The French Open - Roland Garros

The French Open is in full swing, and David and I got our taste last Friday.

I got the tickets in March on a lark after I saw a contest posted at work: the employee with the best cost saving idea for the company would win two tickets. Being a dedicated employee, I went home straight away and got online to buy my own.

All of the major courts were sold out, and all weekend tickets were gone, but I was able to find four tickets to the annex courts on a Friday. Dave and I scheduled the day off, and gave the other two to our friend Hector.

The Roland Garros park is located just outside the city, so were able to take the metro and walk a few blocks to the site. The first matches started at 11:00 a.m., and we arrived according to plan at 10:15. I reviewed the days' matches and decided we should camp out at court 7 for the second match of the day - a third round mens' single match; 10 vs 17 seed.

Court 7 turned out to be just inside the gates, and we were soon standing next to the brilliant red clay court, reviewing the available seats. David pointed to two seats at center court, first row. Were we allowed to sit here? Weren't these the kinds of seats reserved for coaches and girlfriends? Well no one looked they were about to stop us, so we sat.
Courtside.
The French Open.
Amazing.
As we settled in, I gaped at how close we were to the court. "You have to save me if a ball flies at me," I said excitedly.

The first match started shortly thereafter, a 2nd round men's doubles match. It was a lot of fun to watch, especially being so close to the action. We could hear everything they said to each other, apologizing for bad service tosses, complaining to the line judge, grunting with effort.

It was fascinating to see the details of the match you don't see on tv. The formal way the line judges march onto the court, each holding their jackets the same way, the inspection of the balls every three games, and the ball boys and their unwavering dedication. I was so impressed with the ball boys (kids, really), who were so rigidly disciplined about their tasks, they reminded me of palace guards. Not one stole a glance at a dramatic point, winced when a player threw a racket, or walked a single step. No, everything was done at at a run. Double time.

Here's a small video I took of the last point of the game. It also turned out to be the most dramatic point of the game, and I was so excited I accidentally stopped recording a few shots too early. The South Americans (seen here) won.

After the doubles match, the grounds crew quickly cleaned off the court and the next match was ready to go. David dashed out to buy us some lunch, and had to fight a mob of people to get back to our court. We were definitely in the hot spot of the annex courts.

Our 10 vs. 17 match was Davydenko (Russia) vs. Wawrinka (Switzerland). And WOW, I never seen such tennis. The way they slammed the ball back and forth, I would have been scared lifeless if I'd been on the other side of the court from either one.

Sometime in the middle of the third set, Wawrinka hit a bad shot - I heard the racket go *ping* and everyone looked toward the sky. I looked in earnest, but the sun was bright and I couldn't see it. Suddenly, I felt the crowd tense around me, then David said:

"uh oh."

So, being the true girl that I am - and not the 3rd baseman of my youth - I ducked and covered my head with my hands. I am. so. cool. When I opened my eyes again, David was grinning and turning the tennis ball over in his hands. The Japanese ladies behind us were giggling in relief, and I was astonished.

"I don't believe it. You actually saved me!"

I was awash with a fairy-tale sensation of heroics and romance. Which was just as quickly thrown out the window as David said, "Oh. I just wanted to catch it!"

The next point carried on, and before the next one started an anxious ball boy was eying the ball in David's hands. He dutifully handed it over, and we immediately regretted not getting over the shock fast enough to take a photo of it.

Well, after that bit drama the game was still pretty one-sided, Davydenko winning in 4 sets. Although to us it seemed a lot closer, as Wawrinka won many points and didn't seem to make too many errors (as opposed to Roddick playing against Monfils, if you happened to catch that match. Embarrassing).

Wawrinka takes a point

By then it was late afternoon, and we were in need of stretching our legs and straightening our neck muscles. We evacuated our prime seats, which were quickly claimed by another couple before we'd even had a chance to pick up our jackets.

We strolled out into the complex, dropping in and out of other annex court matches. Most of the others were women's and mixed doubles matches, which weren't as exciting, but the ball boys and line judges tended to them just as soberly.

We took a lap around to see the exteriors of the big courts and check out who was currently playing at each. Not far from court two we passed a middle aged black couple sitting on a bench, sharing an orange. They caught my eye because the woman was carrying a chic fur-lined coat, and who brings a fur coat to a tennis tournament? I was just about to ask this question to David when he asked, "Do you know who that was? The Williams sisters' parents."

Of course I wanted to turn back and say hello, but David had my hand tucked firmly in the crook of his arm and tugged me along. I later learned from Katie (who got the scoop from her mom) that the Williams sisters' parents are divorced, and we'd probably seen their father and his new wife or girlfriend. So I'm guessing it was he who bought the coat.

By early evening we'd worn out and decided to take our leave of Roland Garros. We had a great time, and now I'm hooked back on tennis. I tried to talk David into Wimbledon later this month, but he wasn't falling for it. I'll work on the US Open next.