Roland Garros 2026
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While the story linking the creator of SBNN and Roland Garros dates back to 2014, the first time he ever set foot there was in 2016. This year therefore marked the 10th anniversary of that first encounter. Ten years later, and yet many of the names remain the same... well... we will see about that.
In 2016, the quarter-finals we watched were Tomas Berdych versus Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams versus Yuliia Putintseva. Among those four athletes, only Berdych is no longer active on the circuit. Djokovic took part in this 2026 edition of Roland Garros, Serena Williams announced her return during the tournament, and last year Putintseva achieved the highest ranking of her career. In 2026, it was players from that same generation, but also exciting new talents, that the SBNN team had the opportunity to watch.
Now much more familiar with how Roland Garros operates, our team was able to make the most of the grounds and the various matches throughout the day. However, our late arrival—barely one hour after the first match on Philippe-Chatrier—was clearly the main reason behind Iga's defeat.
Defeated by Marta Kostyuk, the best clay-court player this season, the Polish prodigy looked dominated throughout the match. It was almost as if she had relaxed after avoiding Ostapenko in the previous round (against whom she still has not recorded a single victory in six career meetings), believing the road ahead was clear.
On this Mother's Day, the two young players seemed eager to make room for the mothers Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina on Centre Court. It was a match between two athletes who returned to the circuit after becoming parents and who are now experiencing remarkable career revivals.
"Zuppo Beli!"
That chant of encouragement ultimately was not enough (the fan was probably trying to say "Super", but his strong accent misled us). Despite producing beautiful tennis for over an hour, the 2020 (2021) Olympic champion could not maintain her momentum. Bencic displayed perhaps the finest level of tennis we witnessed all day, with variation, precision, excellent court coverage, and very few mistakes.
But it came at a price.
Elina Svitolina, renowned for her physical qualities, managed to hold firm and accelerate exactly when required. More about determination and efficiency than pure elegance, she turned the match around, helped by a crowd that was entirely behind her. A 6-0 final set served as a clear statement of superiority and guaranteed the presence of a Ukrainian player in the semi-finals.
An excellent start to the day at Porte d'Auteuil.
While waiting for the men's matches, we wandered through the grounds. To our greatest delight, a French-Czech clash was taking place on one of the outside courts in the girls' junior tournament.
And what a battle it was.
Tereza Hermanova, a member of Sparta Tennis Club, which hosted the Prague Open during the reconstruction of Štvanice Arena, was facing Nehira Sanon of Blagnac Tennis Club.
On Court 6, which gradually filled up with spectators, the two girls engaged in a fierce battle. The Czech player narrowly took the first set but appeared to have found the formula to break down the local player. With serves much faster than those we had seen during the Svitolina-Bencic match, Nehira came back into the match, and so did the sunshine.
The second set was completely one-sided: 6-0.
This triggered a severe panic attack for Tereza. Seeing it from only three metres away was difficult, as the player struggled to catch her breath. Following medical intervention, the match resumed, and by then the court was full.
We barely even remembered that Zverev was playing elsewhere.
The French player managed the end of the match brilliantly, showing composure and maturity. Backed by a genuine supporters' section, Nehira Sanon eventually prevailed after 2 hours and 18 minutes, a scoreline that does not fully reflect the competitiveness of the encounter.
While waiting for the night session, it was impossible for us to reach Court Suzanne-Lenglen, where Mirra Andreeva was cruising through her match. The player we had watched practising earlier in the day made short work of Teichmann.
Meanwhile, we found ourselves watching the match between Ryan Cozad and Savva Rybkin, but our attention kept drifting toward Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Russian player's box.
Smiling, relaxed, and displaying the same attitude we have always known him for, the former French star appeared to be there simply for the love of tennis. He did not exchange a single word with the young player, who nevertheless could find no solution during his match.
Outpowered physically, tactically, and technically by the American opponent, young Savva no longer knew where to turn—and neither did we.
As we looked everywhere except where we should have been looking, one of our members spotted the PSG victory parade bus heading toward the Parc des Princes.
And the evening could very well have ended there. We did not have tickets for the night session, and our passes did not allow us to attend the Rublev versus Mensik match on Suzanne-Lenglen.
But then a tomato mozzarella sandwich changed everything.
After finishing our snack in front of the giant screen near the second main court, a group of people standing by the gate opposite us kindly handed us their tickets for the ongoing match. Just like that, we found ourselves in the third row on Suzanne-Lenglen, directly facing both the players and the chair umpire.
Mensik appeared to have done the hardest part already, leading two sets to love. But after seeing us arrive, he apparently decided to give us a show. Rublev, after complaining to the umpire exactly as we had predicted, launched a comeback, and suddenly we were watching the most intense match of the day.
Night fell. The players kept fighting. The incredible acoustics of the arena, with its curved stands, created the impression of a packed stadium. Exactly what we needed to end the evening. A Czech giant standing nearly two metres tall, giving us flashbacks of Tomas Berdych. A hard-fought victory powered by a devastating serve. To add another chapter to the story, one of our members remembered watching Jakub's training sessions more than ten years ago, during which he never stopped trying to improve his game. A young Czech player who did not appear to possess any exceptional natural gift at first, but who built his career through determination and hard work.
That is exactly what this high-quality match reflected. A beautiful conclusion to our day at Roland Garros. Or at least, that is what we believed. As we left the grounds, tennis fans and PSG supporters celebrating their club's success crossed paths. Two groups overflowing with euphoria. While people often enjoy opposing different groups and placing sports into social categories, this encounter seemed like the perfect recipe for disaster. We even overheard comments such as: "Every time there's a PSG match, it's a mess."
Yet everything unfolded perfectly. The fans dressed in blue and red continued celebrating without paying any attention to those of us leaving the tennis grounds. Music. Songs. Nothing more. And yet, for some people, that alone was enough to create fear. "Quick, quick, let's catch the metro."
As though a disaster were about to happen. At that moment, we realised the impact of media narratives and repeated public discourse. Despite undeniable incidents involving certain individuals, the celebrations overall went remarkably well.
Last year, the Champions League trophy had even been presented by Dembélé on Philippe-Chatrier Court. And yet, some still want us to believe that football fans and tennis fans are incompatible. This stigmatisation of football supporters cannot continue, especially when it is automatically associated with young Parisians and young people from the suburbs.
When serious incidents occur during events such as the Coupe de France final between OGC Nice and RC Lens, the reaction is very different. On one side, groups associated with the far-right exploit sporting events to carry out racist attacks and receive relatively little media attention. On the other side, OGC Nice supporters engage in violence directly inside stadiums against RC Lens supporters. Yet the image of Nice, its club, and its supporters remains largely untouched. A double standard that must end.
Why not continue using sporting events as opportunities for unity rather than encouraging stereotypes and division?
We want to keep seeing the popular support surrounding the achievements of Moïse Kouamé. We want the same energy for Victor Wembanyama as he competes in the NBA Finals. The same passion for the French national team during the World Cup. We want L'Équipe to continue highlighting women's rugby players when they achieve legendary victories. Let us use the greatness of our athletes to break down social barriers and geographical prejudices.
Long live sport!
