PARIS — Top-ranked American and veteran French player Sebastien Grosjean first crossed paths in Boca Raton, Fla., nearly a decade ago and stayed pals.
They make a point of attending each other’s charity events. A few days ago, Roddick showed up for a dinner in Paris benefitting Grosjean’s foundation, which raises money for rare childhood diseases, and was introduced as “the most French of all the American players.” That might seem an incongruous label for an athlete who by all appearances is the prototypical ballcap-tugging American gunslinger, defined by firepower, obstinate self-belief, fierce desire and a rabid interest in college hoops and football. Yet Roddick, through a series of building-block coincidences, is entering his late 20s backed by a trio of formidable French companies: Babolat (racket and shoes), Lacoste (apparel), and the Lagardere conglomerate, a many-tentacled octopus where he and his agent Ken Meyerson jointly migrated in a deal consummated last month. Roddick’s first coach was a Frenchman, Tarik Benhabiles, and a French player Roddick befriended in his junior days would later prove to be an important business liaison. The obvious irony is that the French Open is the one major where Roddick’s ambitions have gone to die, buried in a red dust storm. He’s reached at least the semifinals of every other Grand Slam, but has advanced to the third round here only once, on his first try in 2001. Don’t miss a moment of the latest tennis coverage from around the world. Follow us on Twitter and stay informed.
Boxy, intimate Suzanne Lenglen Stadium, second in the pecking order at Roland Garros, has been a pit filled with quicksand for Roddick. He’d never won a match there until Monday’s first-round victory over young French wild card Romain Jouan, and is now 5-7 here lifetime.