espnW Blog: W P.O.V.
Joanne C. Gerstner PARIS -- One of the fantastic things in Europe is to stumble upon farmer's markets. Today, in my daily Metro-combo-walking voyage to get to Roland Garros, there was a lovely market set up on the corner of my subway stop.
Joanne C. Gerstner PARIS -- The tennis fans who come to watch the French Open are a passionate group. The cheering sections tend to break down by national lines -- with the majority of fans being French -- and they go wild for their home country players.
I was weaving my way through the noon crowds at Roland Garros, trying to get to the media work room, when I heard the shrieks. They seemed to come from teen girls, sounding high -- pitched, insistent and loud.
courtesy of Joanne GerstnerPARIS -- It had to happen sometime. Rain and cool weather have finally hit the French Open, and I have no right to complain. It's in the mid-60s here, with a 60 percent chance of rain Sunday, according to the French weather service.
Courtey of Joanne GerstnerClay courts are messy, dusty, and can be quite fussy.A couple of things that can happen to a hard court, leaves piling up or bird droppings, can be washed away with a hose. The red clay courts of Roland Garros, the very thing that makes the French Open so special, require a lot of TLC to stay in good repair.
PARIS -- I'm doing a lot of walking every day, which is great. Love getting a good workout, and also getting to see, hear and smell Paris. My walks, usually to the Metro and Roland Garros, make for amazing people-watching and window-shopping.
Joanne C. GerstnerPARIS -- I was duly warned, by three people, that the soft-serve ice cream at Roland Garros was dangerous stuff. One taste, and you're hooked.Ice cream, on any hot day, is always yummy. But this Roland Garros stuff is amazing.
Courtesy of Graham HaysTwas two nights before the World Series and not a creature was stirring, perhaps not even Jessica Mouse. ... Laptop on desk and coffee in hand, I had just settled in for a long night of writing (no napping in Oklahoma City). When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
PARIS -- It's probably too soon to make a solid decision, but the evidence is mounting that the women are behaving much better than the men at the French Open.There is a list of fines, updated daily and tacked to a wall in the media operations hub of Philippe Chatrier.
PARIS -- There are a lot of statues scattered around the grounds of Roland Garros, celebrating the greats of French tennis.My favorite, by a long mile, is the super cool statue of Suzanne Lenglen, the first woman in the world to turn pro in tennis, stationed in front of the stadium named after her.
Joanne GerstnerPARIS -- The opening day of a Grand Slam tournament has the feel of the first day of school, mixed with a circus. People were excited, even a touch nervous, walking into the grounds of Roland Garros on Sunday morning.
PARIS -- This is the lull before the French Open starts Sunday, so I decided to make the most of my small bits of free time to see some of Paris.I am lucky to have visited this beautiful place a few times before, and one of my favorite things to do is the scenic tourist boat ride on the river Seine.
Courtey of Joanne GerstnerPARIS -- I've heard the question asked many times and seen it posted in comment sections of tennis stories: Do players who shriek during matches, like Maria Sharapova, do the same in practice?After watching Sharapova work out on Court Philippe Chatrier on Friday, I can legally testify to the following -- she is quite loud in an empty stadium.
Courtesy of Joanne GerstnerPARIS -- I was out for a walk this evening on the beautiful Champs Elysees, trying to overcome my brain-deadness from a long overnight flight and hardly any sleep.It seemed like the rest of Paris was out for a stroll too, as the wide sidewalks were crowded with people leisurely walking and window shopping.
AP Photo/Daniel MaurerOne muggy day, my high school swim team and I bobbed up and down in the deep end of the pool, patiently awaiting instructions from our coach as we did six days a week for three months. The instruction on this day, however, was different.