In which Sharapova faces Shvedova and my brain explodes

On Day 6, the USA lost Venus Williams from the singles draw, leaving sister Serena and Andy Roddick as the only remaining Americans. As a distraction from our stateside struggles, I've spent the day trying to appreciate the bigger picture.

Before coming here for the first time in 2006, I was never particularly attached to the French Open as a viewer.  The reasons for this are most likely 1) I had never been to Paris and 2) I'm an American, and the only tennis I grew up watching was played at Wimbledon or the US Open.

Talking to Mary Carillo earlier, she mentioned that this is her favorite Slam - and wagered that if polled, most players would say the same.  There are the obvious reasons: It's easy to appreciate being in Paris this time of year, no matter where you're from.  And compared to the heat in Australia and the threat of rain at Wimbledon and the US Open, the weather is all but guaranteed to be superior.  But many players prefer this tournament because they grew up on clay.  For much of the rest of the world, this is the closest they come to a home court Slam.  Before many countries had grass courts, it wasn't uncommon for their players to skip Wimbledon entirely - it was considered more of an afterthought following the premier event of the season.  Imagine being a professional tennis player and choosing to forgo the opportunity to play Wimbledon.  For them, the French Open was the only place they had a realistic chance to make a statement. 

So the next time any of us (myself included) claim to be uninspired by the occasional 'dova-'pova face-off, or the Spaniard you've never heard of vs. the Frenchman you've never heard of, please show a little respect. You may be sitting on someone else's Henman Hill.

-Lena M. Glaser