We’ve had some connection issues out here in the countryside, but we’re online again – hooray! So we can finally tell all our tennis-loving friends about our two amazing days at The French Open…
Five Ways to Know You’re at Roland Garros
1. The Red Clay. We’ve all seen it on TV, in Tennis Magazine, in countless photos… but nothing prepares you for the richness of the courts’ color, especially since many players this year are wearing vivid pink (vamos, Rafa!), turquoise and yellow, which look impossibly bright against the red-orange terre bateau.
2. The Fashion. During these early days of the tournament, many in the crowd are Parisians taking the day off for an outing to watch Le Tennis – or to watch other people watching them... Of course, the ladies are wearing skirts that either fit like a second skin or look like a kind of bubble, painfully high stilettos with teeny weeny pinchy toes (so practical for strolling the grounds) and exquisite accessories. The gentlemen? They’re decked out in those Italian suits that appear to be one or two sizes too small, with pastel silk shirts and perfect haircuts. For the rest of us – jeans and tee shirts, accessorized with a tres chic sweatshirt and baseball cap.
3. The Smoking. What could be more refreshing than a quick cigarette between sets? According to the fans at Roland Garros, nothing! Dick was sitting in the stands having a cigarette between sets at the Davydenko-Wawrinka singles match, and the gentleman in front of us kept turning around and squirming… I was mortified, thinking that he was going to ask Dick to put it out – but au contraire! He just wanted to bum a smoke…
4. The Food. I wasn’t expecting chili dogs and tortilla chips, but the cuisine served at Le Jardin Roland Garros exceeded all expectations: on Friday, we enjoyed salmon brochettes, vegetable mélange, rice and an arugula salad, accompanied by a nice glass of vin blanc, d’accord.
5. The Charm. Although it was incredibly crowded on both days (especially for those of us who only held outer court tickets) the mood was wonderfully festive. Clowns dressed like tennis players entertained us while we waited in lines, people from all over the world helped each other to stand up on chairs so we could collectively gawk at the big name players during warm-up, and the staff at every concession stand and boutique could not have been more perky – every transaction ended with a cheery “Merci, madame – bonne journee!”
In short, it was wonderful fun. And – oh, yeah – the tennis! We focused on doubles, because we could watch the best doubles players in the world, sitting as close as if we were at home – Bob Bryan and Lisel Huber (#1 male/female doubles players in the world), as well as Lisa Raymond, Rennae Stubbs, Daniela Hantuchova, Ai Sugiyama, Nestor/Zimanjic (seeded right behind the Bryans in this tournament) and a match between Cuevas/Horna and Knowles/Melzer that ended in a dive to the clay for the winning point – it was featured on French TV for days!
And everyone’s into it - you can’t pass a brasserie, bistro, café, tabac, or restaurant that doesn’t have tennis on TV. When we got to our hotel on Tuesday, there was even a board up in the lobby listing the day’s matches – and a betting pool where guests could make a wager on the winners. Everyone is talking tennis – and especially about the French players, of whom Parisians are so proud… our waiter the first night said, “Jo Willy – mon garcon!” No matter what the language, tennis is an international subculture that transcends - and makes us all, for a few shining days, compatriots.
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