Roland Garros - French Open

I went to the French Open on the final Sunday. I did not have tickets to the men’s final but there were things to do and see all day. Tickets for the final were being bought on the street for 1,000 to 2,000 euros. I bought my ticket for 14. I had to get up at 6:30am to be in line by 8am to make sure I could get a ticket to see the final between Nadal and Federer on the big screen in the Court 1 Stadium.

While in line, I met a guy named Ricardo from California and we ended up going to all of the events. It was a good time and talking tennis with someone all day at the French Open was great. I watched the boys final and the Legends doubles finals. The first doubles final was between 4 Frenchmen so the stadium was packed. The second final for 45 years and older featured John McEnroe. It was great to watch McEnroe play for the first time. He and his partner won the match convincingly but the highlight was when he faked an injury.

We watched the men’s final in Court 1 and it was unbelievably hot and sunny for the 4 hours we sat there. The stadium sits just behind the main stadium so above the large screen we were watching the match on, we could see the spectators in the last row watching it live. It was a great experience and the stadium was packed just to watch it on the big screen. The match was great and the first 2 sets took 2 hours to play. It was the best tennis I’ll ever see in my life. The first 3 sets were played how everyone had hoped. It was a real battle. After Nadal looked to be in command in the 4th set I left early to beat the rush. He did win in the fourth, I stopped quickly in a crowded bar down the street to see the final shots.

Roland Garros

Just before the match began. The main stadium is in the background, you can see fans in the last row.

Just inside the gate.

John McEnroe