The images have become traditional, even mythical.
At Roland-Garros, during the Tennis Open, there are the champions on the court and the children of the ball in the stands.
A cap, dark glasses, and a colorful smile constitute the basic panoply to attend matches in privileged conditions, but also to be seen by paparazzi who, under the sun of the court, multiply the photos intended for magazines. in glossy paper.
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The most famous remain those of 1979 where we see Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan and David, their then 13-year-old son, and others, taken in 1982, where Jean-Paul Belmondo, his shirt unbuttoned, displays his love for his girlfriend at the time, Carlos Sotto Mayor.
An unforgettable moment is also the one that took place on June 6, 2001. Bill Clinton, who came to France for the anniversary of D-Day, made a detour to the stands of the center court to attend the quarter-final between André Agassi and Sébastien Grosjean.
The presence of the President will destabilize the American player who, to everyone's surprise, bows to his French adversary.
However, he made up for it in 1999 by winning the final in the presence of Sting, wrapped up in his scarf despite the blazing sun.
Bjorn Borg vs. PPDA
The phenomenon was born in the 1970s. Until that date, spectators were exclusively aficionados of champions called Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver or Pierre Darmon.
The stands were then half full, sometimes even almost empty.
One day, Juliette Mills, an actress also known for public relations, has the idea of inviting personalities who are friends to attend meetings.
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Thanks to word of mouth, in particular, in Parisian diners, the phenomenon will quickly grow.
In the 1980s, attracted by what was becoming a fad, even a social phenomenon, VIPs displayed their physical fitness by participating in amateur tournaments.
In 1994, Framboise Holtz, then married to Gérard Holtz, created a Personalities Tournament.
The principle is simple: eliminatory meetings between stars of cinema, song, theater and the media, on courts located a few hundred meters from Roland-Garros.
These joyful days are a delight for the public, but also for the cameramen who shoot images that Madelen invites you to discover in a particularly unusual film,
The Balls of Beginners
.
In 1978, Adolphe Dhrey produced a montage made up of improbable face-to-face encounters between exceptional champions and headliners from the entertainment world.
We see, among others, Bjorn Borg facing Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Jimmy Connors trying to beat Francis Perrin, and Vitas Gerulaitis returning the ball to Claude Lelouch.
It thus evokes the time of a tradition which continues today with the regular presence of Alexandra Lamy, Nolwenn Leroy, Clovis Cornillac, Caroline Barclay, Cyril Hanouna, Bérénice Bejo and a few others.
Personalities who win, and not just to be known.
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The Beginners' Balls
(1978), by Adolphe Dhrey