Another French flop in the making

The Marseille-born player has all the talent in the world including one of the best forehands on the circuit but his best performance to date in eight appearances at Roland Garros is a semi final in 2001.

Grosjean was at a loss to explain his defeat. ‘‘Physically I was okay. It was just that I really didn’t have the right kind of conditions to prepare myself properly for this tournament.’’

His trainer Thierry Tulasne agreed that Grosjean just was not ready for the war of attrition that is clay-court tennis at this level. ‘‘A really poor game from him,’’ he said. ‘‘Physically, he just wasn’t in it and he was always up against it. I just don’t know what we can do about it.”

Grosjean, however, said he was dismayed at the criticisms coming from the likes of Pioline, a player who made the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open but who failed to make it to a final at Roland Garros.

‘‘I did what I could,’’ he said. ‘‘I have been ranked fourth in the world and it seems to me that I know how best to prepare myself. I really think it’s a shame that the older ones say those things. They never liked to talk about it when they were still playing.’’

Grosjean appeared to be alluding to the string of notable French failures since Yannick Noah’s emotional title triumph over Mats Wilander in 1983.

Leconte, Tulasne, Guy Forget and Pioline all tried and failed with only Leconte ever reaching the final and Grosjean appears destined to join them.