French Open: Oliver Marach hot for premiere against Mahut and Herbert before the doubles final

Oliver Marach will play his second major final of the year on Saturday – and finally wants to beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut with Mate Pavic.

By Jens Huiber from Paris

It then became interview room 4 for Oliver Marach, the smallest available in the press centre. Which is of course no problem for the Styrian, nor is the fact that his successful semi-final appearance on the Court Suzanne Lenglen did not attract too many fans.

“I really don’t have to be the focus of attention,” Marach explained in an interview with the Austrian journalists present.

That will change on Saturday, of course: Then Marach and his Croatian partner will meet Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert immediately after the award ceremony for either Simona Halep or Sloane Stephens.

The omens after the successful appearance against Marc and Feliciano Lopez could not be any different before the final against the two French. “Against Marc, we always know we can break him.” He has never won against Mahut/Herbert, and neither has Mate Pavic.

The two hosts, who defeated Alexander Peya and Nikola Mektic in the semi-finals, have already played their way through the Court Philippe Chatrier on Friday morning. Mahut/Herbert have already enjoyed a small home advantage in the match against Peya, at least from the Austrian’s point of view: After scoring Mahut’s head, the Frenchman was granted a time-out of more than twelve minutes – that is both Peya as a participant and Marach as a spectator pissed off.

“Usually you take a medical here,” Marach said. But the resumption of the match took almost a quarter of an hour.

Oliver Marach is aiming for his second Grand Slam title of the career and the year: In Australia he had defeated Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the final with Pavic, as he did in Roland Garros in the quarter-finals. On Saturday, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert must be cracked for the first time.