Guy Forget: "One day France has a Nadal or Federer"
French Open tournament director Guy Forget sees hope in French men's tennis not lost. Rather, he believes the Grande Nation will employ a Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer caliber player over the next few years.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: May 23, 2019, 07:21 am
"There is no panacea with which we can program individual men like machines so that they can become series winners in the Grand Slams," Forget said in an interview with Europe 1.
Serbia, for example, just as little as Switzerland produces top players on the assembly line. Rather, athletes like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are exceptional talents that will one day also exist in France.
"We live in an extraordinary generation. If we look at the rankings of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Lucas Pouille, we see nothing but players who have made it into the top 10 With football, we are talking about superstars like Griezmann, Mbappe and Pogba. They are not Messis and Ronaldos, but they are still among the very best in the world, "said Forget.
France has been waiting since 1983
"I think one day we will also have a Nadal or Federer caliber player. I believe in the skills of a single player who has something special in them. And if that is the case, it will be again during one Be an era that produces two or three other champions, "said the 54-year-old.
Forget did not want to reveal how long it would take or which French youngsters had the potential to do so. It is clear that France has been waiting for a men's winner at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Only Jo-Wilfied Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Sebastien Grosjean have made it to the semi-finals in the past 20 years.