Neither tennis stars on the courts, nor crowds to cheer them on in the stands. Delivery trucks park in the silent alleys of the stadium and the soaked ground bears witness to the passage of the cleaning team. Roland-Garros wakes up this Thursday, May 25. It’s 6:30 a.m. and the clay court maintenance staff begin their shift.
In the heart of the Parisian Grand Slam tournament, Aurélien, Mickaël, Eric, Laurence and Vincent perform large circular movements while holding a handle, but not that of a racket. All five armed with one ” witch broom “their daily mission is to restore beauty to the ocher surface of the Philippe-Chatrier court.
Every morning, it’s the same program. First, the layer of gray earth must be removed overnight. Then scrape off any clumps on the surface with a squeegee. Then, evacuate the piles on wheelbarrows and bring back clean crushed brick, scattering it with a shovel. Finally, homogenize everything by passing the train (the net) and sprinkle with a chemical product – calcium chloride – to retain the humidity. An hour and a half later, the garden where Rafael Nadal won his 14 Parisian titles is now ready for another day of tennis.
During the matches, at the end of each set (or at a fixed time in the event of training), the maintenance staff enters the court grouped by trotting. Two of them pass the line, two sweep the lines and if the chair judge wishes, they water the court, taking care to carry the hose to several people so as not to leave a trace.
“The atmosphere of military service”
At Porte d’Auteuil, the stadium has 18 courts, including three main ones, to which must be added two annexes dedicated to training outside the site (four courts hidden in the Bois de Boulogne and eleven at Club Paris Jean Bouin).
To take care of it, eleven clay craftsmen are employed year-round, eight more arrive at the beginning of spring and, above all, a fleet of 175 people arrives for three and a half weeks at the time of the Grand Slam tournament (qualifications included). At 78, Guy is one of the oldest. He likes this mix “people from all regions of France” which reminds him a little “the atmosphere of military service” – more diversity.
The panorama is wide. Thus, we find precarious workers, seasonal workers recognizable by the brand of ski goggles on their faces, students who have just finished their part-time exams, retirees, tennis enthusiasts… others less so.
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