Mannarino and clay, a clear dislike: "I'm not enjoying it at all".

Tennis is a fascinating sport. Depending on the playing surface, the level of some players can vary quite impressively. While there have always been ochre specialists, accustomed to playing clay-court tournaments all year round, the reverse is also true. Indeed, many players have a real aversion to the surface. This is particularly true of one of the best players in the French delegation: Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman, ranked 22nd in the world this week, has always had great difficulty adapting his tennis to the crushed brick. This season is perhaps the most telling example. In 2024, he played 5 clay-court tournaments, losing 5 (Auger-Aliassime, Gasquet, Zhang, Darderi, Zeppieri) and winning just one set.
Unfortunately for the French public, Roland-Garros was no exception. Facing Giulio Zeppieri, ranked 148th in the world and a qualifier, Mannarino only managed one set, losing by a wide margin (4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2).
Questioned at the press conference, the divine bald man made no secret of the fact: "I'm fighting but I'm not enjoying it. I don't see the point of playing on completely rotten courts where there are false bounces all the time. You never know how the ball is going to bounce."
That said, the 35-year-old is far from the only player in this situation. One example is Kovacevic's reaction following his defeat by Dimitrov in the first round of the French Open (6-4, 6-3, 6-4): "I'm delighted it's over!"