While the world is counting down the days to the colossal matchup between Barcelona and Manchester United on Saturday, another pretty cool sporting event is under way the French Open. This past Sunday, I was fortunate enough to go and check out day one of the main tournament at Roland Garros, which is located just outside of Paris. Because I played tennis in high school and because this was the first Grand Slam event I ever attended, many things caught my eye. So without further ado, here are my top 10 observations at Roland Garros.
The Good:
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Friendly staff The staff at the French Open is unlike any I had seen at previous sporting events. With both the ladies and the men dressed in impeccable country club outfits, the staff at Roland Garros is ultra-friendly and often fluent in several languages.
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Well-maintained courts One of the great draws of the French Open is its beautiful red clay courts. Just like the ice for a hockey game, the clay courts must be meticulously maintained. After each set of every match, the court must be smoothed and watered, and the lines must be dusted off. The accomplished grounds crew at Roland Garros makes the courts look like brand new red carpets before the start of every set.
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Getting the call right Although almost all of the main courts at major tournaments have adopted the Hawk-Eye computerized challenge system for close line calls, many of the outside courts still do not have the technology. Several times each match, the umpires have to resort to the oldest trick in the book walking over and checking the mark the ball left on the clay court.
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Proximity to the players After nearly every match at Roland Garros, especially on the outside courts, fans are able to walk up to players and talk to them or ask for autographs. Even on the grand courts where the most famous players compete, the athletes have to walk through a central walkway past large crowds of fans to go back to the players' lounge.
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Encouraging fans By tradition, tennis fans are some of the best-mannered fans in the world. It is expected that they show respect for all players on the court, and sometimes cheers for the losing side walking off the court are louder than those for the winner.
The Bad:
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Confused ushers Despite their friendliness, the ushers were quite frustrating. While trying to find the right entrance to enter through with my e-ticket, three different ushers told me three different entrances to go to. In the end, I simply picked a random one and got in without a problem.
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Mistreatment of ballboys/ballgirls Being a ballboy is a tiring job you have a job to do on every point and you must do it quickly. Most of the time, the players appreciate the work of these unsung helpers. But sometimes, when the players get frustrated, they tend to take their anger out on the ballboys, which is extremely uncalled for and disrespectful.
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Concession stand prices Concession stand products are overpriced everywhere, but the prices at Roland Garros are outrageous. A simple hot dog costs 7.50 Euros ($10.50) while six pieces of sushi go for 11 Euros ($15.50). If you want a cool French Open t-shirt, you better be willing to part ways with about 45 Euros ($63). Next time, I'll make sure to bring my own snacks.
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Not being allowed to keep tennis balls hit out of play Unlike at baseball games where catching a ball hit out of play is a great way to receive a souvenir, you have to return tennis balls hit out of play at the French Open. Lame.
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No nametags at court entrances For the first few rounds in the tournament, there are usually more than a dozen matches playing at the same time and, except for a few small electronic boards placed around the stadium area, there is no way of knowing who is playing where until you wait in line and enter into the courts. Why does the stadium have cell phone-charging kiosks but not a little electronic sign at each court's entrance indicating which players are on that court? Even after living here for over two months now, sometimes I just do not understand the French.
