I spent a few days here and there at Roland Garros this year, and I am always surprised of how journalists (especially French journalists) present the all thing and I sometimes wonder if I live on a different planet or in a parallel universe.

For French journalists it was fantastic two weeks of tennis, for me as a spectator it was another boring French Open.

PS: I’m the one taking the photo, not the one sleeping ;o)

Everything was summed up in the mens trophy ceremony speeches: thanks to the sponsors, to the family, Roger is the best, Rafa played fantastic. Nothing new under the sun, things heard hundred times.
Conventional, boring, no emotion. From my point of view, the only 3 bright moments of the tournament: the semi Djokovic vs Federer, the Schiavone and Li runs to the final, and the Carte Blanche to Bob Sinclar for the Kids Day.

Here are a few personal thoughts about this Roland Garros tournament.

- Empty seats:

Tickets for main courts like Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen are really expensive and really difficult to get. So when I finally get a ticket (about 70 euros) and I see all those empty seats, I’m really upset.

Here’s a suggestion by tennis journalist Jon Wertheim:

How’s this for a bit of cultural exchange? The French help with some junior development. We help them with fan behavior. There were matches held on Philippe Chartrier for which the stands looked to be about 10 percent of capacity. We’re talking rows and rows of empty sears. Surely there is a way to let the patricians in the sponsor tents know how unseemly it is to have these choice tickets and then not use them. We eagerly look forward to the upgrades to the venue. But it’s all for rien if the stands are empty. Just disgraceful.

- Nadal: he didn’t play well during the tournament, but at the end he won for the sixth time, equaling Borg. He also remains at number one for a few more weeks, but Djokovic will probably become the 25th ATP number one after Wimbledon.
What does it change for Rafa? Nothing. He already has won everything – career Grand Slam, Davis Cup, Olympic Gold – and he has nothing to prove. He will have less pressure, he won’t be the one supposed to win everything, but Djokovic will. Nadal will be even more dangerous.

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Famous French DJ Bob Sinclar was the special guest at “Children’s Day at Roland Garros” on Saturday 21 May. For over two hours, the court Philippe Chatrier turned into a giant “musical creation” of tennis matches!

Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Arnaud Clément, Arevane Rezai, Amélie Mauresmo, special guest Teddy Riner and many more, joined forces to entertain thousands of families and children.

Bob Sinclar, a tennis aficionada, also showed off his skills opposite Michaël Llodra and Novak Djokovic.

Proceeds of the event will go to Yannick Noah’s “Fête le Mur” and “Tennis en liberté”, led by Isabelle Demongeot.

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French DJ Martin Solveig took part in the traditional charity event Children’s Day at Roland Garros a month ago, as he filmed the video for his single Smah (see some photos here).

Solveig’s video is now online. Let me know your thoughts…

Saturday afternoon, French DJ Martin Solveig took part in the traditional charity event Children’s Day at Roland Garros (previously known as “Benny Berthet Day”). He filmed the video for his forthcoming single (called Smash) in which he plays a tennis match against fellow DJ Bob Sinclar.

Martin Solveig:

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