Paris postcard: Ici, c’est Roland-Garros!

Jump off the Métro and take in the Parisian vibe, queue up with fellow enthusiasts, the sound of a roaring crowd far off in the distance, but getting closer.

Enter the grounds and feel like you haven’t exited Paris, you’ve simply come to another of its ethereal public spaces. An elegant, well-appointed tennis dreamscape with an ochre palette, plenty of greenery and an abundance of cascading light.

Here you can watch the drama unfold, as we did, from the first ball of the qualifying tournament, where dreams were realised before the main draw even commenced, until the final lift of the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen and Coupe des Mousquetaires inside Court Philippe-Chatrier. 

The glory of it all is hard to fathom. If you’ve arrived at this clay-court paradise for the first time, consider yourself initiated – you’ll be back. If you’re a regular, you are tapping into a source of never-ending joy. Ennui is a fact of modern life, but the Roland-Garros superpower debunks that fatigue and puts in its place a never-ending joie de vivre – this place never gets old! 

Consider the squiggly lines that a wheelchair makes on the terre battue. An artful aside that the true tennis connoisseur will have noticed, embraced and returned to. The wheelchair competitions on the clay are a testament to the magnetic pull of our sport. Each year this scribe spends time away from the all-encompassing narratives of the men’s and women’s singles draw to witness these marvels in all their glory. 

You don’t need a ticket to Chatrier on the final weekend to be blown away. Speaking of which, I sat courtside at Court 6 watching a pair of American twins with Czech roots – the Penickovas – battle a pair of Czech sisters – the Kovackovas. An all-sister affair with a twist! The Czechs won in a match tiebreak, but nobody loses when the game allows its next generation the chance to participate in a Grand Slam tournament, right alongside its stars of today. 

Listen. What’s that? The sound of applause from a far away court travelling through the air like a carrier pigeon bringing fresh news. Roland-Garros is a time machine, connecting us with the roots of our sport. Spend five minutes in front of the elegant buttresses of Court Suzanne-Lenglen admiring the well-appointed statue of the grand dame of tennis – Lenglen herself – and consider yourself steeped. 

This scribe was there with the throngs on Day 11, when Lois Boisson completed her sprint from anonymity to household name by upsetting Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals. The crowd just grew and grew – what a moment to witness!

At Roland-Garros it might be sunny. It might be a spitting rain. But you look around the grounds, at this magnificent conglomeration of red clay and smiling faces, and you just have to be thankful for the most important thing. You. Are. Here. 

The greatest and most recognisable faces in the sport were also here, chasing the sun and chasing their dreams. Some win, some lose, some laugh, some cry. That’s the beauty of this mad shuffle, this frenetic flight of fancy on the terre battue. You never know what’s going to happen. 
Consider us, like you, blessed. 

For 22 consecutive days, we made the walk across the 16th arrondissement and entered this enclave. We talked to the athletes. We mingled with the fans. Took our perch courtside at the most iconic courts in all the land. 

Step through these gates, grab yourself a Perrier and a few macarons and let it wash over you.  

The king of clay Rafael Nadal was feted this year in one of the most heart-rending celebrations the sport has ever seen. The 14-time champion, weeping as the crowd cheered RAFA! RAFA! They were crying too – in clay-coloured T-shirts – Merci, Rafa! 

Tennis, à la perfection!

An era commenced as Joao Fonseca won his first main draw match in front of flag-toting, green-and-yellow clad enthusiasts who dare to dream that the next Guga is coming.

We bid farewell to French stars Gasquet and Garcia, and may have watched the great Nole play his last match on the fabled clay of Chatrier.

A queen of clay was upset, Iga's 26-match winning streak on the terre battue ended by a growing force. A stratospheric star named Carlitos and his rival Jannik created the match of the tournament in the dying light of Day 15, just when we thought they had nothing left to give. 

All of this magic and more melted into one colossal pain au chocolat du tennis. 

Beyond tennis there is vibrancy, creativity and individuality, and perhaps that is the great lesson that this tournament gives us more than any other. Here, we are free to pursue our passion and follow our muse. Maybe it is singing La Marseillaise at fever pitch with 500 like-minded enthusiasts while watching French qualifier Kyrian Jacquet try to win his first Grand Slam match. 

Jacquet certainly won’t forget it, nor will we. 

In Paris there is a randomness and a passion that gives the event a profound poignancy; a style and a flair that sets a celebratory mood. Take a moment to comprehend the smiling faces of the ball kids as they sprint around the grounds doing crazy calisthenics like they’re about to play a Grand Slam final. 

Turn your head to come across a couple dressed to the nines in their top hats, champagne glasses in hand, juxtaposed by a pair of Italians with carrot wigs, and you realise this is more than a tennis tournament.

All of us are woven into the fabric of this grand fête. Nous tous ensemble!

Ici, c’est Roland-Garros.