A "Kingdom of Clay," Beneath the Surface
A guided tour around Roland Garros and its storied history, unearthing nearly a century of the best and the worst moments here.
PARIS, France — In his new book The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, my longtime New York Times tennis beat teammate Christopher Clarey tells the story of the prolific 14-time French Open champion, as one would expect.
Also as you might have expected—and perhaps already heard—Clarey and I discussed the Nadal aspects of the book a few weeks ago on an episode of my podcast, No Challenges Remaining, chatting remotely from our respective stateside homes.
But in deeper ways than you might have expected, Clarey also devoted significant time and space in The Warrior—roughly a third of the book—to exploring the environs of Roland Garros itself, as well as the broader historical contexts of both clay as a surface and the culture of tennis in France.
Even though I’ve been coming to Roland Garros for more than a decade now, reading an advance copy of the book earlier this spring gave me a greater appreciation of this “Kingdom of Clay” than I’d ever had before, and I was eager to link up with Clarey here in Paris to better explore the many Roland Garros landmarks, textures, and skeletons he wrote about so vividly.
The result was something I hope you will find pretty cool: together the two of us recorded a virtual audio-visual walking tour, roughly from east-to-west, across Roland Garros and its complicated past, examining how myth and modernity both clash and harmonize in this special place.
There will be photos, but the real meat of this piece is going to be in the accompanying audio clips, so I hope you all can listen along as we go.
Allons-y!
Here’s a rough map of the nine stops you’ll see and hear on this tour:
And here we go!
1. “Down in Front” at Le Jardin des Mousquetaires
We begin where a modern video screen viewing area is mingled and obstructed by the quartet of superstars who made Roland Garros a necessity for French tennis, the legendary “Four Musketeers”, and the bronze statues to them that now mostly just seem to get in the way in the part of the grounds where the “Bullring” once stood.
Down in front, please, Jean Borotra.
2. A Monument to Marey
Tucked away near a busy of Roland Garros is a quiet columbarium, inside of which are the ashes of famed scientist Etienne-Jules Marey, whose work was began on these grounds before the tennis even arrived.
3. A Home Becomes a Snack Bar
Some of the renovations over time have turned previously storied structures at Roland Garros into the mundane, such as an original 1928 building—a former locker room and residence for French talent—that now sells various snacks.
4. The Steely Tribute to a Foreign Conqueror
The Warrior opens with a discussion of Roland Garros deciding to honor Rafael Nadal, its 14-time champion from beyond the Pyrenees, with a statue unlike anything else on the grounds of a major. Created out of steel by Spanish sculptor Jordi Díez Fernandez, the dynamic sculpture has become a pilgrimage site for many.
5. The Players’ Restaurant
Walled off from the public—and increasingly from the media, too—the players’ restaurant at Roland Garros was once the cradle of tennis reporting, where the characters who shaped the stories of the sport spoke and mingled with journalists.
We talk about all that’s been lost as doors to places like this shut in the sport.
6. A Dark Chapter Under the Stadium
One of the chapters in Roland Garros’ history which I knew nothing about before reading The Warrior: in the early years of World War II, the stadium was used as an internment camp, imprisoning those considered possible threats under the overhang of the main court as war loomed on the continent. The dark chapter of French history left stains on the reputation of one of the tennis stars of yore in particular.
7. His Friendly Neighborhood Major
As we stand by one of the gates onto Boulevard d’Auteuil on the southern edge of Roland Garros, Clarey reminisces about living within a short walk—or a slightly longer bike ride—of the tournament, and how this local major blends nonchalantly into the lives of so many in French tennis.
8. A New Roof Over Lenglen and Old Shade to Women’s Players
As we look at the sleek new roof over Court Suzanne Lenglen, we discuss two prongs of the tournament: how its addition of night sessions has changed the livability of the event for better and worse, and also the tournament’s longstanding struggles with gender equality, which left even the seven-time champion Chris Evert feeling like a “second-class citizen” here at times.
(Here, also, is a nice poster of Chrissie in the media center):
9. The Best of the New Roland Garros
We finish our tour at Court 14, a beloved sunken court which opened in 2018 that represents both the expansionist ambitions of the tournament, as well as the best of new-look Roland Garros.
Thank you for joining us on this journey! If you enjoyed this, please do pick up a copy of The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, and also subscribe to Bounces for more unique coverage of Roland Garros and the rest of the tennis landscape this year! -Ben
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Nicely done. I didn’t know about Borotra and Petain, so thanks for the education. And amen to your discussion on the decline of access to places players frequent. I was fortunate enough to have press credentials for the Miami Open (Lipton) from 1988 to 1990 and 2004 to 2007, and Roland Garros in 1994. So I got a taste of those less-formal, less-structured encounters you referred to. I completely agree that the players are probably wrong to think they benefit from limiting the media’s access. It’s human nature that you’re less likely to criticize people you speak with and encounter often — e.g., someone you exchange pleasantries with in the player restaurant line or in the corridor under the stadium. The players are creating a distance between themselves and the media that actually makes it harder for them to get what they would consider positive coverage. If I were advising a player I’d tell them to let journalists shadow them once in a while. I think they’re getting bad advice. But no one asked me!
That was wonderful. I will listen to these clips several times, at least. You and Christopher took me to Roland Garros. Thank you. I think even my non-Tennis loving but Paris loving husband will love this.