[Study Abroad] June 5th (French Open)
This was the last of the French Open tickets I bought before leaving the country. A friend who joined me yesterday is also coming to watch with me today. Since we both love tennis so much that we spent our high school years as captains of our respective tennis teams, my excitement for watching together is growing.
The fourth round of the main draw was taking place today. Since the number of top professional matches narrows down by the fourth round, the schedule also includes junior matches, wheelchair tennis, and legend matches. We had tickets for the center court, but the first place we headed was Court 10. That's because Michael Chang, Kei Nishikori's coach who was there for a legend match, was practicing with his family. We watched the practice for a little less than an hour (we were the only ones doing that), got a photo with him, and then finally headed to the center court.
On the center court, Ruud vs. Jarry was taking place, and the crowd was sparse for a fourth-round match. I mean, they were saying you could have seen the Djokovic vs. Alcaraz match yesterday, so I guess I can understand the sentiment. Haha
Still, the thrill of seeing a top-seeded match live at Philippe-Chatrier is indescribable.
After this, we went to cheer for the Japanese junior players, including Matsuoka. There is a different kind of joy in cheering for players from your own country who are working hard. Many Japanese players, both boys and girls, are participating in the junior tournament, and their future looks bright.
And here, I started thinking about how I could somehow watch Nishioka's night match. The thing is, Nishioka's match was scheduled on a court called Suzanne-Lenglen, not the center court, and it is the only court you cannot enter with a center court ticket. But, since I'm here, I want to see it no matter what.
That's it! I'll explain the situation to people who have finished watching and ask them to give me their tickets!
At the French Open, you present your ticket when entering, but they don't check the name printed on the ticket one by one. They only verify the seat and court name. So, if I can get one from someone who has finished watching, I can get in without any trouble. The problem is who to ask. There's no point in overthinking this. I'll just keep asking people as long as I have the courage.
Luckily, a Brazilian couple agreed to give me theirs when I explained the situation. I was moved by their kindness, and my excitement reached its peak! I bought a beer from a beer vendor near the court and entered.
Nishioka was battered and bruised after playing two full-set matches and one four-set match up to this point, but he still used his trademark tenacity to push the first set into a tie-break. We had been drinking, so we were really into cheering, and with the help of the alcohol, we cheered for Nishioka at the top of our lungs. Unfortunately, he lost the first set by a narrow margin, and the fatigue from the long tournament and his injuries took their toll, leading to a straight-sets loss.
However, his performance in this tournament, where he achieved the feat of reaching the French Open Round of 16—only the second Japanese player in history to do so—and significantly updated his career-high ranking to 27th, was wonderful. Thank you for the excitement!