Q&A with a Roland-Garros fan
women's semis, a 44-year-old hidden champion, free sunscreen and tips for a good RG experience
Are you already in the mood for grass season? Well, I can’t let go of Roland-Garros just yet. Unfortunate vacation timing got in the way of my planned newsletters last week. A lot to uncover from the second week of the second Grand Slam of the year: Alcaraz won back-to-back 5-setters to win his first Roland Garros, while Iga played the 2nd week like her Taylor Swift tickets depended on it. She is now a 23-year-old 4-time Roland Garros champion. I’ll maybe get to them another time.
One of the major conversations in this tournament was around fans. Some fans were so involved in matches that on-site alcohol sales got banned (a decision Mauresmo later said she regretted). Then, there was the debacle over ‘why is the Center Court so empty’. While Roland Garros proudly published its record-breaking attendance stats (including 675K on-site fans), there were questions over the quality of the fan experience. Luckily, a very close friend of mine, Dragana Kovacevic, attended the 2nd Thursday of the tournament. So, I thought, why don’t ask her?
Dragana (Gagi) loves her tennis and has been to several majors as a fan. But she does not follow the sport day-in and day-out — which I think makes her the perfect target for the marketing departments of Grand Slams.
Huge thanks to her for the Q&A and photos (make sure to check out the Eiffel Tower one). Without further ado, here is our Q&A.
How would you rate your experience of Roland Garros Women’s Semi Finals day?
Overall I give it a 8/10. The atmosphere was amazing! But my all time favorite was Wimbledon so far, so the benchmark was high.
Was it your first Roland Garros?
No.
Was it easy to get tickets? Did you queue online on release day?
I did not queue online on release day. During the second week of the tournament, I was occasionally looking for tickets on the official RG ticket sale homepage. I had to refresh every time I clicked on a date because tickets were coming and going every second. At some point I had to re-log in because I was blocked by the system (maybe I was refreshing too much like a virus 😅)
I usually logged in during lunch time (less tickets available) and in the evening (more tickets available) and got lucky on the third day of trying. I guess it was easier for me to get a ticket because I was looking for one ticket only and in the middle of the week (2nd Thursday of the tournament) and not on weekends. As a group and/or for weekends, it might be harder to get your hand on tickets that late.
Which matches did you watch?
Women’s singles semi finals: Gauff vs. Swiatek, Paolini vs. Andreeva
Women’s legends: Petkovic/Tauziat vs. Parmentier/Safarova
Men’s doubles semi finals: Bolleli/Vavassori vs. Bopanna/Ebden (Bopanna being my hidden champion for the day — I saw him live for the first time and really enjoyed his technique) (Editor’s note: 44-year-old Rohan Bopanna won his first ever major this year in Australia. They lost in the semis in Paris. He is now world no. 4.)
Men’s doubles quarter finals: Tsitsipas/Tsitsipas vs. Arevalo/Pavic
How did you find the matches?
I really enjoyed all of the matches. I could not finish some of them and had to pick between matches. The crowds were amazing at each match and everyone was very respectful.
Was anything about watching live tennis surprising to you?
It was the first time I realized that the nationality of Russian players was not displayed on the scoreboards.
What stood out most for you from the day?
It was a day full of strong female tennis and I really liked the empowering energy. I realized how important it is for players, besides having the strategy and technique, to have a resilient mind in order to compress the pressure they have on court at that important moment into motivation. Everyone has a different technique and it was interesting to observe each of them: Some look down before they serve and talk to themselves; some look up to their team box, to one special person they have; some encourage the crowd to cheer for them; many options and one goal — get that 🔥 ace serve and win the point!
New generation of tennis champions stabilizing in the ranks, but most of all Coco. I think she is such a cool, young, talented tennis player who will soon climb to the no. 1 ranking and stay there for a while 😎
Tennis players, both men and female are just good looking human beings 😅 There is something about tennis players in general that is just giving esprit 😊
Free sunscreen by ISDIN 🫶 so I did not burn (because I forgot to bring some)
Ladurée had RG tennis branded macaron boxes — I like!
It was very well organized to get in and out the RG stadium.
I appreciated the aesthetics and beauty of the greenhouse incorporated around Court Simonne-Mathieu 🌿
Is there anything you would change about the event?
More fresh and maybe vegan food options
Lower prices for food/coffee and an optimized online/mobile order system to avoid extensive queues during peak times in between games
More bathrooms around center court
In general, I was a bit disappointed that in the city of Paris was no official public viewing this year, except for the terrace at Gallery Lafayette (which closed at 7pm and had very few limited spots only, so no fan zone for night matches at all). I guess it was due to the organizational overlap with the Olympic Games. Alternatives were bars and pubs which were not easily accessible.
Would you attend Roland Garros again? If yes, which round?
I will definitely come back, hopefully next year again with my friend and best tennis expert Goki ☺️ (Editor’s note: That happens to be me). I would prefer the first week as you also get to see some top ranked players outside center court. Women’s and men’s finals would also be a treat of course.
What would you recommend to someone who wants to attend Roland Garros next year?
Get organized early, get the tickets at the earliest occasion and plan your trip (accommodation, travels) in advance. No need to stay near the stadium, public transport in Paris is very well organized to get there.
Bring sunscreen, a hat and a water bottle to protect yourself from the heat.
Just enjoy the experience and put your phone down for a minute while watching the game.
PARIS NOW IN THE MOOD FOR OLYMPICS
Courts at Roland-Garros usually host one big event a year, but not in 2024. Tennis at the Paris Olympics will be played on these same courts in less than two months. Here are some Olympic tennis news:
A dream duo was announced to play doubles: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Passing of the torch. Two Roland-Garros champs. Fucking. Excited.
Novak Djokovic is already rehabbing his knee following a meniscus tear operation. He might well skip Wimbledon not for being late in terms of preparation but because he prioritizes the Olympics which are on clay. Same court which forced him to get that operation last week. If those courts are not well swept or don’t have enough clay on them this time, so help them God…
Caroline Wozniacki announced that she qualified for her 4th Olympics. While that might be technically correct, she was given a Wild Card by the ITF.
Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori will also compete at the Olympics, I believe thanks to a protected ranking and doubles wild card respectively.
DO YOU LIKE MOVIES?
This Q&A was inspired by 11am Saturday Film Questionnaire. If you like cinema, have a look at Ezgi’s newsletter. Tennis might pop up there too (thanks, Challengers)!
READY… PLAY.
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— Gökalp