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Friday Notebook Fashion statements on the court; Seeds falling fast
Posted: Friday June 02, 2000 01:55 PM
PARIS (AP) -- A soccer shirt on a tennis court? You might see them in the stands, but it's not often they're worn on the court. But that's exactly what Tathiana Garbin had on Friday in her match against top-seeded Martina Hingis. The 22-year-old Italian, who lost in straight sets, is an avid soccer fan and donned the dark blue shirt of the Italian national soccer team. Natalie Tauziat also raised some eyebrows with her recent switch to sleeveless dresses -- and short ones, too. The Frenchwoman traded in her signature short-sleeved polo shirts and pleated skirts for more form-fitting attire. But the new dress -- white with stripes on top -- was too long. "I had it shortened because I didn't want to look so matronly," she said. Andrei Medvedev also has come up short -- on shorts -- and is back in his baggies. The 25-year-old Ukrainian said in April that he was planning to sign a contract with the German clothier Wiesman, which is run by one of his close friends. Medvedev, last year's French Open runner-up, wore an elegant, all-white ensemble two weeks ago in Hamburg, but showed up in Paris this week wearing his trademark gray plaid baggies. "With my big fat butt, I'm not comfortable in most of the shorts I wear, including the ones made by the new sponsor," he said. "So I took out the old ones. I know they look awful, but the cut and the material suit me better." Problem is, Medvedev only has two pairs left. "If I get very far in the tournament, I'll have to do laundry every day," he said.
Don't forget GuyFrench fans are getting to see a lot of their Davis Cup captain these days. Not only is "gentleman" Guy Forget suited up and doing daily commentary for French TV, he's also come out of retirement to play doubles in the main draw. On Friday, Forget teamed up with countryman Guillaume Raoux to beat Leander Paes of India and Jan Siemerink from the Netherlands to win a berth in the second round of the doubles. Forget, 35, retired two years ago and has captained France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams. He coaches from the sidelines but likes to spar at the net. He has been a mainstay of French tennis since his first high-profile appearance at Roland Garros in 1982 when he knocked out veteran Ilie Nastase at the age of 17.
Fallen seedsIt may only be the third round, but this year's French Open hasn't been sweet to the seeds. The men's draw was beheaded Thursday when top seed Andre Agassi was ousted by Karol Kucera. Earlier in the week, second-seeded Pete Sampras made a quick exit at the hands of Mark Philippoussis. The slow, red clay which traditionally favors European and South American players -- handicapping most North Americans in the process -- hasn't allowed the women to fare much better. The No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport was knocked out in the first round by Dominique Van Roost. French hopeful Natalie Tauziat, seeded seventh, bombed out to Chanda Rubin while countrywoman Sandrine Testud, seeded No. 10, lost to Asa Carlsson.
Rubin rushingChanda Rubin knew her only chance against the aggressive, hard-hitting Natalie Tauziat was to change tactics and rush the net. "I tried to attack when I could," said the 24-year-old. "It worked pretty well for most of the match. I just wasn't as strong on the volleys sometimes. But I definitely wanted to move her and give myself the opportunities to attack instead of her attacking me." The American's tactics paid off, dashing Tauziat's hopes to bow out of professional tennis with one last blast on the home court at Roland Garros. The French star, who published a book about life on the tour this spring, recently announced tentative plans to retire at the end of the year, "depending on how I feel physically." Rubin, currently ranked No. 25 in the world, says she's having more fun on the court these days. "I wasn't always happy out there. I think that's been the biggest improvement for me, just enjoying it more, learning about the game, trying to get better, not putting so much pressure on myself," she said. That may well allow the Louisiana native to equal -- or even better -- her 1995 performance here when she reached the quarterfinals, losing to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. Last year she was bumped in the second round.
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