French Open : Bracing for the Teen-Age Invasion

The cafes and boulevards of Paris are being invaded this spring by two groups of teen-age visitors. One carries knapsacks, the other tennis rackets.

Led by punk-haired Andre Agassi of the United States and glamourous Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, these young challengers are expected to grab a major share of the spotlight when the French Open begins Monday.

Ivan Lendl, secure atop the men’s rankings, and Steffi Graf, a teen-ager herself but a comparative old-timer as the top-ranked woman, are the top seeds and favored to retain the singles titles they won last year.

“All I want to do is lift that trophy in Paris,” Lendl said on his way to the men’s championship in the Italian Open earlier this month.

The Czechoslovak native has won the French Open three of the last four years, and has reached at least the semifinals in all of his last 10 Grand Slam tournaments.

Graf, the 18-year-old West German who won her first Grand Slam singles title here a year ago by beating Martina Navratilova in the women’s final, also comes in with a big victory in her last outing.

“This is a good sign for Paris next week,” Graf said after beating Helena Sukova in the final in Berlin.

Lendl, Graf and the other 254 players in the main draws will find the familiar red clay courts at Roland Garros as slow as ever. The Parisian crowds will mingle under the chestnut trees, patiently watching long baseline rallies.

At stake is a purse totaling $3.97 million, with $246,750 going to the men’s singles champion and $246,362 to the women’s winner. Last year’s top prizes were $219,500 for men and $198,500 for women.

At least one familiar name will be missing from the tournament.

Jimmy Connors of the United States, who battled into the quarterfinals last year, pulled out last week with an injured right foot. The 35-year-old was seeded fifth in the men’s field.

Doubts also have been raised about the participation of another American veteran, John McEnroe. Trying again to regain the form that made him No. 1 in the world three years ago, McEnroe had to pull out of a tournament in Florence, Italy, last week because of strained neck ligaments.

In the women’s field, both two-time winner Navratilova and seven-time champion Chris Evert of the United States are coming off injuries.

Navratilova, 31, skipped the Italian Open, while Evert, 33, had to withdraw midway through because of a bone spur in her foot. Both are expected to play in Paris.

But their chances of staging a repeat of the 1986 women’s final, which Evert won, will depend as much on young bodies as old.

There’s Graf, of course, at No. 1. The West German has not had the overpowering start to her season that she had last year, when she left Paris with a 39-match winning streak and her seventh tournament title of the year, but she feels she is in good shape.

“At the moment I’m in absolutely my best form,” Graf said. “Things are working as I want and my forehand is going well.”

If form is the key to this tournament, then Sabatini could have a chance of fulfilling her prophesy after winning the Italian Open women’s title three weeks ago.

“I think I’m ready to win the French Open,” said the 18-year-old Argentine, the youngest semifinalist ever here three years ago, who has beaten Graf twice this year.

In Rome, Sabatini’s tennis often took a back seat to her appearance for many fans. Teen-age boys, and not a few of their fathers, sat in the Foro Italico spellbound by Sabatini’s mixture of grace and power.

To win the Italian title, Sabatini beat another up-and-coming teen-ager, 18-year-old Helen Kelesi of Canada.

The story in the men’s field is not quite so dominated by youth, although its most talked-about entrant just turned 18.

Agassi, a native of the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, Nev., and in only his second full year on the pro tour, has won three tournaments this season, including the U.S. Clay Courts Championships and the Tournament of Champions, another big clay-court event.

“He could be the superstar Americans are dying for,” Lendl said.

He is seeded ninth in Paris, where his spikey blond hair, denim tennis shorts and easy-going style are expected to make him a crowd favorite.