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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I was at Roland Garros today, not for the womens final because I didn’t manage to get tickets (by the way, congrats to Na Li for her historic victory) but for the Trophée des Légendes.

But first, on Court 7 today, an exhibition between Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Mansour Bahrami and young players of the Longines Future Tennis Aces tournament.

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The Legends Trophy (Trophée des Légendes) is a great opportunity to watch some familiar old faces play in a friendly and funny atmosphere. Two men competitions are scheduled: players under 45 and over 45.

Six teams take part in each competition, divided into two pools of three teams. The winners of each pool meet in final.
And for the second year there will also be a women competition, with 3 former world number one (Navratilova, Hingis and Davenport).

Under 45:
Pool A: Enqvist/Muster, Kafelnikov/Medvedev, Boetsch/Pioline
Pool B: Ivanisevic/Stich, Santoro/Woodbridge, Bruguera/Krajicek

Over 45:
Pool A: Gomez/McEnroe, Cash/McNamara, Pernfors/Wilander
Pool B: Bahrami/Woodforde, Nastase/Sanchez, Forget/Leconte

Women:
Pool A: Navratilova/Novotna, Maleeva/Tauziat, Majoli/Martinez
Pool B: Davenport/Hingis, Zvereva/Gigi Fernandez, Temesvari/Testud

Some pics of Peter McNamara and Pat Cash training yesterday:

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The first of Borg’s five consecutive Wimbledon championships: Borg defeats Nastase 6-4 6-2 9-7

Not really regarded as a classic, but nonetheless interesting, this final between the mercurial Romanian and the cool Swede marks the debut of Borg’s era at Wimbledon.

Nastase, having reached the final in 1972 and leading in their head to head was the clear favorite, but the pressure was on his shoulders: this final was seen as his last chance to win Wimbledon.

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Read more:
Back in 2007 – part 1
Back in 2007 – part 2

I had one of my best Roland Garros experience in 2007. I had bought tickets for the Benny Berthet Day but couldn’t attend it, and for the second Wednesday.
Usually, I avoid Wednesdays, because the stadiums are overcrowded and full of kids everywhere, but I really enjoyed that sunny day at Roland Garros.

Trophée des légendes
First match on the Suzanne Lenglen that day, an under 45 Legends Trophy match: Leconte/Pioline vs Champion/Cash.

A two time Grand Slam runner up (US Open 93, Wimbledon 97), Pioline won his biggest title in Monte Carlo in 2000. He is now co-director of the Paris Bercy Masters Series tournament.

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