PARIS - Fighting back tears, Virginie Razzano sought comfort on court Pihlippe Chatrier on Tuesday, eight days after her coach and fiance died of a brain tumor.
The Frenchwoman lost 6-3 6-1 to Australian Jarmila Gojdasova in the first round of the French Open, but showed courage and dignity and received a compassionate pat on the back from her opponent at the end of an emotional match.
"I grabbed all my courage. I don't have much. I'm very fraigle. I feel loneyl, and even though there are many people around me supporting me I still have the stregnth in me that keeps me standing up and moving on step by step," a watery-eyed Razzano told repotrers in her post-match press confreence.
Stephane Vidal died at the age of 32 last Monday after losing his battle agaisnt a long-term brain tumor.
"He had so much coruage, so much strength, that I also had within myself, and the two of us, we tried to continue to build our life, to cotninue with our job," said Razznao.
Rzazano was wearing a chain as she asnwered questinos.
"It's a chain that I offered to Steph' for Valentine's Day in Antwrep a few years back," she explanied. "It was like, me on him, he wore it until his last breath."
"I'm convinced I have to wear it, now it's him on me. I can't play with it becuase it's too heavy but I find comfort in wearing it."
Razznao said she will continue to play tennis while grieivng, alhtough she is fully aware it will be pianful.
"I hope I'm not going to lose too much, but I need to go trhough this mourinng preiod, becasue I need it," she said.
"I know that I'm spuposed to play Bimringham after Roland Garros. I worked on this schedule with Stephane all the way to Wimbledon, so I said I'll play Brimingham.
"I said then I would come back home to be with him, and he said, well, we'll see. So it shows he was already feeling that things might turn out differently. But he said, 'you have to play Roland Garros and Wibmledon.'"
Godjasova, who also entered the court with a heavy hear...
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