“I bet three hours. I missed ten short minutes…” Nicolas Mahut jokes at the entrance to the players’ lounge. Monday evening, in a copiously furnished Central for the start of the tournament, Gilles Simon did… Gilles Simon. The tribute was ready. The standing ovation at the entrance to the court sounded like a swan song. The family had settled in the front row. All the friends had made the trip.
![](https://i0.wp.com/image.fanatik.com.tr/i/fanatik/75/1200x675/667ae245067a51c909d088f7.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)