Iranian in Paris

19-Year-Old Muslim Shakes Off Chills and Snubs in Paris

For members of the tennis establishment like Roger Federer and Amélie Mauresmo, the nasty, clammy conditions at this year's French Open seem like a hardship as the tarps go on and off the clay and the big shots do not penetrate the way they would in sunnier times and climes.

"It's actually pretty mild, for winter," joked Mauresmo, the No. 1-seeded woman, after her 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory over the Russian teenager Vera Dushevina in the second round Wednesday.

But Aravane Rezai is not feeling the chill. Compared to her everyday existence, which includes sleeping in the family van to save money at tournaments, Roland Garros is nothing short of a theme park.

"It often happens that I cry during training," she said. "Many times I have trained with the snow falling or in the rain or outside when temperatures are below 10 degrees. That's tough, but when I come here, it's really Club Med."

It is turning into an extended vacation for Rezai, a solidly built 19-year-old French player of Iranian descent with limited mobility but big-time power.

She was denied a wild card into the main draw by French tennis federation officials who are in conflict with her father and coach, Arsalan Rezai. But the daughter has used that snub for fuel at the federation's showcase event.

Last week, Rezai won three matches to qualify for the Open. Before Federer won his rain-punctuated second-round match against Alex Falla, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3, Rezai reached the third round on the same damp stretch of clay by upsetting 22nd-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. ...

Rezai has been coming to the tournament by subway instead of official transport, because she is staying with friends in Paris to save money.

"We've had some problems," she said calmly of the French federation. "I prefer not to talk about them and focus on my next match."

Maybe Aravane Rezai should just come to America....

AP Photo of Aravane Rezai by Francois Mori via Canada.com.