Masterful Iga Swiatek, Memories of Andre Agassi, Marble Cake & Macaron
It has been on my bucket list to watch each of the four Grand Slams in person. In 2010, I traveled to New York to watch my first Grand Slam – the U.S. Open – and spent one of the most memorable weeks of my life catching the first-week action over seven days. I didn’t think it would take me 14 years to get to my second, but life happened. Or rather I let it.
I’ve been fortunate to watch some international-level tennis in India over the past few years and even traveled to the Gulf to cover the Dubai Tennis Championships. But as I made my plans to watch the French Open in Paris this June, my excitement levels were hitting the roof.
After counting down the days, Saturday, June 1, was finally upon me and I boarded my Vistara flight to the French capital. A smooth nine-hour, 40-minute flight which passed even quicker once I discovered they had the tournament live on Sports24.
Everything at the airport, including immigration, went off smoothly too. As I stepped out to breathe the 13-degree chilly Paris air, I could finally let in sink in that I was going to Roland-Garros – something I’d been dreaming about since I was hitting on the walls of my building at age 14. I’m 44 now, the same age as India’s top doubles player, Rohan Bopanna, but more on him later.
As I woke up Sunday morning and took the metro to the stadium, those first-time butterflies fluttered hard in my gut. A wrong train and one hour, and 14 minutes after I left my hostel, I finally arrived inside Stade Roland Garros and made my way towards Court Philippe Chatrier.
I nervously walked to the court, hoping all the time that the mobile tickets on my phone or the phone itself wouldn’t conk off. It didn’t!! Once I was inside Chatrier, I lay my eyes on the most beautiful clay courts I have ever seen. I swear, television doesn’t do any justice to just how good these courts look.
I took my seat in time to watch Iga Swiatek, the World No. 1 and clear-cut favorite to win a fourth title in Paris, taking on the 23-year-old Anastasia Potapova, a Russian player ranked No. 41 in the world.
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I’ve seen Swiatek live before but was still impressed by the finer nuances of her game. Her movement, ability to turn defence into offence, and of course, her groundstrokes. The Pole won 6-0, 6-0 in 40 minutes – one of the quickest matches of her career and the tournament this year.
Iga Swiatek (R) and Anastasia Potapova at Roland-Garros on Sunday
Besides the actual tennis, I am always fascinated by what goes on around the court and the things one never sees on television. For example, I managed to notice how the ball kids here swing their arms twice before passing the ball to another.
I’m not sure if this happens elsewhere or is a French thing, but I’ll take note when the action moves to Wimbledon in a few weeks. Another thing that caught my eye was the effort and the digging it takes to switch the net from singles to doubles in between matches.
I decided to head to Court 5 to watch Bopanna, him of Level 44 fame, and partner Matt Ebden play their first-round doubles match against a Brazilian duo, Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann.
I figured it would be a quick win and I could catch the second half of Coco Gauff vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Chatrier. However, the Brazilians had other ideas, and the match turned into a dogfight.
Watching a fun doubles match live is hugely underrated among tennis fans. The quick volleys, the reflexes, and the exchanges at the net are best enjoyed in person rather than on television. Bopanna and Ebden eventually won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in just over two hours. By then, Gauff had won her match, and I decided to walk the grounds and feed myself some food.
The grounds have quite a few options and I didn’t have any issues finding something vegetarian. I had even less trouble finding something to satiate my sweet tooth. I indulged in some ice cream, a slice of marble cake and a chocolate macaron from Ladurée on my first day, and decided to keep the pancakes and waffles for another.
The Ladurée cart on the grounds of Roland-Garros
I headed back to Chatrier to watch Carlos Alcaraz, a.k.a. the human highlight reel. The Spaniard had a tough match on paper against former top 10 player Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has been rediscovering some of his form this summer. But on this day, Alcaraz was simply too strong.
This was my first time watching the 21-year-old live and his shots are just as impressive as you see on the tele. Alcaraz’s ability to hit winners when you least expect was the only thing that kept me on the edge of my seat as he romped to a comfortable straight-sets win.
Carlos Alcaraz on Day 8 at Roland Garros
With the day session on Chatrier over, I tried to sneak into Court Suzanne-Lenglen but you need a separate ticket for that. I decided to roam the grounds and caught a glimpse of Paul Annacone and Patrick Mouratoglou at different points. I also went to the merchandise store and shortlisted what I would take back with me.
I decided to head back to Court 5 again, where Bopanna was playing his mixed doubles match with Veronika Kudermetova. However, the duo were knocked out in straight sets by Andrea Vavassori and Liudmila Samsonova.
I also caught a fun mixed doubles match on Court Simone-Mathieu where Eduoard Roger-Vasselin and Laura Siegemund defeated the all-French duo of Nicolas Mahut and Alize Cornet, who was playing her final match as a pro. Mixed doubles is another great format for watching tennis in person, especially when there’s a local team on the court.
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Another walk around the grounds and some more food later, I headed back to watch second seed Jannik Sinner take on Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who’s great fun to watch, especially in front of his home fans.
Corentin Moutet on Day 8 at Roland-Garros
Moutet, known for his penchant to hit underarm serves, drop shots and play to the galleries, sent the crowd into raptures as he won the first set 6-2, by completely outfoxing Sinner. The Frenchman even broke the Italian in the first game of the second set, raising hopes of an upset that nobody had predicted.
The match brought back memories of Leander Paes stunning Andre Agassi at the US Open years ago for a set and a half. Just as it happened with Paes that day, Moutet couldn’t find a way to keep up that level and once Sinner broke back in the second and began to find his range, there was no turning back. The Italian, who could replace Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1 at the end of this tournament, won in four sets to put an end to Sunday’s play.
As I walked out of Roland-Garros and headed back to my hostel, I looked back in contentment on my day. I looked ahead to the schedule for tomorrow when I’ll be back. I couldn’t believe I waited 14 years to watch another Grand Slam and promised myself I would try not to wait another 14 for my third. Bonne nuit.
