Trying desperately to keep her first Grand Slam singles match in 10 years competitive, Martina Navratilova was racing to hit a ball when she stumbled, landing on her knees behind the baseline.
Her opponent, Gisela Dulko of Argentina, went to the net to make sure everything was fine. After all, Navratilova is a living legend -- and the same age as Dulko's mother, 47.
"Yeah, I'm OK," Navratilova said, then grabbed a towel to wipe off the French Open's clay caked to her arms and legs. About five minutes later, the first-round match ended Tuesday in a 6-1, 6-3 victory for Dulko, a 19-year-old with zero tour titles, 167 fewer than Navratilova.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Still, it wasn't the result that mattered to Navratilova or the crowd. All were excited that she was out there, charging the net, just like the good ol' days.
"It's not about getting publicity. It's not about getting on TV. It's not about anything else other than just playing matches and getting better," said Navratilova, criticized by two French players who wanted her wild card to go to a young woman from their country. "The best part about today was the fact that I played the match. I wanted to give the people a little more something to cheer about."
She retired in 1994, then came back as a doubles player in 2000. This was her third singles match of the year; the other two were losses in smaller events at Amelia Island, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.
"This is my last year playing. Not because I couldn't do it for a few more years," said Navratilova, whose Grand Slam debut came at the 1973 French Open.
She was one of 12 past major champions in action Tuesday around Roland Garros -- and, not surprisingly, the only one who lost.
Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Mary Pierce and Conchita Martinez won in straight sets. But Jennifer Capriati struggled in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Yulia Beygelzimer, a Ukrainian ranked 116th, and about whom Capriati said: "I had no idea who this girl was."
No. 1-ranked Roger Federer, a first-round loser in 2002 and 2003, had a straight-sets victory to open his bid to become the first man in a dozen years to win the season's first two majors. Juan Carlos Ferrero, who didn't decide until Monday to defend his first Slam title, took a painkilling injection for bruised ribs about 30 minutes before going out and beating Tommy Haas. Fellow French Open winners Gustavo Kuerten and Albert Costa advanced, too, as did US Open champions Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt.
Even with those stars on court, two lesser-known Frenchmen produced the most intriguing statistic. Fabrice Santoro outlasted Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a match that ran 6 hours, 33 minutes, the longest anywhere in the Open era. It was suspended because of darkness Monday at 5-all in the last set, and they needed nearly two hours to complete the match Tuesday.
All that time, Venus Williams was waiting to get on the same court.
"My word. How long was that?" she said. "Every other game, I was getting up and warming up again, then I'd sit down."
Maybe that's why she trailed 2-0 in her first match since twisting her left ankle May 8. But she reeled off 10 straight games and beat Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-2, 6-4.
Younger sister Serena played at Roland Garros for the first time since last year's bitter semifinal loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne, when fans cheered the American's mistakes.
"I was just expecting nothing," Serena said after dismissing Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2 to applause instead of jeers. Asked whether what happened in 2003 was on her mind, she said, "I put that aside years ago," then paused to correct herself: "a year ago."
The siblings were impressed by Navratilova, with Serena saying, "I was thinking, `How do you play at that age?' She's really an amazing athlete, an amazing woman."
That was more charitable than Amelie Mauresmo or Emilie Loit, who said they thought a Frenchwoman should have been given a spot in the draw instead.
"If I didn't feel that I deserved a place in this tournament, I wouldn't have asked for it," said Navratilova, who won the French Open in 1982 and 1984, part of her 18 major singles titles. "Did I diminish the tournament by playing out there today? I don't think so."
She looked good at times, even hitting an ace to make it 1-1 in the second set. Navratilova compiled six break points but converted one, taking a 3-2 edge in that set. But she lost the next four games, with some poor returns and errant volleys (she was 10-for-22 at the net overall).
A year ago, Serena Williams left the French Open in tears. On Tuesday, she walked on center court to hearty applause.
Whether the crowd was cheering her fashion bravado -- Williams wore an all-fuschia ensemble -- or easing her return to the scene of bad memories is no matter.
"It was really exciting to come back out there," said Serena, who won her first-round match against Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2.
Parisian fans turned against Williams last year when she questioned calls during a semifinal loss to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. They jeered her and applauded her mistakes. This time the mood was friendly.
NO PAIN ...
Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero says the thought of withdrawing because of injury was more painful than playing with bruised ribs.
The top-seeded Spaniard took painkiller injections to numb his right side and rallied to beat Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
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