the reason i say the French Open is second most-grueling pro event is that, like TdF, it is a multi-week event (if you keep winning). granted, there are more grueling one day events, like IronMan, which is probably most grueling of all (but not a skill sport, except for swimming).
a French Open match can go five hours, and you need to win seven matches to win the tournament. given the combined need for speed (sprinting during points), aerobic endurance (over the course of 5hr match), and stamina (to last 2 weeks), not to mention golflike sport-specific skill and mental toughness (like top golfers and swimmers, all top players must learn the game well before physical maturity) which can cause a loss at any point in time (unlike Lance Armstrong's waltz over the last week of TdF, which has caused the oddsmakers to give him only 1 in 200 chance of losing a week from the end), it is quite a difficult event and not surprising that almost nobody has a chance these days after their 30th birthday.
the reason i say French Open as opposed to other Grand Slam events is that claycourts neutralize the big servers (unlike Wimbledon) and slow the ball down so that points tend to be long and brutal. thus, it is very physical and almost like boxing, where you literally wear your opponent down. this is obviously what Nadal did this year.
one can have different opinions about the relative merits of sports, but watching the men's French Open a reasonable person will have to conclude that these are not prima donnas and preening sissies. |
