CHERYL JONES DELIVERS ANOTHER GREAT TENNIS IN PARIS STORY

Written by: on 30th May 2015
French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros
CHERYL JONES DELIVERS ANOTHER GREAT TENNIS IN PARIS STORY

epa04775167 The logo of the Roland Garros tennis tournament is seen at the Court Suzanne Lenglen during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2015. EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG  |

Past, Present and Future

By Cheryl Jones

 

Last Sunday, Roland Garros opened the gates for its 2015 extravaganza. The grounds as always were packed with tennis lovers – to the max. There is a plan waiting in the wings to remedy the logjams of humanity that are a daily fixture at the venue. The Federation of French Tennis (FFT) began what appears to be an ambitious project to widen the physical scope of the venue that has since its inception in 1928, been located at 2 Avenue Gordon Bennett in the 16th arrondissement in Paris. (Arrondissement means something like district in English.) The facility is located across a wide boulevard with the Bois de Boulogne on the other side. It is a gigantic woodsy park that has served in many capacities throughout its existence. During World War II, it was a staging site for German tanks that prowled the streets and instilled fear into the hearts of French citizens who were sympathizers with the Allies.

 

Dan Brown used the bois as one of the backdrops for his best selling novel, The Da Vinci Code. He wasn’t far off reality when he painted a picture that featured intrigue and tawdry humanity. Even these days, just after dark, the huge expanse hosts women and men of ill repute. Judging by the popularity of the place, it must do some kind of a brisk business, or at least have some sort of interactive program going for it. Lest readers think I am going to dedicate this story to a look at the “bois”, alas, that will not be the case. The background is merely for context. After all, it is just across the way from what will someday be a modern architectural miracle.

 

When the FFT began their search for a wider landscape to host the French Championships, many avenues were examined. As with most big cities throughout the world, there is limited space to widen any existing metropolitan footprint. Roland Garros is quite tiny compared to its neighbor across the street – The Bois. It appears though that Roland Garros will be growing within a well-planned expansion project.

 

Anyone who has been a party to pretty much anything that requires public input understands the reality that many meetings have to be scheduled. Opinions are many and logic is usually circumspect. When the planning began in 2010 other sites were considered and the end result was to allow Roland Garros to remain in its historic home. Presently, a botanical garden is adjacent to the site and environmentalists have spoken out against a change that would alter the area. Plans were still submitted to various commissions such as the French National Building Architects and the Regional Cultural Affairs Department. This enabled a project definition that was relevant in terms of the sport, functionality, heritage, architecture and most of all, the environment. Having anticipated the objections of a few, the FFT planning committee took into consideration all aspects and varied impacting factors of the project.

 

Since 2013, the City of Paris has supported various proposals by the Federation, but the French General Council on the Environment and Sustainable Development still has issues regarding the encroachment of the structures on the botanical site, even though they did feel the proposal could somehow be made useable. The FFT still wants to move full speed ahead for the expansion and has several concrete plans for the new look that should be complete within the next five years.

 

The huge Courte Philippe Chatrier will be fitted with a retractable roof. It will have the capability of closing in around fifteen minutes to guarantee the continuity of play. If it rains, the event won’t have to move to Monday or Tuesday after the tournament was supposed to be complete; matches will proceed. With a closed roof, night matches can be contested and there won’t be issues with darkness. (Wimbledon has a retractable roof over its center court stadium. Not only does it close quite rapidly, but it has ambient lighting that actually helps brighten the court when the roof is closed.)

 

The Place des Mousquetaires where now a small crowded courtyard exists will be expanded to accommodate patrons who want a moment to catch their breath between matches. It will have greenery and occupy over a hectare – close to two and a half acres. Now that space has a circle containing the statues of the Four Mousquetaires (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Renè Lacoste) and lots of uneven brickwork on the ground. To accommodate the new R & R area, Court One (also known as the Bull Ring) will be demolished and a new court with a capacity of nearly five thousand will be the replacement. It will be sunken and out of view from the street within the existing botanical garden. The gardens and greenhouses will be the focal point for the public when Roland Garros isn’t being contested. Paris will enjoy a new version of Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil that will be an integral part of the renovation of Roland Garros.

 

Planning aside, Saturday as always, hosted throngs of tennis fans and lots of tennis was on the menu. Seventeen American women began the tournament last Sunday. Now there are two. Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens are the last Americans standing.

 

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in action against Serena Williams of the USA during their third round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2015. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

In a rather contentious match, Williams bested Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, who has been around for almost as long as Williams. Azarenka was making her ninth main draw appearance here and Williams is making her fourteenth. Williams’ feisty attitude has always been worn on her sleeve and she definitely had more than peace porridge for breakfast. She was fierce throughout the match. A bad call by an umpire helped her gain an edge in the final set. Azarenka was livid, (and she had a right to be) with the unfortunate call that capped off the second set. The first was all Azarenka. But it almost seemed as if Williams had hit a wall and then had a second wind part way through the middle set. The 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 match was anything but ordinary. The tension was fed by the crowd that couldn’t help but notice the snapping Williams who was dressed in fuchsia and pink hightops and the smiling Azarenka, almost a match wearing a similar color combination, who on several occasions clinched her teeth and tossed her comments in Williams direction. In the end Williams has moved on.

 

Stephens defeated Bulgarian, Tsvetana Pironkova decisively late this afternoon. The match was over quickly and the 6-4, 6-1 score spoke volumes about the match up. Even though Stephens has of late seemed disinterested in the tennis matches themselves, today she managed to power up her game and pull out the win to put her into the Round of 16. She’s always had a penchant for ramping up her play in important tournaments. She needs to do the same with her enthusiasm. There seems to be no joy in her wins of late. Her appreciation and enjoyment seem to have gone flat like a glass of ginger-ale left on the counter over-night. It would be a pleasure to see her enjoy playing tennis once again. Perhaps in the Round of 16 she can sparkle.

 

Julia Goerges of Germany in action against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark during their second round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2015. EPA/IAN LANGSDON

Irina Falconi who calls West Palm Beach, Florida home, was defeated by German, Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1 after Falconi quickly won the first three games and then evidently took the midnight train to her alma mater, Georgia Tech. She spent two years at the university before turning pro. While there she was an All-American, and played Number one. She was Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year in 2010 and turned pro soon after that. She is now the twelfth ranked American woman on the tour. (There are thirteen in the top 100.) This was Falconi’s third main draw appearance at Roland Garros, but the more experienced Goerges, with seven main draw entries, pulled away after those first three games and won 12 out of the next 14 to move to the Round of Sixteen.

 

Madison Keys is the highest ranked American who doesn’t have the last name Williams. A woman from Switzerland, Timea Bacsinszky, handed her a decisive defeat today, 6-4, 6-2. Keys is the youngest player in the Top 30. And her list of firsts goes on and on. She was only sixteen when she competed at the US Open in 2011. Today, she made 32 unforced errors in that loss and even though she’s out, she said she was happy to be moving to her favorite surface – grass. I am sure she hopes that the lawns will be more to her liking.

 

In the Sixteenth Arrondissement, wins and losses move into the record books at the end of the day. Tomorrow will tell a different story. The chapter of May 29, 2015 is closed.

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