Revisiting My Trip to the French Open

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As the 2023 French Open tennis tournament begins in just three days, I can’t help but remember my attendance at the 2010 French Open, held in late May-early June at the Roland Garros facility in Western Paris. With the help of my temporary landlord, I bought and printed out a day pass to the outer courts, and was able to attend two junior matches involving American teenagers (they both lost) and a doubles match featuring a highly seeded French team (they won). I also sat for a bit in the courtyard outside Court no. 1 (the third-biggest of the courts in the complex) and watched on a Jumbotron as Serena Williams dispatched her opponent. It was amazing! Continue Reading →

Roland Garros: Paris’s Favorite Sport

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As the world remains transfixed by the Winter Olympics, I’m reminded of the only sporting event I’ve ever attended in Europe — the French Open tennis tournament, called Roland Garros in France, which is the name of the facility in Western Paris that hosts the event. For tennis fans, the French Open is very familiar, being one of the four “Grand Slam” tournaments held around the world each year. For those with only a passing interest in the sport, it’s the tournament held on an orange-red clay surface that often leaves players covered in red dust. Continue Reading →