Norman’s Conquest Leaves Rosset Feeling Uncharitable

PARIS — Marc Rosset of Switzerland is a brilliant tennis player and an intelligent man, but he has a volatile personality. And he’s fun.

Rosset was beaten Sunday, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, by Sweden’s Magnus Norman, which put him in a foul mood but also made him talkative. He was asked if he felt badly for his fellow players who toiled in the blustery and difficult conditions.

“I’m not Mother Teresa,” he said. “I don’t care. I think all the tennis players are the same--they all want to win. I’m not here to do charity for anybody. I’m not Mother Teresa.”

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One of the biggest surprises of the tournament has been the play of Filip Dewulf, who on Sunday upset Alex Corretja, the best clay-court player this season.

Dewulf has clawed his way through qualifying to get to the quarterfinals, the first Belgian to reach this point at the French Open in 30 years. No one is more surprised than Dewulf.

“Who would believe that I’m in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros?” he said. “I came here to play ‘qualies’ [qualifiers]. I’m in the quarterfinals. I still can’t believe it. I think I have to pick up a newspaper tomorrow morning and see the result with my own eyes. I will believe it then.”

Dewulf is being supported by a large contingent of Belgian fans and by his father and brother, who are clearly agonized when Dewulf plays.

“I know people that watch me get extremely nervous,” he said. “My coach suffers . . . but I think he’s happy today.”

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Corretja lost, but he didn’t lose sight of his sportsmanship. In the 11th game of the fourth set, with Dewulf serving at deuce, Dewulf hit a ball that was called long. Corretja walked to the spot on the baseline, studied it and said that, no, the ball had been in.

Dewulf won the next point to hold serve and broke Corretja in the next game to win the match.

“If I saw the ball on the line, I cannot say it was out,” Corretja said. “I have to be honest, [even] if it’s break point or advantage for him. That’s the way I felt on the court. If I saw the ball on the line, I cannot say, ‘No, it was out.’ ”