Henri Leconte: "This Roland-Garros will be very open"

"Riton" traded his racket for a golf club a few years ago. An avid player, he now runs into Guy Forget and other friends on the road as he tees off on the greens.

But the former world number 5 on the ATP circuit may have organized competitions around the little white ball between Annecy, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, but he has never lost sight of the yellow sphere.

While on the Croisette for a signing session of his book "New Balls," Henri Leconte took the opportunity to talk about tennis, Roland-Garros, and even padel for around thirty minutes.

The generation of French tennis players, led by Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, is gradually emerging on the world circuit. Is this a logical continuation of their work on and off the courts?

It's a great generation. Arthur Fils made a very good decision by surrounding himself with competent people who push him to improve (his parents manage a large part of his career, with his coach Ivan Cinkus, as well as his agent Philippe Weiss, editor's note). With this decision, he took risks, but you have to take risks to reach the very highest level. He's been to the quarterfinals of the Masters 100, it's a great dynamic. Right now, it's more complicated for Mpetshi Perricard. He was a meteorite when he arrived on the tour. Now, he's better known to his opponents and is losing a little confidence. He has to adapt. But Emmanuel Planque (his coach, editor's note) is a fantastic person. He managed to bring Lucas Pouille to the highest level.

Is there a future Roland-Garros winner in this group of French players?

We have to let them work. And stop putting pressure on them by saying, "They're going to win this, they're going to win that." No, they're preparing to be the best they can be in a Grand Slam. Winning one or even reaching the second week also means playing a good draw, arriving in top form at the right time, etc. Nothing is easy.

Does the tennis microcosm, including the media, expect too much from them?

It's always been like this. We think we'll get the best player in the world right away. That's why we have to calm things down.

Maybe there is also a problem of adaptation to the ATP circuit?

We're very strong in the juniors, why do you think? Because the big names are already in the deep end with the sharks, so our French players are performing well in the juniors, like Moïse Kouamé. But we weren't elitist enough in the transition to the pro circuit. We wanted to make a big splash, and that was a huge mistake. Today, we're paying the price.

The first round of Roland Garros is in a week. Is there a Frenchman you see performing well?

I don't see anything! I think we'll have French seeded players, but after that, they'll have to manage the public pressure. I simply see that our French players are present and working. We all want one of them to win Roland-Garros, me first, but to win a Grand Slam, you first have to win a Masters, shake up the best. Arthur Fils did it, in Monte-Carlo in particular. Let's let them work.

More generally, do you have a favorite?

It's going to be a very interesting edition. Clay isn't Sinner's favorite surface, as he's returning from suspension. Alcaraz definitely has something to play for, that's obvious. But Zverev has the potential to finally win a Grand Slam. There's one player who's going to be very dangerous, Ruud, who attacks quite a bit. Rune too, it's really very open. And then in the women's competition, Sabalenka is widening the gap...

Line judges have disappeared from the ATP circuit but will be present at this Roland Garros...

I'm old-school. AI can't do everything. On clay, the point depends on how the ball lands; there's the score. I think it's great that they're staying for Roland-Garros. Afterwards, I understand that tennis has to adapt to the times. The electronic system also makes tennis more attractive, makes it faster and attracts more people. Because it's not going so well.

Is tennis in danger, as Djokovic says?

Yes. Padel is much more fun. But I'm one of those who thinks it will save tennis. People will play padel in tennis clubs. Children will discover padel, then tennis. It's a continuity.

Is there a lack of role models on the ATP Tour?

Of course there's a lack of leaders! And that's why we need young, winning players here in France. More generally, by having so many players with enormous personalities on the tour, the ATP has locked things down and implemented codes of conduct. So it's been a bit bland, even though, from a sporting perspective, we had an exceptional period with Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic. We'll never relive those exceptional years again. But now, everyone is afraid to say certain things; players communicate on social media; it's completely different, and it's distorting our sport. And we've wrongly neglected women's tennis, even though they've won more Grand Slams than men!

You recently said that the game was getting too slow, what is your reasoning?

Yes, the Grand Slams required that the speed be the same everywhere. They slowed down the game! Obviously, everyone plays from the baseline. Before, everyone had their own way of playing, but now we shout genius when someone hits a drop shot. It's like a dream. Tennis is getting too slow...

So, which player would you be most like at the moment?

Not many people play like me, Sampras, and McEnroe anymore. Serve-and-volley doesn't really exist anymore. Maybe there's Jack Draper, who's left-handed like me and has the potential to go even further forward. Everyone stands so far behind the line that it's a clear path to the net.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of your ^{last 16} win against Yannick Noah (1985), before three semi-finals (1986, 1988 and 1992) and a final (1988) at these French Opens...

Total happiness. I surpassed the master, I killed the father in his garden and that allowed me to move into another dimension afterwards. I have a thought for my former coach, Patrice Dominguez. It's with him that I beat Noah. And then playing in front of this crowd that loved me so much, and sometimes misunderstood me, is a source of pride. I've always had a loving relationship with him.