Le sigh. A delayed, two-week affair in Paris makes for a chilly conclusion to 2020's Grand ... Troika in tennis. It would make sense, on some level, that a layered global crisis would be visualized by layers of branded and/or makeshift kits adorning the physiques of ATP and WTA pros at Roland Garros. They're just trying to keep warm and keep well, in this quasi-bubble atmosphere.
An abbreviated, compressed calendar in sport has led to this: players competing in compression, long-sleeve attire and more or less just trying to do their best. The clay-court tennis in this September-to-October weather has largely been less than glorious—mist turns to rain, caked red dirt flies off the struck ball—but it's happening. For that we give thanks, and along the way, some enterprising pros manage to make surefire fashion statements. Sacre brrrr. Let's all just be glad they're here.
BEST USE OF TIGHTS
US Open quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova and 2002 Roland Garros finalist Venus Williams each handled the weather with sartorial aplomb. Pironkova's warmers looked positively sketchy.