Roger Federer never imagined coming one day to La Courneuve, in the Paris region. “We have seen enough of Versailles, the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower. It’s nice to be outside and see the real city, not just the tourists en masse,” joked the Swiss this Wednesday, May 22, in the multipurpose room of the Louis-Michel nursery school.
A few dozen kilometers from Porte d’Auteuil and Roland-Garros, the man with 20 Grand Slam titles traveled to Seine-Saint-Denis (93) for the inauguration of a tennis court, as part of its sponsor Uniqlo’s Around the World program, a series of international meetings on the themes of art, tennis and culture.
At 42, the Maestro hasn’t aged a bit, and neither has his French. “I have played on so many courts all over the world, but a court like this, not often…” he says about the new colorful court, whose colors and design were imagined by the artist local Caroline Derveaux. “He’s fun. Tennis should be fun!” Federer will exchange a few balls with children from La Courneuve supported by Fête le Mur, an association created around thirty years ago by Yannick Noah for young people from priority neighborhoods. “I’m so happy to be here, it’s important to give something back to the community, to play with the children, to motivate them to play sports and in particular tennis,” rejoices the Swiss.
But before picking up his racket, he went in front of the journalists to answer a few questions about his new life as a brand ambassador. “The last year and a half was great. The wheel continues to turn. I have never gotten up so early, he emphasizes. I take my children to school, I do my gym and my rehabilitation, I stay in good shape. Retired is a word we don’t really like in my sport!”
With a smile on his lips, he confides that “he misses tennis a lot”, but that he is at the same time “relieved to no longer train like a crazy person every day”. Between two promotional tours, the legend says he enjoys vacations in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Dubai and the Maldives. Will he beat a head at Roland Garros? “I will come back one day yes, like I did at Wimbledon last year. I like it, because I know it makes people happy and I can see my friends. But at the same time you have to have a good reason to come back, otherwise everyone will say to you ‘what the hell are you doing here?’ (laughs)”
It’s time to go and inaugurate the court, which adjoins the nursery school. Two stands were installed on either side. During the final preparations and while waiting for the rain to stop in the sky over La Courneuve, Roger Federer receives a visit from Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation. The children take their places on and around the court, the atmosphere goes up a notch. “Please give a warm welcome,” the announcer begins. “Federeeer!” shouts a little girl from the stands. “Exactly ! She’s right ! Mr. Roger Federer!” And the former world number 1 made his entrance as he did thousands in his career, to the acclaim of the public.
The first exchanges confirm it: the Basel resident has lost none of his gestures, his elegance, his legendary relaxation. Forehand, backhand, serve, slice, drop shot. “I’m still getting there, it’s not over!”, he tells the crowd. He is forced to duck to dodge a missile. The clumsiness of his young opponents makes him laugh. “I feel a lot of power here.” It is far from being the first court he has inaugurated, but Roger Federer seems to appreciate the moment, and the originality of this multicolored court. “I would like to see a little more color in tennis,” he confides. Our sport is quite ‘old school’. We need new methods, new ideas. If we don’t have that, young people will go to football or another sport.” But there is no doubt that in La Courneuve, the legend has given rise to more than one vocation for the little yellow ball.