Roland-Garros seen by Alizé Cornet: "In my golden prison"

“I cross the threshold of the hotel and I know that my 24 hours of freedom granted to go from the Strasbourg tournament to that of Roland-Garros are over.

A short day of autonomy to jump from one bubble to another;

now precious moments in a current context where the tennis player has become, of his own free will, the target of almost permanent surveillance.

New York, Strasbourg, Paris, three sublime cities that I haven't had the chance to see up close this year.

The price to pay for playing tennis in this special Covid season is called the “bubble”, and I'm stepping into the one that will become my home for the next two weeks.

At least I wish it ...

"I love it when things are framed"

The bubble, a controlled semi-containment process where players can only move from their hotel to the tournament site, without any contact with the outside world.

A formula that can be more or less well lived, questionable on certain aspects, but which has the immense advantage of allowing us to resume our profession in complete safety, or almost.

For my part, I live it quite well.

I love it when things are framed, it's my little psychorigid side.

In addition, let's not be fake token, the price to pay is quite relative.

We are not to be pitied, far from it.

The hotel which welcomes the players of the final table ranked between 1 and 60 has the allure of a golden prison: spacious and comfortable rooms (with a view of the Eiffel Tower please), tastefully decorated lobby, organization little care ...

Like all players, Alizé Cornet fears that one of the many past PCR tests will prove positive.

LP / OL  

A selection in the ranking to determine who will sleep where?

Yes, it also made me tilt at the beginning, this assumed approach of "we do not mix tea towels and towels".

Fortunately, those classified 60 and over are not accommodated in a seedy youth hostel at the other end of Paris, but in a very honorable hotel located a little further down the street ...

I meet Pauline Parmentier and Richard Gasquet at the reception, I am happy to see them, my tennis team mates.

The context severely limiting our potential activities, we will perhaps have time to socialize a little, which would not be a luxury in this environment where everyone has their heads often riveted on their own handlebars.

"An anguish that will come back to haunt my nights"

But first of all, let's go to the pleasant PCR test before going to confine myself in my room for 24 hours while waiting for my results.

Hours of waiting tinged with anxiety when we know that the virus is often asymptomatic, that the cases of false positives are relatively frequent and that the player as well as all the people in close contact with the latter are nevertheless immediately out of the tournament .

Banished bluntly and locked up for 7 to 10 days, like the nightmare experienced by some French people in New York.

An anguish that will come back to haunt my nights at the same recurrence as the tests carried out, in 48 hours and then every five days.

Then, if all goes well, I will finally be able to discover Roland's new stadium

, who, I was told, has seen her sex appeal soar since then. the long-awaited and long-delayed end of the work.

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A brand new stadium 90% empty (in the best case) for an unexpected edition but shaken up by an oppressive Covid, all under the sign of this hope so fragile, that of one day seeing a normal life start again.

Yes, I can't wait to be there.

"

Alizé Cornet is the author of "Sans Compromis", Ed. Amphora, 19.50 euros.