mardi 27 mai 2008
Game, set, match - the rain.
Yes, it was the rain who won today, my only day at the French Open. Despite having reserved three tickets for the main courts, I was only given a ticket for the outside courts today. But what can you do? Like my teacher said, it's a mafia. I suppose she's right - all the major sporting events are mafias, the biggest one of which being the Olympics. With nothing but money in sight and in pocket, they can do whatever they want.
But I digress. The matches were scheduled to begin at 11 am; I dragged my lazy butt into the rain and arrived at 11:30 am. What welcomed me was not a welcoming receptionist saying 'bonjour,' but a huge crowd of people, a sea of umbrellas, and busloads of smoking teens. I don't know what was worse, kids blowing smoke into my eyes, or 80-year-old women nearly poking my eyes out with their umbrellas.
For a tournament this reputable and this rich, they sure were unorganized. Now, if I were in charge...
I digress again. Since I only had a ticket for the outside courts, I couldn't watch Amélie Mauresmo fighting her nerves nor Rafael Nadal constantly tugging at his shorts as if someone had given him a wedgie. I chose court #5, featuring Feliciano Lopez, for obvious reasons if you know me.
I sat in the rain from noon to 1:30 pm, at which time the rain lightened up and attendants began to prepare the court with acceptable efficiency. I think Feliciano was not happy to play under these conditions; he showed up ten minutes after his opponent did and looked grumpy the entire first set.
After over an hour of play, the rain returned, and so did I, at 4 pm, figuring it would be at least another hour or two of delay even the the rain stopped soon.
So, overall, even though it was a short and wet experience, it wasn't bad. I'm happy to say I've waited through the rain at the French Open, even happier to say I wasn't stupid enough to buy any of the exorbitantly priced items there. And after seeing some players live, I do believe that TV idolizes people. In person, they're just that - people; they're not all that.
The best way to attend these events though, is as a VIP. How, you ask? Stay tuned, give me about ten years...
