austin also came to Paris in quest of victory but only to taste bitter defeats. It is rightly said in tennis that the clay of Roland Garros does not care for champions.
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