Clay grounds have proven to be slippery at times, and Andy Roddick succumbed to the surface when he slipped and then kicked the dirt. Although he protested to the umpire about a call, Roddick still raised his fists to celebrate his victory, and is well on his way at the French Open.
Roddick’s match on the clay-court season started on Tuesday where he showed signs of his frustrations on the surface he has the most trouble with against Jarkko Nieminen in the first round of the French Open.
In another clay court, the No. 2 seed, Rafael Nadal, started going after a possible fifth French Open title by facing Gianna Mina in a match that resulted in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 game in Nadal’s favor. The match was actually Nadal’s first since he was defeated by Robin Soderling in last year’s fourth round of Roland Garros.
Justine Henin also announced her return out of retirement, proving that she still has it after she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova in a match that ended in 6-4, 6-3 game. This was Henin’s first victory since her last appearance in 2007.
However, not everybody was victorious at the French Open, since the two-time runner-up Dinara Safina was defeated by Date Krumm. Krumm is the second oldest woman who was able to win a match in the tournament at 39 years old. Krumm was coming out of retirement since 2008, and has not played in the French Open since 1996.