Rio 2016

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Rio 2016

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

The complete hoo-hah in French Olympics tennis today is the story of Kiki Mlad. and Caro Garcia and what they were and were not allowed to wear.....

Having lost their doubles (despite being mega favourites in that match, and pretty much overall), Kiki sent out lots of tweets saying that the FFT were completely incompetent - and a lot worse - it was pretty rude !

Because the FFT had told them they could play in their normal colours (one in dark blue and one in light blue, I think, or light blue and white)

But when they got there, just before their match, they were told they had to wear the same thing, or else disqualification.

As they didn't have two of the same, there was complete panic. Kiki found a white vest top which she had and there was another spare one hanging around, apart from the fact that it had a big logo on it, which is not allowed. So Caro turned it inside out and wore that - making the time limit by seconds.

Anyway, di Pasquale and the FFT are mega offended. And shift the blame onto the ITF saying they asked the ITF twice if it would be OK and have emails saying it would be, even one from 4 days ago.

Apart from the fact that seemingly the ITF don't have the authority to say so, it's the Olympics juge-arbitre, and the ITF didn't realise !

Hey, ho......

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And today's French federation/player polemic is that Benoit Paire has been sent home by the FFT for, basically, being a pr*t.
Although why that comes as a surprise is anyone's guess.
And we note that the federation didn't have the gumption to send him home before he lost his match but waited till after - in which case, why bother, he was going anyway.
And he'd always said the Olympics weren't important to him, and he 'wasn't bothered' so why was he selected in the first place?

However, it makes good copy.....

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Wednesday 10th of August 2016 07:55:56 AM

Spectator · All-time great

Yes, it's been all the Twittersphere, hasn't it, among the French. Is it correct that basically the FFT's hands were tied for selection in the sense that it was on the basis of rankings?

I think, as you say, it's his statement that he didn't really care about the Olympics (no money or points) and just saw it as practice for Cincinnati (rmcsport.bfmtv.com/tennis/jo-2016-tennis-paire-est-exclu-de-l-equipe-de-france-1024581.html) that has probably most infuriated the players. Even if it's bravado, it's really poor. Pouille, who would have been next, is young enough to have more chances, so that makes it slightly less grim. If he'd knocked out either Chardy or Benneteau, who are less likely to be in the running in four years' time, it would have been awful.

I must admit that when I saw that Mr Murray played either Paire or Fognini in the next round, I felt quite keenly that it was a match where I would be more than usually disappointed to see him lose.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't actually know about the selection process. As you know, I don't really follow Olympic tennis and so hadn't followed any of the build up whatsoever - I'll keep an eye out though if I see anything about it.

Benoit Paire being a bit outspoken and controversial is nothing surprising. Nor him being completely self-centred.

What is surprising (to me, at least) in this affair and the one with Kiki Mlad. yesterday is quite the level of nastiness and name-calling and general bitchiness on all sides (the federation's statements phrased in rather more politically acceptable language but, fundamentally, being just the same on both sides).

Talk about washing your dirty linen in public.....

However, as I criticise the LTA for lack of transparency, at least this is pretty transparent !

Spectator · All-time great

My understanding - and what Carole Bouchard has said consistently - is that it goes by rankings, pure and simple. So when Gaquet pulled out, the next person in on rankings was Paire. If Paire had (a la Dan Evans) refused, it would have gone to Pouille. (Hence Julien Benneteau's injunction this morning to spare a thought for Pouille) If Pouille had refused, presumably it would have gone to Chardy or Benneteau. So it's not the FFT's fault that a player went who didn't really care; it's the player's own decision-making that's selfish and problematic.

I don't understand all the fuss about his not staying in the Olympic Village: from what we've all read, other options might well be preferable, and several players have said they'll stay elsewhere. But the sense of the comments - which, I agree, are certainly frank! - appears to be that he just couldn't be bothered to be part of the team generally. I didn't at all understand Maillot-Gate. The issue really doesn't seem to be the FFT's fault; the players' comments were intemperate ... probably in the heat of defeat; and the best course all around would seem to be to forget it all and calm down!

PS: And hurrah for the French player whose response was to tweet "Disappointed and sad [after a loss] but you can count on us to lift our heads up and do everything to get a medal in the mixed - for ourselves, for the whole staff, for the FFT, for the whole French team*, and to make the French proud of our delegation. #nevergiveup." And said more besides: http://sport24.lefigaro.fr/jeux-olympiques/rio-2016/actualites/les-rates-du-tennis-francais-818865. That's more like it.

[*literally building, in the sense of those living in the French team building, presumably? Or am I missing an idiom?]

-- Edited by Spectator on Wednesday 10th of August 2016 12:30:12 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

So, following the fiasco of the French tennis performances at the Rio games (which still gets a lot of press and will take a long time to live down), the latest seems to be that the FFT have provisionally suspended Benoit Paire, Caro Garcia and Kiki Mlad.
Although (and very conveniently) it also appears that the suspension will be lifted before any Davis or Fed Cup matches....

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Coup Droit wrote:
So, following the fiasco of the French tennis performances at the Rio games (which still gets a lot of press and will take a long time to live down), the latest seems to be that the FFT have provisionally suspended Benoit Paire, Caro Garcia and Kiki Mlad.
Although (and very conveniently) it also appears that the suspension will be lifted before any Davis or Fed Cup matches....

Suspended them from what and for what??

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

The Optimist wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
So, following the fiasco of the French tennis performances at the Rio games (which still gets a lot of press and will take a long time to live down), the latest seems to be that the FFT have provisionally suspended Benoit Paire, Caro Garcia and Kiki Mlad.
Although (and very conveniently) it also appears that the suspension will be lifted before any Davis or Fed Cup matches....
Suspended them from what and for what??

From what I can fathom, they have been suspended (provisionally, with a definitive hearing set for 24th Sept.) from the FFT which means that they will be:

"de retirer toute aide fédérale à ces joueurs, de les suspendre des sélections en équipe de France".

see for instance http://www.metronews.fr/sport/tennis-kristina-mladenovic-caroline-garcia-et-benoit-paire-suspendus-par-la-fft/mphB!vBsejLxBz5Rvg/

i.e. all FFT funding/help will be cut and they can't play for France.

(It would probably also mean that their licence has been suspended which would make them not able to play domestic events, although that presumably is not a major issue).

Many thinks it seems likely that they will be reinstated before the Fed Cup final, so the team thing doesn't seem to be key, and as they are all three pretty well-off, funding/access to facilities can't be a major issue, therefore it strikes me as very much a 'making a point' sort of thing with no real practical implication (very French). Of course, if they hold firm and don't let the girls play the Fed Cup final, that would be major (as far as France is concerned, probably less so for the girls).

And the reason?

"Ils ont bafoué linstitution fédérale et abîmé limage du tennis"

i.e. they were rude and disrespectful to the FFT (see above where Kiki called them incompetent for not knowing that the doubles players had to wear matching kit).

To be honest, it's all rather amusing, in a sad way.

The main thing for the FFT is saving face, because they've been made to look really poor (bad results, bad admin, 'bad attitude' from players....)

And what makes it 100 times worse is that there is a major (and very antagonistic) presidential election process going on at the moment (equally not helped by Gachasin (current president) being caught up with allegations of insider dealing and personal profiteering re ticket allocations etc.). Arnaud di P is battling hard to try and protect his job too.

Presser:

"Suite aux Jeux Olympiques de Rio, le Comité de Direction de la Fédération Française de Tennis réuni ce samedi 27 août a longuement évoqué le cas des joueuses et du joueur qui ont bafoué linstitution fédérale et abîmé limage du tennis, écrit la FFT. Il sagit dune part de Kristina Mladenovic et de Caroline Garcia qui ont vivement critiqué leur Fédération publiquement après leur défaite en double au premier tour, et dautre part de Benoit Paire qui sest affranchi de lesprit olympique et des règles du groupe France dont il a dailleurs été exclu pendant la compétition.

Le Comité de Direction considère que l'attitude inadmissible de ces joueurs mérite une réponse appropriée et que celle-ci doit être, pour chacun d'entre eux, établie avec discernement.

En attendant une décision définitive lors de sa prochaine réunion le 24 septembre, le Comité de Direction décide à titre conservatoire : - De retirer toute aide fédérale à ces joueurs - De les suspendre des sélections en équipe de France "

Caroline Garcia's dad, for one, is known for being a feisty character who is very involved with his daughter's tennis and what the FFT should and shouldn't do for her (she got rather swept along, to be fair, it was Kiki's tweets that were far more pointed) - my guess is he will be seriously not happy - she may well get a 'lighter sentence' on the 24th - it'll be interesting to see where this goes....

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Sunday 28th of August 2016 11:37:36 AM

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Considering Garcia & Mladenovic are the only players to take court for France during their run to the final of the Fed Cup - having accounted for every rubber in the 4-1 win against Italy (2 singles each and the doubles together), and likewise in the 3-2 Win over the Netherlands - it would seem pretty unconscionable to bar them from the final for criticising a shambles over Olympic kit technicalities.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

To be honest, if I were Garcia or Mlad, I would be seriously tempted to tell the FFT where to stick it.

As you say, they've done mega service for the French Fed team.

And we will see but I can't help feeling that what the FFT wants is to take the moral high ground, publicly hang the girls out to dry for 'being rude', and then - at the last minute, just when they need them - conveniently reinstate them into the team so France can win the Fed Cup (and if they mess up and lose, well, that will allow more criticism to be heaped on them so no real harm done either).

Tell them to go whistle, girls .....

chavkev · Intermediate Club Player

Under those circumstances, immediate retirement from representing FFT is probably the wisest thing the girls can do. Just leave them to stew in their own juices. That way they can use the Fed Cup time for rest/training.

indiana · Tennis legend

Imagine the French govenment could fine all its citizens if they were rude.

Could cut lots of taxes at a stroke.

indiana · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
To be honest, if I were Garcia or Mlad, I would be seriously tempted to tell the FFT where to stick it.

As you say, they've done mega service for the French Fed team.

And we will see but I can't help feeling that what the FFT wants is to take the moral high ground, publicly hang the girls out to dry for 'being rude', and then - at the last minute, just when they need them - conveniently reinstate them into the team so France can win the Fed Cup (and if they mess up and lose, well, that will allow more criticism to be heaped on them so no real harm done either).

Tell them to go whistle, girls .....

That must be sooo tempting.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't think the FFT have ever actually apologised for getting the outfit advice completely backwards either. It's pretty feeble.

And, given there may well be a whole new committee and President come Feb. 1997, they would be welcome back with open arms if the new lot get in.

But what is unfortunate is that (purely from their tweets) I get the feeling the two girls really love playing Fed Cup - and must be really looking forward to the final.

But, as said, I'll be amazed if the FFT really shoot themselves in the foot and ruin their chances in the final, it's just not their style.

So Caro and Kiki will have to decide ..... (Don't think Benoit gives a flying squirrel about Davis Cup or team stuff or anything like that so it's not an issue for him .....)