Arthur Rinderknech beat Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-1 at the Rolex Paris Masters. And afterwards he said “full match”. That’s the phrase I’ve been looking for these three seasons for my stats folder.
A full match, for me, is rare. There’s always a hole. The phone buzzing on the bench at 4-4, the towel falling off, the court 4 light flickering right on the serve. Rinderknech had no hole. He reckons he converted almost four break points out of four, or three out of three. He isn’t sure. I’m never sure either, but that’s because I don’t have any.
He says: “winning really, kind of crushing the guy, feels good, even though he’s a very good player.” I know that feeling exactly. Two practice sessions away, mind you. In my head it was 6-1. On the scoresheet, there was another number in front.
Now the technical point. He finds the surface sped up but not extremely fast, reasonably fast for an indoor event. Very precise. Our bubble, the dome we rent by the hour, is slow on Sunday at ten and fast when I lose. The level in club league (interclubs, Belgium’s weekend team league) has gone way up, people don’t realise, and so have the floors.
Shelton, in the last 16: a very big server, left-handed, with spins going the other way, who volleys very well. I face a left-hander twice a season. Her serve, that shot, I return it. Not every time, but I return it.
Céline, you returned it once in 2024, and it was a double fault.
A double fault that lands on my side is a return, Jean-Pol. Rinderknech already played a last 16 here two years ago. He says he’ll need another full match. My season really starts in May.
It’s true, we checked: Tennis Actu.
