Even the Parisian stormclouds cleared for Serena Williams on Tuesday, as the new mother's baby steps back to Grand Slam tennis became a stride into the second round of the French Open.
Images from Day 8 of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday
Thousands of mask-free spectators flocked into the stadium
Thirteen months ago, Comaneci was the first person Halep hugged when she clambered up into the stands on Court Philippe Chatrier after she won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Australian Nick Kyrgios did his best to enliven a damp and dismal Parisian day with some eye-catching play and colourful language as the French Open began without part of the usual furniture on Sunday.
Caroline Wozniacki moved a step closer to erasing an unwanted footnote from the list of her tennis achievements with victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open fourth round on Sunday.
Thiem, the fourth seed, was leading 3-1 in the third set on Friday when the semi-final was interrupted by rain and then surprisingly abandoned for the day.
A dominant Rafael Nadal arrived at one career milestone on Thursday but the speed of the Spaniard's rampage through the early rounds of the French Open suggests his eyes are fixed firmly on another more significant one.
The tournament marks the 50th anniversary of the first 'Open' Grand Slam event
Nadal has won his 13th French Open singles title and 20th Grand Slam tournament by beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic increased his Grand Slam tally to 19 titles, and is now one adrift of the men's record held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza claimed her maiden Grand Slam title when she beat World No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 in the French Open final on Saturday.
World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will feel like they are working overtime on Friday when organisers cram all four semi-finals into a single session to try and ensure a rain-ravaged tournament ends on schedule.
Only one player has beaten Rafael Nadal on his beloved claycourts this year and that man, Austria's Dominic Thiem, blocks the Spaniard's path to the French Open final.
Romanian Simona Halep showed the full extent of her defensive skills to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and reach her second French Open final in Paris.
The imposter who did turn up got dragged into a two hour 11 minute tussle in which she failed to convert 11 of the 12 break points that fell her way.
'Right now I think that I have to find to myself again and just trying to forget the clay court season as soon as possible'
Thirteen years on and his record next to the Bois de Boulogne stands at an incredible 85 wins and two losses.
Rafael Nadal, whose all-time claycourt record now stands at 414-36 says nobody should assume his feats are routine and that each victory is celebrated like the first.
Juan Martin del Potro could be a 'nightmare opponent' for Rafael Nadal when they clash in the French Open semi-finals on Friday, according to former champion Mats Wilander.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka crashed out of the French Open in the first round losing 5-7, 5-7 to Katerina Siniakova on Monday, playing only her fifth tournament of the year after a legal battle over the custody of her son.
Images from Day 4 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris.
World number one Novak Djokovic rediscovered a ruthless streak when it mattered most to stay on course for a career slam with a nail-biting 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 win over Andy Murray to reach the French Open final on Saturday.
"And going into the match having not lost on clay this year and having some big wins on the surface is important for me. I will just keep doing what I have been doing."
Images from Day 9 of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Monday.
World number one Serena Williams survived a mid-match meltdown to beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2 to win the French Open on Saturday, her 20th Grand Slam singles trophy.
As if playing Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray in the French Open final was not a tough enough task, Stan Wawrinka will probably have to deal with a hostile Roland Garros crowd on Sunday.
Images from Day 1 of the 2020 French Open in Paris on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 7 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, on Saturday.
Austria's Dominic Thiem strained every sinew trying to cling on to the 32-year-old Spaniard and at times even gained a precarious foothold in his first Grand Slam final.
Not just because Serena Williams looks capable of landing a 24th Grand Slam title against all the odds having returned from maternity leave and Maria Sharapova is seeking redemption after a 15-month doping ban with a third French Open title.
For Andy Murray, reaching Sunday's French Open final was a bonus, but he was in no mood to look for silver linings in the aftermath of yet another grand slam reverse at the hands of Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic joined the tennis greats on Sunday when he downed British second seed Andy Murray 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to claim his maiden French Open title and hold all four grand slams at the same time. The world number one recovered from a nervous start to impose his pace on Court Philippe Chatrier and clinch his 12th grand slam crown after three previous failures in a Roland Garros final. Djokovic is only the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold the four majors at the same time, and the eighth man to triumph at Wimbledon and the French, U.S. and Australian Opens.
No one will be able to match up to his iconic sense of style!
Rafael Nadal wins his 10th French Open title beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Ostapenko was the first unseeded woman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Britain's Margaret Scriven in 1933.
IMAGES from Day 8 of the French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday.
A summary of Sunday's matches at the French Open.
Images from Day 3 of the French Open in Paris on Tuesday
Jelena Ostapenko became only the sixth female Grand Slam champion to lose in the opening round of their title defence on Sunday when she lost to Kateryna Kozlova at the French Open.
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