The third and final day in Paris we headed to Roland Garros to watch some first round matches on Philippe Chatrier. The matches started at 11 a. m. and we had to leave by 5:30 p. m. to catch our train. Four matches were scheduled and we hoped to see all four, but time was not on our side. Let’s see how it went.
We arrived by 10 and wandered the grounds some before making our way to our seats.
The first match featured Na Li v. A Medina Garriques.
Li won in two sets.
Time to prepare the court for the next match.
Up next: Rafael Nadal vs Daniel Brands! Rafa Nadal has won the French Open seven times. Seven! To see him play live at the French Open was a real treat. And I was stunned when he lost the first set. Then in the second, there were times when I thought he would lose that one as well. However, the champion pulled through and won the match in four sets.
For those who get a chance to see Nadal play in person keep an eye on him after each set. He changes his shirt.
The next match featured Tomas Berdych and Gael Monfils. Monfils is a French player and even though Berdych was the favorite to win, Monfils stunned the Czech and won in five sets.
Unfortunately we only had time to watch the first set. We missed most of this match and the next one. Oh well, there’s always next year.
50 Year Project 
Great pics… one day I’ll make it to Paris:)
Geez, nothing like a striptease in the middle of a match. I love it :)!!! I know, I’m bad!
He’s not shy. But he is very superstitious so I don’t think he’ll ever stop. Notice the water bottles at his feet–they are always in the same spot. If you ever watch him you can pick up on all of his routines and he has many.
That’s too funny!! Any my kids think I’m OCD :).
You OCD, I never would have guessed that 😉
I know, right? 🙂
Organization freak, yes. OCD–I can’t lie. I thought it was a possibility 🙂 And there is nothing wrong with that. I have my quirks, but I just can’t think of one right now.
Ask the Better Half. They always love to reveal our quirks LMAO!!
Oh I know, I hear about them all the time. Get one or two drinks in and then, blah, blah, blah
How exciting to actually be there instead of just watching on TV. 🙂
I’ve always loved tennis, but watching it live has really made me appreciate the sport.
Shirtless shots of Nadal. Keep ’em coming 😉
I’ll be at the Open in New York and I’ll do my best to get more photos of him there if I see him. Might have to buy a better zoom lens.
Worthwhile investment 🙂
Now you’ve got my hopes up….
Oh I hope I don’t let you down. We have three days there so there’s a good chance. And I might have some from previous years. I’ll take a peak when I get the chance.
Cool 🙂 Although, close-up shots of cakes are just as good. If not better!
cakes and a half-naked Nadal. Got it!
a perfect tennis report!
Thanks! I love the sport.
Looks like the stands filled up as the day progressed. Glad you got to see Nadal play – my neighbor would go crazy. She’s a tennis instructor here and used to be a pretty high raned player in her youth but I think, she had issues with her knees and had to give it up. She never talks about it and I’ve only heard things through the grape vine… but I know, she loves Nadal.
That’s a shame about her knee. Tennis is hard on the body. I can’t imagine what these players feel like when they finish a match.
And did you see that weird thing Nadal kept doing with his water bottles on the floor…lining them up “just so”…oh well, it worked for him!
He does that every match. It’s quite comical and since he’s so good I don’t think he gets teased that much about it. It obviously works for him.
Thanks, TBM. Enjoyed the Rafa episodes. Not too much chance of seeing him in action today if it stays like this. 🙂
I’ve only ever watched live tennis once and that was in Nottingham, with my daughter, a couple of years ago. It was a free entry event and I saw Jeremy Chardy in action. The wallop when he hit the ball was quite something so I can hardly imagine it when Rafa does.
I’m glad we got tickets for last Monday–no rain delays at all. Usually in NY we have to wait out several rain delays and it’s frustrating and expensive. All you can do is eat and drink. Yes, Nadal can wallop the ball. he doesn’t do it each time he hits it, but you can tell when he’s about to. And then of course you hear it and hear him grunting. Novak also hits the ball hard. Federer has a little more finesse.
Enjoyed your take on it. 🙂
Looks like a grand time :-).
It was. I’m already looking forward to going next year. We might be able to stay for more than one day. Fingers crossed!
What a wonderful experience TBM! Lucky you 🙂
Thanks Madhu.
That’s so great that you got to see such great players! When I still lived in Paris, I went to Roland Garros a lot so it was great to see your photos!!
It is a fun place to go. We are hoping to go each year–fingers crossed!
That would be a wonderful tradition!
Now that we are further away from the US Open in NY we need to make Paris our tennis home.
As always, cool shots!
Nadal is definitely easy on the eye!
Thanks for the pics.
Lynn 😀
I don’t think many complain when he takes his shirt off. Maybe his girlfriend.
The chance of attending a major sporting event as this is a great accomplishment.
I’ve been lucky Frank.
Looks like you had a wonderful time in Paris. Thanks for taking us along.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
I’m glad you enjoyed the posts Francine.
It looks like you had your choice of seating for the early matches. That must be pretty cool to see live.
I feel for the players who start right at 11. So many people are still getting through the ticket line and then hitting the shops to buy their shirts and hats. But maybe they don’t feel as much pressure.
Nice set of photos.
Never seen a tennis match before. I should have read this Paris post from the beginning not in third part as a start 😉
Don’t worry, there’s not a connection really with the days. This was a random trip and we didn’t have any set plans, except for the tennis.
I’ve already ‘liked’ this TBM
Thought I would come back for another look at something 😉
Nadal maybe?
🙂
Fantastic – I was just there this week too!
Isn’t it amazing? I’m jealous that you were in Barcelona. One of my favorite cities!
Fun and exciting. Being there at the Tennis match….epic!
It was amazing. I’ve watched it for years on the telly and to finally sit down in the stands–simply wonderful.
You were in Roland Garros watching the French Open? So jealous of you! Loved the photos! I watched Nadal a few years back in a tournament here and I realized that though he is a tough guy on court, once the match got over he was totally cool and even made the audience smile. He even tried hitting a few tennis balls with a cricket bat to the spectators and he missed most of the time and the spectators roared 🙂 I totally fell in love with Nadal that day. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos.
I never used to be a Nadal fan (Roger instead) until I started watching him play live at the US Open. I quickly became a huge fan and now I even have a Go Rafa t-shirt. And he is such a nice guy off the court from what I hear and from the interviews I’ve seen. It’s refreshing to see such a great tennis player stay humble and real. I would have loved to see him try hitting the balls with a cricket bat. I bet he really tried.
How exciting that you got to go to Roland Garros! And to see Rafa play there! I’ve not had a chance to see him live. He sure has a lot of superstitions, doesn’t he? I’ve not been to the French Open, but I’d like to go someday. Was it hard to get tickets? I went to Wimbledon a few years ago and we had to wait on some long lines (totally worth it of course). Will you go since you’re so close?
Getting tickets to the French isn’t the easiest. So far we’ve been lucky. As for Wimbledon we were out of town last year. This year we may queue up and make our way to Henman Hill to watch. So far we haven’t had much luck to get tickets to any of the courts.
How exciting to be able to attend this!
A dream come true!
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