Tennis at the Olympics | A second-rate tournament? Not for Canadians.

(Paris) A clue that this tennis tournament is not like the others? During a match between a Canadian and an American, spectators wave flags that you probably haven’t seen since the first pages of the Little Illustrated Larousse from 1988.

“There were flags everywhere. I even saw one from El Salvador!” said Félix Auger-Aliassime after his quick 6-1, 6-4 victory over American Marcos Giron, recent winner of the Newport tournament. “It’s incredible. It almost looks like a hockey crowd.”

“Everywhere I play, I see a few Canadians in the crowd. That’s good. But today was on a whole other level,” added Bianca Andreescu, who happily defeated Clara Tauson in two short sets of 6-2, 6-3.

The Olympic tournament is a strange creature. Because it doesn’t count toward the world rankings, many players prefer to sit out and nurse their injuries. That can make it seem like a second-rate competition, somewhere between a curiosity and a Masters 1000. Maybe some players think so, but not the Canadians here, I assure you.

Félix Auger-Aliassime said he prepared for the Games “as if it were the most important tournament of the year.” When a journalist repeated those words to make sure he was quoting him correctly, the Quebec player added more.

On Sunday, on the Simonne-Mathieu court, he was in his best form. His serve was explosive (10 aces). His precision, surgical. About ten times, his balls stayed just inside the lines. His drop shots, worthy of those of Marquis Grissom, disoriented his opponent. Sixty-five minutes were enough to secure the victory. What grade does he give himself?

“An 8 or 9 out of 10. That’s a good grade to start the tournament on.”

He wanted this victory ardently. Because the one he suffered in the first round at the Tokyo Games against a reserve who was not even supposed to participate in the tournament, Max Purcell, 190^e world, had pinched hard.

“I’ve been thinking about it in the last few days. It’s definitely a big relief, because it was very difficult in Tokyo. It was my first Olympic Games. […] I didn’t have a very good match. Today I had an opportunity [d’en gagner un]. The next one will be in four years. It’s not like the other tournaments that we play all year long. We couldn’t have missed this game. I’m proud of the team.”

Since the Olympic tournament, as he points out, only takes place every four years, Félix Auger-Aliassime entered all possible draws: singles, doubles, mixed doubles. “You want to play as many matches as possible, because the atmosphere at the Olympic Games is one of the best, if not the best, of what I have experienced today.”

Later in the day I heard spectators singing Sweet Caroline And The Champs-Élyséesand scream like my colleague Guillaume Lefrançois in a wrestling gala between two points by Gaël Monfils.

According to Félix Auger-Aliassime, the experience is different from other tournaments, even the French Open, which is held on the same courts. “We play matches of two out of three. The backstage, the scenery is different. When I come here [d’habitude]I don’t wear the country’s colours. We’re with our coach, our physio, our physical trainer. Here, we’re more in a team spirit, like at the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean Cup. We spend more time together. It’s something I like. That I appreciate. I’m delighted to be here. I hope I never miss an Olympic Games during my career.”

While Félix Auger-Aliassime was lucky enough to play in a 5,000-seat stadium, Leylah Annie Fernandez began her tournament on one of the smallest courts in the complex, Court 14, in the shadow of the Suzanne-Lenglen stadium. The same kind of court where at the Tokyo Games, due to the pandemic, I saw her win her first-round match in front of only 23 people, including players, referees and ball boys.

Sunday, we were somewhere else. Hundreds of tennis fans crowded into the modest stands. There were even spectators standing, like at the Montreal Forum in a time that those under 20 cannot know.

Normally, she explained, the small courts are rarely full. “But today, it was full. It was a special moment for me to see that. It’s important to fill these courts, and not just the big stadiums like Suzanne-Lenglen and Philippe-Chatrier. There’s a lot of talent and good players on the small courts.”

Well said. Her first-round duel pitted two former Grand Slam finalists against each other. She, at the 2021 US Open, and Karolína Muchová, at the 2023 French Open. The two are also in the same peloton in the world rankings, respectively 25^e and 30^e. Fernandez easily won the first set 6-1. Muchová, who is recovering from a wrist injury, made too many unforced errors. The Canadian seemed to be heading for an easy win, but no. The Czech rallied in the second set, which she won 6-4, to tie the game. Leylah Annie Fernandez, however, dominated the final set 6-2, which will allow her to continue her singles tournament in Paris.

“My mentality is that all tournaments are important. But the Olympics are more special because they only come every four years. You have to qualify. You have to be very high in the rankings to be able to compete against the best in the rankings. Also, you can be here and watch other professionals in other sports give their hearts, not only for themselves, but for the crowd. It gives me extra motivation to do well.”

Nadal in the snatch

Everyone is eagerly awaiting THE big match of this Olympic tournament: the clash between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the second round. Except it almost didn’t happen. When Nadal, a 14-time winner here, dropped the second set against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics, people wondered if the next set would be the last of his singles career at Roland Garros. He was trailing 1-2 (0-40) when he activated his turbo button to win five straight exchanges en route to a tough 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory.