Roland-Garros

Tuesday morning I donned my cutest spring dress and my floppy hat and made sure to put sunscreen on my cheeks.  I wasn't worried about my lack of knowledge of tennis, but had my sights set more on how cute I would look and how evenly I would tan sitting in the stadium.  Laura and I had tickets to Court Number 1 of the Roland-Garros tennis tournament...more commonly known back home as the French Open.  Court Number 1 is the third largest of the stadiums on the property.  Roland-Garros is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world.  It is perhaps one of the largest events in tennis in the world, the others being the Australian Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon.  It is also the most watched French sporting event in the world.

Door to the museum at the stadium.

I have played tennis in the past...but not with anyone serious or for any serious reason.  I am known for lobbing the ball over the fence, and have absolutely no control...despite my decent serve.  I remember playing with my mom and Pat a few years back on the courts at Lawrence County High School and distinctly remember mom telling me, "Maggie....it's not softball.  You do not have to hit it over the fence."  Then, my giggle box would get turned over and we all know its downhill from there.....

Court Suzanne Lenglen

Fans were buzzing about the property scanning scoreboard screens and checking tickets to be sure they were in the right place.  The Perrier sponsored tournament was no joke...and everyone was taking their job very seriously.  We bought the daily Roland-Garros "newspaper" so we could check schedules and times of who was playing.  Nadal, Serena Williams, and Sharapova were all playing that day, but we didn't shell out enough bucks to be included in the important courts.  Our first match was against a dorky American guy with white tennis shoes and a baseball cap, Sam Querrey, and a bronzed Serbian babe, Janko Tipsarevic.  It lasted at least 2 hours..can't remember the actual duration.  The Serb won, and Querrey was utterly disappointed .  What can ya do??  Afterwards, we got up to refill our water bottles and have a walk around...and of course, revisit les toilettes.  People were scuttling to every bit of shade they could find as the sun was beating down at a rapid pace.  The tops of my knees were already burned to a crisp, and I could feel my right shoulder getting pretty toasty.  My floppy hat kept my face from getting any sun at all, which was the best decision I had that day!  I put on my cardigan to guard my shoulders and arms...despite the 80 degree temperatures.

Sam Querrey, USA

Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia

Inside Court No. 1

Watching the ball go back and forth and back and forth all day long on those red clay courts wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it was very cool to be a part of a big tournament like that.  Laura and I discussed several times how strange it must be to have your entire career linger on one game, one point, one hit...or one miss.  Talk about a nail biter.  

We also discussed how focused the line judges must be, and the ball boys and girls.  I would probably be dozing off thinking about what to cook for dinner that night or debating whether or not I turned my hair straightener off that morning.  Do you think the umpire gets rehired at every tournament?  Does he speak every language?  Does he get paid a decent salary?  How do they decide who is qualified to be a line judge?  Where's that music coming from?  Did I pack anything to eat?  Wish I could crawl into that refrigerated towel box.  Why are people so rude to get up and walk about during play?  Oh man, that old guy fainted at the top of the stairs.  Does this shirt show sweat?  My feet hurt.  Do the ball girls and boys get paid?  How much do you think his 14 foot camera lens costs?  

That is why we wouldn't make good line judges.   

We watched the ball go back and forth a few more times but this time, it was the women playing.  Native French woman Pauline Parmentier versus Polish Urszula Radwanska.  The women are much sneakier and the game is a lot more interesting to watch as they tend to use the entire court instead of just the baseline like the men.  A boisterous spectateur was giving it his all for the French favorite but despite his attempts, Radwanska won in the end.  I went off to work, as a good au pair always does, and Laura stayed until about 8 or so that evening.  (She's a little bit more hard core than I am...can you tell?  When she asked me if I wanted to go it was more of a ..."Sure, why not?" answer than say....if she had asked me to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert.  She then would have gotten a, "Heck yeaaaa!")

Cutest uniforms for ticket takers! Loved their shoes and their hats!

Parmentier and Radwanska

Pauline Parmentier, France

Desperate much?

I'm glad we went, and it was much more interesting to be a part of it in person versus just watching it on television.  Perhaps I am a bit more knowledgeable in the world of tennis, and I can now 100% tell you that in France instead of 15-Love they do not say "15-Amour" it is just 15-0.  Stupid question?  Or legitimate?  Laura and I thought it was pretty legit.  

Yet another reason why we should just remain innocent bystanders.