Franch Open at Roland Garros (2014-2015)

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It's Roland Garros time. This year, with the  2nd June (a national Holiday in Italy) holiday bridge, it would have been a good opportunity to go to watch it, but I couldn't because of family commitments,  I have been to Roland Garros twice , in 2014 and 2015.

The first time I went on Friday and Saturday of the first week, taking advantage of the Ascension Bridge (still a holiday in Germany). To buy the tickets you have to stay on the website site at the opening time, in March, and queue for at least a couple of hours. There is a limit of 4 tickets for each order for the main courts and 8 for the ground, which gives access to the courts from 2 onwards. Being in 4 (I was with my whole family) I had chosen the ground, so I could take tickets for 2 days.The first day I arrived shortly after 11am (start time). There was a bit of a queue to get in: about 15-20 minutes. Before you have to change the tickets printed at home with other coupons and then with those, you go through the gates. I have to say that it gives a great emotion to cross the "Porte des Mosquieters": few venues give such a feeling at the entrance.

For both days, I could watch only doubles. I tried to enter the courtss where singles were played (especially the second day, where there was an Italian) but I never got there. I saw Errani-Vinci being saved after getting close to elimination. One of the problems was to find the time for lunch: we always had it after 15, even at around 16. Another problem was that the attendance was not always disciplined: on side courts I often heard people talk to each other. Then I had a problem for which I couldn't blame the organizers: fever. In the evenings I had over 39 (102 F), I was beginning to have the symptoms of pneumonia that would take me to hospital a couple of weeks later.

The second year I went to the first two days, Sunday and Monday (Monday of Pentecost, another German holiday). The idea was to take tickets for Lenglen on Sunday and ground on Monday, circumventing the limit by making two orders, one myself and one my wife. The plan failed poorly: we only found places for field 1, both days.

On the way from the underground to the venue we met a New Zealander who with Roland Garros completed the slam: of course the one he had seen most times was the Australian Open with 20. On court 1 we didn't stay long: I only remember a match between a Frenchman and a Portuguese.
We went around on side courts, especially for the Italians: I remember Vanni, but especially Pennetta. At her match I looked among the spectators for Gianni Clerici the great tennis journalist, who surely would not miss a match of his "Little Pen" (translation of Pennetta): I thought I saw him in the stand opposite to mine.

On the second day we had to go out early (about 17) to take the train, but we planned to return as soon as possible. So far, we haven't we hope next year. Next year, however, I also want to try to enter Wimbledon.