It felt like a typical Saturday afternoon in March of 2004. But I vividly remember that day as if it were yesterday because my life as I knew it would never be the same again; it was the day I discovered the sport of tennis.
I was flipping through channel after channel on the variety of choices basic cable had to offer when I saw Serena Williams playing in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open against Russian Elena Dementieva. This wasn’t my first time seeing tennis before, and I definitely knew who Serena Williams was and what she means to the world of tennis; I mean come on—her and her older sister had transcended a predominately white country club sport as two African American tennis champions. But I had never seen tennis exhibited like this before. The power! The intensity! The will to win! Forehands, backhands, serves, volleys, and smashes all commanded my attention as I forgot everything going on around me; somehow two people hitting a small, yellow ball with a stick transported me into a world filled with great sport and drama.
The end of the match saw the much-deserved trophy go to Serena Williams, but I knew I didn’t want my tennis experience and my “love at first sight” with the sport to end right then and there. I immediately begged my mom for a tennis racket and some tennis balls. Day after day, I would hit against the brick walls of the “Projects” we lived in until I found myself being able to play tennis at a competitive level. I was ranked #2 singles at Vidalia High School for four straight years and help lead the school to two state tournament appearances.
Flash-forward to the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program—it’s the week leading up to the big 3-day travel weekend, when anybody can go anywhere in Europe they would like. I have absolutely no idea where I want to go or what I want to do. I figured I couldn’t go too far or do anything too extravagant because even with my stipend, I didn’t have that much money to spend. Many classmates were staying at the residence in order to take day trips, but I knew I had to make the most of being in France since I would not be traveling once the program is over.
Then it hit me, “Eric—you’re in France already! Go to Paris!” Then I thought, “Holy shit! The French Open is in Paris!” For those of you who may not know what the French Open is, it’s only the biggest FREAKIN’ clay court tennis tournament in the world of professional tennis; it is the 2nd of 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the year. I got chills just thinking about the possibility of being at the French Open.
Although I was slightly terrified at the prospect of traveling across a foreign country alone, I convinced myself that I would literally go through hell and high water (come to my hometown of Vidalia, Georgia and you will here this Southern phrase all the time. Drink!) for a chance to go to a international city where I could also go to a Grand Slam tournament where Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer would all be competing. So now you understand why I could not just step aside and let an amazing opportunity like this pass by. Going to the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris is, for me, the equivalent of Anna Furgeson finding that $1 dress on Ebay or Cody finding out that he has just been accepted into the elusive Black Club; that intense feeling when passion meets anxiety and euphoria meets orgasm (yes it would be that intense for a tennis enthusiast such as myself!).
I didn’t think it would be that expensive to go by train so I asked Cannes Study Abroad Program Coordinator Anna Beaver how much and how feasible it would be to travel to Paris for the weekend. And what a surprise! Anna was flying to Paris for the weekend. She said she didn’t really have anything planned so she decided to accompany me to the French Open. This made me, and my grandmother, who once told me to be careful at Panama City Beach because someone may put alcohol in my drink, feel safe due to the fact that someone I knew was going to be in Paris as well. The train ticket was 170-euro roundtrip, which wasn’t too bad. Anna and I looked up tickets for the French Open, and to our pleasant surprise, an all day pass to the biggest stadium court and all of the outside courts at Roland Garros only cost 80 euro—80 euro! I literally did a Hallelujah praise dance because I knew my dream of seeing Serena Williams dominate was only a 6-hour train ride away from becoming a reality.
Friday arrives and I get up at 5:30am to make my 6:54am train. The taxi we called ends up arriving at 6:45am because the hired driver decided to go on strike that morning (he better be glad I can’t give him an earful of obscenities in English about messing up my date with Serena). So I arrive at the train station as soon as the train pulls up…whew! Close call. I arrive in Paris as scheduled, but Anna’s fight out of Nice, France, has been delayed 2 hours because of the strike. I had a feeling we were going to miss Venus Williams play, but I was just ready to get there. Finally, Anna and I meet at the metro around 3pm and we are frantically rushing to see some tennis.
We get to Roland Garros, and I immediately fall in love all over again with tennis. I’m surrounded by tennis balls, laughing kids, and hardcore tennis fans who all came to see tennis at the highest level and on the biggest stage. I snap picture after picture—some great ones and some meaningless, like the one I took of the long line waiting to buy hotdogs. But I didn’t care; I was exactly where I wanted to be and no one could take that away from me. Anna and I then went to the souvenir shop. Every time I watch Grand Slam tournaments on television back home, I see people in the stands with these huge tennis balls. So naturally my Grand Slam experience wouldn’t be complete without one.
With huge tennis ball in tote, Anna and I make our way into the largest tennis stadium of the French Open—Philippe Chatrier. Saying that the stadium is beautiful wouldn’t be doing it any justice. Green chairs and press boxes, lively roses that lined the outside of the court, and the unique red clay court surface all contributed to the distinct ambiance that is the French Open. The first match we saw was a thriller between the French hopeful, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, and an unknown Dutch challenger named Timo De Baker. I see tennis on television all the time, but nothing can compare to the first-hand experience of these world-class athletes dashing for shots, lunging for balls, and sliding around the court. And let’s not forget about the emotional French crowd chanting “Ale, Ale!” or “Come on, Come on!” Apparently the chants helped as Tsonga won a nail biter.
Next, Anna and I ventured out of Philippe Chatrier to catch a glimpse of our very own Georgia Bulldog John Isner, who led the UGA Men’s Tennis Team to back-to-back national championships in 2007-08. But Isner didn’t play his best, getting drugged around the court in a losing effort. The only bright spot of the match was seeing ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert, who once coached Andy Murray and Andre Agassi. I think I got in his view of the match when I tried to snap a picture of him, but once again, I didn’t care.
After walking around the grounds for a while, Anna and I returned to the stadium court for a women’s match between French no. 1 Aggie Rezai and Russian Nadia Petrova. We didn’t stay the entire match, but those girls “duked” it out like men for over 2 hours. It was then time to go as my first time at a Grand Slam was coming to a close. We walked around the area for a little more as I was trying my best to soak in every single moment of this lifetime opportunity. I walked in a circle, looked at the big stadium television, and asked French people random questions like, “Do you know where ESPN is?” just to extend my time around tennis.
Because tennis is an inextricable part of who I am today, going to the 2010 French Open was undoubtedly my favorite experience of my time here in France. It was truly one of the happiest moments of my entire life and I will be forever grateful. Grateful because without Dr. Kohn, Dr. Smith, and Anna Beaver, and without being a participant in the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program, this experience wouldn’t have been fathomable, let alone possible.
