Although it takes place in Paris, I'm not sure there's anything "typically French" about the Roland Garros tennis tournament – with the exception of sports commentator Nelson Monfort when he speaks English. Like with every sporting event of this magnitude, a big marketing machine transfoms the stage and the alleys of Roland Garros into a weird amusement park.It’s difficult to define a typical day in Roland Garros. Stretched across two weeks at the beginning of summer, the event is experienced differently by spectators, tennis players and ball boys. Of course tennis players are the stars of the event, and with a little luck you can meet some and maybe even get a tennis ball signed around the venue.
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As it often happens when thousands of people are gathered in one place, walking around the 8.5 hectares of the compound, you come across a number of funny incidents and characters. You meet true tennis enthusiasts, and others who only come “because it’s Roland Garros.” Since it's regarded as both a social and a sporting event, what is most harshly highlighted is the contrast between the different social strata – I hope my pictures communicate this better than my words.
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