If she goes to the capital, it’s not to hit the little yellow ball, but to pick it up during the international Roland-Garros tournament. The young Fumeloise, from the local tennis club, was chosen from among 4,500 candidates from all over France. “My dad signed me up. He surprised me. »
A first phase of selection took place in Tartas, in the Landes: “We were tested on physical exercises, on speed and learned how to roll the ball to pass it from one collector to another. A first regional step that Olivia has taken. During the February holidays, she left for five days in La Grande-Motte, in the Hérault, for a high speed apprenticeship: “We were put in a situation to assess our skills and our endurance. We will be on the pitch from 3 to 9 p.m. with a break every 35 to 40 minutes depending on how hot it will be. We were informed of the strict rules during the tournament. The five days at La Grande-Motte were therefore intense. 280 young people were selected. “Even if I had left without pressure, I admit that on the last day, when the names of the selected ones were announced, I was stressed…”
Three weeks close to his idols
From now on, Olivia Duval is delighted to live for three weeks in the heart of a tournament that she likes and to see her idols “Federer or Nadal”. But there is no question of making stories on Instagram during his stay: “The cell phones stay in the locker room as long as we are at the tournament. »
Going to Paris, she returns to a city she knows well, having spent her early childhood there, “besides, I’m going to stay with my grandparents who still live there”.
Because Olivia Duval is an adopted Fumeloise, who arrived six years ago. And quickly spotted by Yannick Defossez, the president of the Fumel tennis club: “I went to hit a few balls with her during Sport en fête. I quickly understood that she had potential. Olivia Duval was then 10 years old and five years behind her with a racket.
